As a young child, I took cooking classes with my sister and a few friends, then fancied myself the next Sarah Lee.  There’s nothing like ruining a béchamel, letting pasta water boil over, and adding noodles to a soup too early (effectively making it stew with really fat, gross noodles) to show you that you know a hell of a lot less than you thought.  Needless to say, we could all use a little schooling in the kitchen.

Lucky for Dallas, we have an alternative to the stuffy cooking classes that are BYOB (woof) thanks to The Cookery.  The little school in the Design District offers public and private classes on topics from sushi to tapas and will soon be offering a cocktail class.  Owner, Kelly Huddleston, makes cooking approachable.  And thanks to her experience working as a cooking instructor all around the world, she has mastered many different types of cuisines.

Kelly and her sous chef explain each step of the process from learnings how to pick the best produce, cuts, and ingredients to the correct way to debeard mussels.  (Ew.)  They even add a bit of color commentary as the class progresses … a much more casual approach than other cooking classes.  Adding to the fun of the class, they pair wine, beer, or a cocktail with each course of the meal.  The highlight of this experience, though?  You don’t have to clean up.

In our class we were walked through “An Evening in Paris” where we made Garlic and White Wine Steamed Mussels with Gougères, Steak au Poivre with a Brandy Cream Reduction, and a Dark Chocolate Soufflé.  Everyone seemed surprised how easy each dish was thanks to the tips and tricks from Kelly, and every dish turned out incredibly well.  (We didn’t ruin a single thing!)

Peruse the classes available on their website, all ringing in around $95.  Since they keep classes to 14 or less students, make sure to plan ahead and make reservations in advance.  Since the school offers private parties, check with Kelly if you have an occasion coming up and she’ll organize something just for your group.

¡Bon appétit!

THE COOKERY
thecookerydallas.com
1130 Dragon St #180 (Design District)