Cooking school guide has a class for everyone
August 7, 2012 9:47AM
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Updated: September 9, 2012 6:04AM
Baking
Lee Mann, various locations. Director of educational marketing at Wilton School of Decorating teaches Wilton Method of Cake Decorating classes at various craft and specialty stores. (800) 942-8881
Children/Teens
Common Threads. Various locations. Program for low-income children ages 8 to 12 that incorporates nutrition and cultural lessons in hands-on classes. Classes resume in the fall. commonthreads.org.
General
Cook From Scratch, Inc. Bridget Weis-Urban and staff lead classes in their kitchen or your home focusing on simple and nutritious recipes that mostly uses five ingredients or less. New this year: healthy snacks. Classes range from $45 to $100. (312) 559-0052; cookfromscratch.com.
Cooking with the Best Chefs. Bill Lavery and local chefs lead cooking and baking classes and regional weekend cooking trips. Private classes available. (224) 286-7441; bestchefs.com.
Parties That Cook. National organization hosts local cooking classes and events at various locations. partiesthatcook.com.
Groceries/Retailers
Bloomingdale's, 600 N. Wabash; Oakbrook Center; Old Orchard, Skokie. Free demos by guest chefs in the housewares department; bloomingdales.com.
Michaels, participating locations. Offers Wilton Method Cake Decorating courses. michaels.com.
Vegatarian/Health
Dawn Jackson Blatner. Various locations. Registered dietitian Dawn Jackson Blatner conducts classes at the Chopping Block (4747 N. Lincoln and in the Merchandise Mart) and other locations; dawnjacksonblatner.com.
HealthyDining.org. Laura Bruzas offers health-minded classes for those who want to eat well but want out of the kitchen fast. (312) 666-9979; healthydining.org.
Naturally Nutritious. Dietitian Karen Raden specializes in nutrition education, offering in-home or group presentations by appointment. (847) 559-9737; karenraden.com.
Local/Sustainable
FamilyFarmed.org. Expanding the concept of using locally and responsibly grown foods to enhance the social, environmental and economic health of our communities through local festivals and special events. familyfarmed.org.
Global Organic Designs Lifestyle Services. Bret S. Beall leads classes on quick, easy, Earth-friendly, healthy cooking. Available for group and corporate demos. (773) 508-9208; god-dess.com.
Green City Market, in Lincoln Park between Clark and Stockton. Local chefs lead demos at 10:30 a.m. Saturdays through Oct. 31. in the Peggy Notebaert Museum. chicagogreencitymarket.org.
Purple Asparagus. Melissa Graham offers classes that feature organic and local products and sustainable cooking methods. (773) 991-1920; purpleasparagus.com.
Private Instructors
Anita Brown Culinary Coach. Tailored in-home cooking sessions to meet individual culinary needs and interests in your home. Coaching available for newlyweds, retirees, families, college students. Fees vary. (847) 341-4623; anitaculinarycoach.com.
Christopher Tong, My Private Chef. Upscale private dining service offering lessons and demos at various locations. Upcoming: 2 p.m. Sept. 1, Bloomingdale's Home & Furniture Store, 600 N. Wabash. 1:30 and 2:30 p.m. Sept. 16, Chicago Botanic Garden, 1000 Lake-Cook, Glencoe. (773) 370-8131; myprivatechef.net.
Tom Wasabi In-Home Cooking. Tom Craner provides private, in-home pasta and sushi lessons. Also, demonstration classes for parties and corporate events. (847) 395-5768; tomwasabi.com.
