Class is in Session
Dig in to our roundup of local cooking classes.
By Katie Mavrich | Photography by Megan Wylie Ruffing

For some adults (like me), the last time we attended any formal cooking lessons was during home economics class in high school (I still think of Mrs. Wilson every time I have an Orange Julius). Thankfully, our region offers a range of cooking schools, pun intended. Classes are offered on everything, from learning basic knife skills to making our own pasta from scratch to ruling a wok to create a tasty stir-fry. Even better, the experts at the helm of the stoves and kitchen islands are all about eating local foods — and showing us what to do with those odd, lesser-known vegetables in our CSA boxes.

Chop, Wok, and Talk!

Dorothy Tague, owner of East End cooking studio Chop, WOK, and Talk!, studied with Anna Kao, a famed local chef who owned a restaurant in Fox Chapel in the late ’70s and early ’80s and taught cooking classes out of her home. “I didn’t do anything with it, except cook for friends and family, who really like Asian food,” Tague says. Then, nearly a decade ago, she recommended Asian restaurants to her tenants, who were less than satisfied. “So I told them, ‘I’ll teach you how to cook!’ And it snowballed from there,” she says. To avoid distracted students with empty stomachs, Tague starts each class off by teaching a simple soup or an appetizer. And while her main focus is Asian food, Tague also teaches classes on Greek, Moroccan, Spanish, Indian, and Italian fare. Upon request, gluten-free, lactose intolerant, and vegetarian classes can be scheduled.

Why you should go: To learn how to make restaurant-quality Asian cuisine at home.

Class size: 8 (all classes are hands-on)

Cost per class: $50-$65

Length of class: 3 hours (6 dishes are prepared, and the class joins together in the dining room afterwards to enjoy the fruits of their labor)

Call and register: A month in advance

Before you go: Some classes are prerequisites for others, so make sure you are fully prepared!

Upcoming classes: Easter Brunch, Mother’s Day Brunch, Dim Sum, Phyllo and Puff Pastry, Chinese I, Thai I, Greek Dinner

Chop, WOK, and Talk!, 5404 Penn Ave., Bloomfield. 412.362.0679 www.chopwoktalk.com

Merante Gifts

In 1983, Maria Merante opened Merante Gifts, an Italian gift shop modeled after those found in New York City’s Little Italy. She loves to cook and bake, with recipes passed down from her mother and grandmother. “When the apartment upstairs from the shop became available, we put that kitchen to good use to share our love of the Italian food experience,” Merante says. She has taken groups on culinary tours to Italy, and teaches her students those old-world recipes. “Many of our grandmothers didn’t leave us handwritten recipes with measurements and lists of ingredients. For those who remember the way their families shared meals together, knowing how to prepare those dishes is the first step,” she says. Having learned to cook from her grandmother, who never wasted anything, Merante teaches using a “waste not, want not” method. “We want you to feel confident that you will be able to go home and recreate our recipes and be inspired to invent your own,” Merante says.

Why you should go: To finally learn how to replicate grandma’s marinara sauce — students go home with all of the written recipes that they prepare in class.

Class size: 10

Cost per class: $40-$50

Length of class: 3 hours

Call and register: As soon as possible

Before you go: Don’t stress about having limited knowledge. No experience is necessary for enrolling in the classes at Merante Gifts.

Upcoming classes: The Italian Vegetarian, Italian Easter, A New Milanese Menu.

Merante Gifts, 4723 Liberty Ave., Bloomfield. 412.682.3370. www.merante-gifts.com

Whole Foods Market

Whole Foods Market Seafood Chef Seth Morrison started the monthly seafood cooking classes to dispel the myth that seafood is very difficult to cook. “I wanted to show people that it can be very quick and easy, as well as fun,” Morrison says. Not only will students learn how to prepare fresh seafood dishes, but they will also learn about the ingredients themselves. And Morrison knows his stuff — he has worked at Benkovitz Seafood and Wholey’s Fish Market in the Strip District. Perhaps best of all, you don’t have to have any seafood skills to sign up for this class.

Why you should go: To get over your fear of cooking seafood at home!

Class size: Limited

Cost per class: A suggested donation which benefits the Whole Planet Foundation (doesn’t that feel good?!)

Length of class: 1 to 2 hours

Call and register: Up to the day of, but definitely as soon as possible.

Before you go: Don’t forget your notebook, so that you can make a shopping list and cook the dishes yourself!

Whole Foods Market, 5880 Centre Ave., Shadyside. 412.441.7960. www.wholefoodsmarket.com

Crate

Students who take cooking classes at Crate get to learn from the best in Pittsburgh — big Burrito’s Executive Chef Bill Fuller and Habitat’s Executive Chef Andrew Morrison are among the guest instructors. Owner Linda Wernikoff has built such an empire that, while she does teach a few classes herself, her staff and guest chefs run the majority of the classes, teaching about 20 classes each month. In 1980, Crate featured a demonstration kitchen that was quickly expanded into a full-blown cooking school. “I just plunged right into it,” Wernikoff says. Crate was one of the first cooking schools in the region to teach students how to make sushi, Moroccan, Argentinean, and South American dishes.

Why you should go: For the outside-of-the-box classes, such as “Cooking with Julia” (on

Julia Child’s birthday), “The Real Housewives of Pittsburgh,” and “Steel Chefs” (two or more of Pittsburgh’s finest chefs competed against each other with secret ingredients). Lunch and Learn, Singles classes, and Cooking with

a Partner are also offered.

Class size: 12-24 (Demonstrations hold up to 40)

Cost per class: Varies

Length of class: 2 to 4 hours

Call and register: As soon as possible

Before you go: Check Crate’s Website to pick the lesson that best suits you — there is a very diverse menu of classes to choose from.

Upcoming classes: Italian Boot Camp, Pierogi, All Things Chocolate, Fashion Show Lunch & Learn, and Cake Decorating Crate, 1960 Greentree Road, Green Tree. 412.341.5700.  www.cratecook.com

Giant Eagle Market District

Kiera Hightower directs the Giant Eagle Market District Cooking School, located in the Settlers Ridge store. She is responsible for developing the schedule, brainstorming themes, researching ingredients, and scheduling guest chef instructors. “We have a great, personable, qualified team of chefs and other professionals here in the store. One of our sushi team members teaches the sushi class, and our meat team leader is co-teaching

a class on lamb,” Hightower says. “We can utilize the talent here, in addition to bringing in outside chefs.” Classes run the gamut from basic skills to food prep to advanced techniques.

Why you should go: The ingredients are as fresh as it gets — everything is sourced from the store! Plus, you can pick up everything you need to make the dishes at home.

Class size: 12

Cost per class: $10 to $50

Length of class: 2 ½ hours

Call and register: As soon as possible

Before you go: Get the kids involved! Kid’s classes range 1 to 2 hours, and Giant Eagle even offers children’s birthday party classes. Or, make it a date night, and choose a wine or beer tasting.

Upcoming classes:

Check out Market District’s website!

Giant Eagle Market District, 100 Settlers Ridge Center Drive, Robinson. 412.788.5392. www.marketdistrict.com