Central Market University

In my quest to try new things and try to be more social, I decided to take some sort of class. After looking around, one of the things that sounded pretty interesting was a cooking class, and I saw that Central Market (right next to my apartment) was offering classes.

They were expensive ($60 for a 2.5 hour class), but it looked pretty cool. I found a class in Greek cuisine, and it had a pretty nice little menu put together. So I decided to bite the bullet and go for it.

First of all, this was a pretty big step for me. I typically don't go out of my way to be social or outgoing, particularly by myself, and I was proud that I actually went through with it. I was a little nervous going in, but I was also excited. It was a chance to meet some new people, and even if that didn't work out, I had a feeling I'd learn a couple of new recipes.

Now, let me say that these Central Market classes are set up in a pretty cool way. You show up, and the main instructor gives you a little bit of set-up for how the class will work. There are three stations, and they give you an apron and all the tools you'll need. Then, they break you up into groups with one of the teachers, and each little station makes everything.

One of the reasons for the increased price is probably the inclusion of wine. They had a red and a white wine, and we were basically given unlimited refills...both during the cooking/preparation parts and the dinner itself. I had three glasses, and I never really went out of my way to ask for more. I'm sure people had four or maybe even five. Its a nice touch, and I'm sure the alcohol gets rid of any anxiety (either about cooking or cooking with strangers).

So your group basically makes one of the recipes at a time. There were four main dishes that we made, and there were a couple of additional recipes that we were given. Houmous, for example, was on the menu but not a part of the class because it's simply mixing a selection of ingredients. We got to try it, but it was pre-made. We also got a recipe for pita bread, but it was also pre-made.

And in this class, we made mousaka, a chicken dish with a white cucumber-based sauce, a Greek salad, and a shrimp in a white sauce. One of the reasons I picked this particular class was that everything sounded pretty good, and everything actually ended up tasting great.

So everything was set up for us. There were assistants around the kitchen to take away any trash/seeds/unused food, and any ingredients we needed were already pre-measured in little tubs. So if we needed a cup of milk, it was already set for us, and that made things a million times easier.

And then we were off. The instructor showed us the right way to do things, but everything was done by us. So if a cucumber needed to be peeled and sliced, we did it. If a sauce needed to be prepared and cooked, we did it. Everyone got a chance to be the "main chef" on something (I grilled the chicken, for example), and everyone seemed to be doing something at all times. We were making a lot of food, and we were always busy.

There are apparently classes at Central Market where you simply watch something being made. Celebrity chefs will come, for example, and you get to see them do their thing...and eventually eat the food they make. Some of the "cooking class veterans" said that those weren't nearly as fun, and I can see that.

Because, honestly, food that you make yourself tastes better. There's something about starting off with a couple bags of groceries and ending up with a huge meal that makes you feel like you accomplished something. It's like building a birdhouse...except you eat the birdhouse when you're done.

And one of the benefits of a cooking class is seeing how easy it all is. We made four pretty extravagent dishes, and it wasn't that hard. Of course, all of the ingredients were in front of me, pre-measured, and there was zero cleanup. But outside of that, it was pretty easy.

And, of course, I'm not going to be making five-course meals anytime soon. But now I have a relatively simple Greek shrimp recipe. And I know how to make a pretty tasty mousaka. And I know the proper way to skewer and grill chicken.

So if you have the money and the time and the interest, I think these classes are pretty cool. You get really nice ingredients from Central Market, some nice wine to go with it, and some cool recipes. If you add the value of the instruction, I think the money actually works. They also seem pretty cool about making the class work for you because there was a vegetarian and a celiac (gluten intolerant) person...and they both were allowed to make foods for them.

I'll probably go back in the future. They have a class almost every night, and you just have to find the one most interesting for you. And if you go, tell them that I sent you. Maybe I'll get a free class or something.