Langlois
New Orleans
Born-and-raised south Louisiana chef Amy Sins describes Langlois’ cooking classes as an intensive crash course in one of Louisiana’s classic dishes.
“I want people to understand that there is a difference between Cajun and Creole cooking that developed from all these foods and flavors that met up in south Louisiana,” she said, mentioning everything from French to Vietnamese cuisine. “We focus on the cultures that helped bring this great food to us.”
The trained chefs who work alongside Sins are fellow storytellers and food nerds who delve into the narrative behind the classic and modern cooking techniques and ingredients they use.
“Groups who join us want the feeling of an authentic New Orleans dinner party, and we give them that fun, unintimidating feeling,” Sins said.
Part of the fun is deciding where to take the class. Groups get to choose from an impressive lineup of unique and historic private event spaces and homes around New Orleans, including the Southern Food and Beverage Museum and the Dryades Market. With more than 1,700 restaurants in the city, Sins doesn’t want her guests cooped up in a commercial kitchen but out in a space of their choice. And if groups don’t want to get their hands dirty, the Langlois chefs are happy to oblige by doing all the cooking and storytelling themselves.
Eggshells Kitchen Company
Little Rock, Arkansas
Former accountant and lifelong foodie Lindsey Gray, is living her dream as the owner of Eggshells Kitchen Company, a one-stop kitchen shop that hosts the most popular cooking classes in Little Rock.
Nearly 40 local chefs take turns guiding groups through the recipes that will end up on their plates. As in most cities, the chefs have migrated to Arkansas from all over the country, and Gray said the chef who cooks the most classically Southern cuisine is from Montana. Groups often request that the menu include traditional Southern comfort food like fried chicken, black-eyed peas and drop-biscuits, “the sorts of dishes your grandma used to make.” But some groups like to pick the genre and leave it up to the chef, who usually plans a modern spin for the old favorites.
All the staff at Eggshells like to cook as well, and part of the goal is to help people learn the right kitchen tools to make preparing meals more manageable. The neighborhood kitchen store also prides itself on being a resource for cooks who need a menu suggestion or help tackling a tough recipe.
“We’re the sort of class you can take whether you know what you’re doing or you’re the sort of person who is afraid to step into the kitchen,” Gray said.
www.eggshellskitchencompany.com
Wild Thyme Cooking
Lexington, Kentucky
For chef Allison Davis, food is the common thread that pulls people around a table and draws them into conversation and laughter. She welcomes groups into her kitchen studio nestled in one of Lexington’s oldest neighborhoods where she and her fellow chefs model Southern hospitality.
“Being born and raised in Kentucky, I have an emotional attachment to Southern food,” Davis said. “I love inviting people into that part of our history.”
Several classes at Wild Thyme Cooking are built around local, organic grass-fed beef and pastured pork.
“We like to teach groups that where you get your protein makes a big difference,” she said. The great sources of protein are paired with fresh, local produce.
Groups are also likely to learn how to cook with Kentucky’s most iconic ingredient: bourbon. “I love using bourbon in everything,” Davis said. “It can go into any dish and pull out an amazing layer of flavor.”
A typical bourbon menu might be smoked pork loin with a bourbon cherry glaze; broccoli gratin with sour cream, ricotta and bourbon; and a cream cheese brownie drizzled with bourbon caramel sauce. If guests want the hands-on experience, they can be part of each course’s preparation, or they can opt for a demonstration-only evening.
