seeing the country through cooking classes

When Marie Crawford decided to enhance her culinary skills, she commuted fromher home in Armonk, New York to Ridgewood, New Jersey.  There, at the imaginatively named Olive R Twist Oilive Oil company, she learned to prepare everything from “Egg-cellent” breakfast recipes to a variety of Italian entree recipes.

Marie also turned her gastronomic gallivant into a sightseeing excursion There, at the self-proclaimed “suburb less traveled,” she checked out Smith’s Tavern, where Revolutionary militias were once mustered; learned that it once was a regular stagecoach stop between New York and Danbury, Connecticut, and strolled along the surrounding rolling hills and leafy ridge lines.

Similar opportunities to combine a culinary learning experience with stimulating sightseeing abound throughout the United States.  After a search to find cooking classes that are of interest, people may hunt for things to see and do nearby.

Among culinary course at Bossier Parish Community College in Louisiana are food basic skills, development and preparation principles. The region’s relationship with food traces back to the 1830s, when the Elysian Groves Plantation grew corn, sweet potatoes and other crops which were shipped to markets in the south and east.

Meal time in Texas often means brisket, chicken fried steak and pecan pie. At the Spread Oaks Ranch in Markham selections include fresh-from-the gardens and greenhouse veggies, and learning to pair wines with food.  When they’re not preparing, or enjoying edibles, guests may select from a long list of activities including fresh and salt water fishing, hunting birds and stalking deer, wild hogs and alligators.

Agriculture has long shaped Idaho’s identity and the state’s food culture reflects a deep connection to locally grown ingredients and seasonal produce. Students at North Idaho College in Coeur d’Alene may study classical cooking techniques, nutrition and baking fundamentals.

Similar classes – Culinary Essentials, Nutrition, Bakeshop I and II — also are offered at the Danville Area Community College in Illinois. They’re augmented by courses in salads, sandwiches, farm-to-fork and other topics, all taught by master chefs in a state-of-the-art kitchen.

The choices at Ivy Tech Community College in Indianapolis, Indiana are equally varied, and are available at nine locations. In addition to overall Culinary Arts classes they include baking and pastry, dietary administration and beverage management.

Hands-on experience is a focus of study at Edmonds Community College in Lynnwood, Washington.  It blends classic cooking techniques with regional flavors. Students gain experience working in local kitchens, including the College Café.

Opportunities to cook in a college café, perfect your pastry prowess, broil brisket and try out regional recipes are just a few of countless approaching to upgrading one’s culinary talents. Combining that learning experience with a sightseeing sojourn can offer benefits well beyond the plate, and palate.

For a comprehensive list of cooking schools throughout the United States, log onto culinaryschools.org/us.