Announcing Full Plate's Fall Cooking Lessons

My availability for Fall cooking lessons has been emailed out to everyone who sent me a request. I will be booking the classes on a first come-first served basis. If I missed you (or you want more info but have been too shy to ask), here's the scoop on the lessons:

My cooking lessons are personalized, practical and most importantly, fun. I’d like you to come away from the session feeling confident that you can easily recreate the meal(s) we made together…and tweak them based upon the foods you have on hand. Whether you’re an experienced home cook looking for some new ideas for make-ahead meals, or a mom who feels like you never really learned to cook, I promise to make you feel more at ease in your kitchen, and to make cooking fun.

Classes are offered in your home kitchen or mine-- wherever you’ll be most comfortable. My kitchen is not fancy, so yours need not be either. I, personally, think it’s best to work in the space where you’re normally going to be making meals, just so it’s realistic. The only thing I ask is that you have enough clear counter space that we can comfortably work, and that you have an idea of where the basic cooking gear is before I arrive. (We don’t want to spend our time together locating a cutting board, or taking the wrapping off your new baking sheets!) Once we confirm your cooking goal for the lesson I will email you a list of recommended pans, food storage containers, etc. The equipment will not be fancy, and if you don’t have something just let me know and we’ll improvise. I will tell you right now that my Cuisinart was broken for over a year and I made do just fine…and I can safely say that I have never used the KitchenAid mixer I registered for….

I charge $75/hour and recommend a 2-hour class. This is enough time to complete a couple of dishes, but not so much time that you can feel overwhelmed by information. Groceries are purchased by you, so you are familiar with ingredients and your local supermarket where you’re going to be shopping. But if you want me to do the marketing I am happy to, at my hourly rate + the cost of the groceries.

Classes will be filled on a first come-first served basis. My availability is as follows:
Monday, October 5 9:30-11:30am - booked!
Tuesday, October 6 9:30-11:30am - booked!
Monday, October 19 9:30-11:30am - booked!
Tuesday, October 20 9:30-11:30am - booked!
Monday, October 26 9:30-11:30am - booked!
Sunday, November 1 10:00am-noon, 11:00-1:00 or noon-2:00pm
Monday, November 9 9:30-11:30am
Tuesday, November 10 9:30-11:30am
Monday, November 16 9:30-11:30am
Tuesday, November 17 9:30-11:30am

Classes may be cancelled up to 24-hours in advance, since we both know kids get sick or mom duties can get in the way. If I can, I will do my best to reschedule your lesson.

In terms of topics, I know some of you already know what you’d like to learn in your lesson. For others, you may just say, “Please teach me how to cook!!” Each two hour lesson should teach you something useful, so please think of what it is that gives you most angst in the kitchen. The goal is to make cooking easier, and more enjoyable! Because this is a private lesson, the focus is totally on you and making sure you are comfortable re-creating a dish. Plus, with a private lesson I can tailor a lesson to your individual cooking experience and goals, as well as your family’s food preferences. So, dream away, and then let’s get cooking! Some classes that have been requested, to give you some ideas:
- Make-ahead Breakfasts – Frittatas and Protein Pancakes
- Kid-Friendly Make Ahead Dinners – Mini Turkey Meatloaves and Maple Glazed Pork Tenderloin + 2 sides
- Not-Your-Average Meatball – Beef & Bulgur Meatballs and Lamb and Pistachio Kofte
- Fruit & Veggie Sides – Roasted Broccoli, Maple Roasted Butternut Squash, Ratatouille, Sweet Potato Wedges, Fresh Fruit Skewers with Homemade Yogurt Dip
- Fall Dinner Party – Cider Braised Chorizo and Savory Pumpkin Cannelloni

A week or two before your class, we’ll chat on the phone and I’ll find out if there are any ingredients we need to avoid (because of strong dislikes or allergies), then I’ll email you an idea of what we can make together. Once you approve of the dishes, I will email you a shopping list. Then the morning of, I’ll show up ready to cook alongside you. At the end of the lesson, depending upon what dishes we have made, you’ll have the week’s breakfasts already made, a couple of dinners ready to go into the freezer for nights that end up nutty, or a meal ready for a dinner party.

To book a cooking lesson, or if you have any further questions about these classes, please feel free to email me. The above dates are what I see fitting in before Thanksgiving, but I’ll gladly add more cook times after the Holidays. I will look forward to cooking with you!