Sacramento chefs take you back to school with live cooking classes
Despite our best efforts to channel our inner Ina Garten or Chrissy Teigen these past months, for many of us, the pandemic has confirmed something we had long suspected about ourselves: cooking will never be our forte. If you too need a bit more help in the kitchen than any TikTok instruction or viral recipe can offer, these three new at-home cooking classes have come streaming in to save the day—and our dinners.
Homeskool’d
From left: Chefs Ricky Yap and Chris Lombardi of Homeskool’d
Sushi roll (Photo by Anna Wick)
Inspired by doorstep meal boxes like Blue Apron and Cratejoy, chefs Chris Lombardi, owner of Woodland’s Burger Saloon, and Kru sushi chef Ricky Yap have taken to Zoom to show you the elbow grease required to make a delicious meal. Hosted every Wednesday and Thursday evening, sign up for a session (classes feed two; special whole-family courses serve four) to receive your syllabus, which includes background information on the night’s meal: a detailed recipe, required cookware and a list of the pre-portioned ingredients to pick up on the day of class at A & P Liquors in midtown. While courses rotate on a bi-weekly basis—most popular are Sushi 101 (California rolls) and Pasta from Scratch (three ways)—new subjects are on the horizon, including a ramen series where participants will learn to make everything from hiyashi chuka (chilled ramen) to a birria-topped, Mexican-inspired version of the Japanese noodle soup. $55 per class. Classes are Wednesdays and Thursdays. gethomeskoold.com
The Cook In
From left: Ryan Royster and chef Byron Hughes, co-hosts of The Cook In
Seafood paella (Photo by Tiffany Lo)
Chef Byron Hughes leads The Cook In, a cooking class on YouTube Live with a downtown vibe and uptown dishes—think seared scallops on creamy potato purée with sautéed corn and smoky Spanish chorizo, or a vibrant seafood paella. The weekly show—which launched in April and will resume on Saturday, Oct. 10, after a two-month break—is the pandemic pivot of the Last Supper Society, a pop-up dinner company that Hughes, formerly of Canon and Kru, founded with branding expert and former pro baseball player Ryan Royster, who serves as co-host and producer. Sign up for each session via text and purchase a box of fresh ingredients to pick up at a designated location on class day; then tune in at 6 p.m. that evening for a breezy lesson that gets dinner on the table approximately one hour later. The classes are archived on YouTube, which allows advanced home cooks to fast-forward and kitchen newbies—guilty as charged!—to hit pause. While dicing a shallot or revealing the secrets of a silky potato mash, Hughes chats up area guests like Sacramento Pride director Jordan Hosein-Hedmann, who beam in via video and follow along to represent gourmet hopefuls everywhere. $22 for dinner for one; $40 for dinner for two. Classes are weekly on Saturdays at 6 p.m. 916- 249-3192. lastsuppersociety.com
Good Eats
Paulette Bruce demonstrates a recipe for classic meatballs in tomato sauce.
A tomato and cheese tart with herbed olive oil (Photo by Penny Sylvia)
Land Park-based chef Paulette Bruce has been hosting her cozy, beginner-friendly cooking classes in North Sacramento for over 30 years, but now she’s beaming her expertise straight to your kitchen with online courses. Offering a new class each week (October sessions will feature oven-roasted, herb-stuffed leg of lamb and pork chops stuffed with Gouda and spinach), home cooks can sign up in advance for a month’s worth of live-on-Zoom and pre-recorded classes (an online archive is available for members). Aspiring Barefoot Contessas will be given step-by-step instructions and access to a private Facebook group for Bruce’s interactive kitchen confidential. $29 for a one-month membership. Classes are weekly on Thursdays at 5 p.m.
goodeatscookingclasses.com
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