Our world changed during the pandemic and it wasn’t all bad. Appetite magazine reported that during Covid 19, Australians “increased home cooking and experimentation in the kitchen, enhanced their food literacy such as cooking skills and confidence, meal planning and purchasing skills, and increased consumption of family meals.”
Cooking can be a very social, fun activity, building communication and cooperation. Like any creative pursuit where you learn new skills, cooking classes can lead to new friendships. Learning together even makes great date territory. What better way is there to find a person who enjoys good food and is willing to do something for others than through a cooking class?
The Gold Coast has several cooking schools, classes and instructors where you can hone your skills, learn as part of a celebration or take a class to make new friends. It’s always the asides that make a class special, the little tips that we haven’t known, the shortcuts or additions that make a dish a cut above the rest. Here are some of our best-known cooking classes that you might like to try:
Icon, the Cookery School is one of our most established cooking schools. They run a range of classes taught by different teachers in their premises on the upper level of The Kitchens, Robina Town Centre. Classes encompass different cuisines, such as Thai, French, Moroccan and Indian, as well as different food items such as pizza or dumplings, and socially-based classes such as couples’ date night. Classes are interactive and usually the group will sit down and enjoy their food together after the class.
Many people use a cooking class to celebrate an event, or to gather a group of friends together to learn something. There are several chefs and cooks whose business involves running cooking classes in your home.
Japanese-born Hiroko (Hiro) Hirada grew up learning about traditional Japanese hospitality and cuisine from her family, who operated a Ryokan (traditional Japanese hotel) for generations. Missing her family’s tasty home-style dishes after moving to Australia, Hiro began to recreate the recipes. In 2018, she founded Hero Cooking to share her culture in Australia. Being a certified Natural Food Coordinator, Hiro is passionate about sharing her culture and the joy of cooking and enjoying authentic, healthy Japanese food with others. Join Chef Hiro in her family or party cooking classes, where you will learn to make sushi, gyoza, ramen, okonomiyaki, or Takoyaki. Premium and Vegan masterclasses are also available. For an extra charge, you can also enjoy the unique experience of wearing a traditional Yukata dress and discover the true essence of Japan through its cuisine.
Chef Keita runs his Japanese Chef Cooking Class from Brisbane to Byron Bay, teaching how to cook homestyle Japanese food and where to buy the ingredients.Keita, who was born in Japan, grew up valuing traditional Japanese cuisine. Keita was surprised that Japanese ingredients were readily available in Australia, however he soon realised the gap in knowledge of how to use these ingredients.
“I believe that cooking and enjoying Japanese food at home can bring families together and promote a healthier lifestyle,” he says. “Our classes focus on how to cook Japanese food at home. The class menu includes popular dishes such as sushi, gyoza, okonomiyaki, Japanese curry, and karaage fried chicken, among others. You can attend group classes at set locations from Brisbane to Byron, take private lessons in your home for children’s birthday parties or family events or as team building at workplaces.
There’s nothing quite like Italian food to make you feel like part of a group. It’s like a great big hug. Eat Italian with friends, it’s said, and you’ll stay friends for a long time. It’s that passion that Benita Salvatore is keen to share with Gold Coast foodies through her business, Kilometre Zero.
A first-generation Australian, Benita spent her childhood at her mother and grandmother’s apron strings, listening and watching as they cooked recipes handed down through generations. Now she runs classes for 4 to 6 people in the comfort of your home ranging from two to three courses, menus originating in three different regions of Italy: Umbria, Lazio and Abruzzo.
Using recipes simple enough to cook easily at home, this class is a total pleasure mostly because of Benita’s enthusiasm for making fresh, simple, delicious Italian food. It makes us fall in love with Italy all over again…and we don’t even have to leave home to visit. Each person also receives a complimentary aperol or limoncello spritz glass as part of the class. Here’s cheers to that!
At Origins Italian Cooking Classes, Anna and Sara, two ladies with Italian heritage, run hands-on cooking classes where, under their supervision, you’ll master traditional Italian recipes using premium ingredients. Holding their classes in Bahrs Scrub (near Beenleigh) the duo share pasta, gnocchi and dessert recipes passed on from their grandmothers. Their classes are full of joy, their passion obvious.
Sumptuous Fine Food is a multi-faceted food business run from its central hub, a café on Currumbin Creek Road. Cooking classes include traditional Japanese cuisine, Thai cuisine, bush tucker, gluten-free and vegan food. You will learn how to make specific dishes such as Hiroshima okonomiyaki, ramen noodle soup and Japanese salad and dressings.
Salt Meats Cheese has honed pizza classes down to a fine art. Gather together a group of friends to take one of these classes in celebration of a special occasion such as a birthday, date night, or bachelorette party. Classes are held on Sunday afternoons for 2 to 2 ½ hours covering different skills: pizza, spaghetti, ravioli, arancini, gnocchi, cannoli. You’ll be amazed how simple it really is to craft the perfect pizza dough, stretching it out to the required thickness, before topping it with a delicious sauce, cheese and other favourite ingredients. Once your pizza is cooked in the woodfired oven, you’ll sit back and relax, sipping on a fresh and zingy margarita, as well as SMC’s signature Nutella pizza for dessert. Many classes include a drink. Hopefully, after completing the class, you’ll have all the skills necessary to make your own pizzas at home.
Tayta Nikkei is the latest restaurant to begin cooking classes. Beginning with ceviche, classes will focus on dishes popular within their cuisine.
…
Hone Your Cooking Skills at:
Clay Cantina, 2/16 Griffith St, Coolangatta Ph: 0473 907 089 https://www.claycantina.com/cookingclasses
Hero Cooking, https://herocooking.com.au
Icon, the Cookery School, Robina Town Centre Ph: 07 3924 1282 https://iconcookeryschool.com.au
Japanese Chef Cooking Class, Ph:0401831263 https://www.japanesechefbyronbay.com/ Email: [email protected]
Kilometre Zero, Ph: 0434 223 225 https://www.facebook.com/kilometrezerocooking/ Email: [email protected]
Origins Italian Cooking Classes, Ph: 0437 049 982 https://originsitaliancookingclasses.com/ Email: [email protected]
Salt Meats Cheese, The 4217, Surfers Paradise https://saltmeatscheese.com/surfers-paradise-classes
Sumptuous Fine Food, Shop 2/30 Currumbin Creek Rd, Currumbin Ph: 0488 206 893 https://www.sumptuousfinefood.com/cooking-lessons
Tayta Nikkei, 2243b Gold Coast Highway, Mermaid Beach Ph: 07 5632 9129 https://www.instagram.com/tayta_nikkei/
Cooking Class Portals
Class Bento – a portal for many different chefs and restaurants who hold cooking classes on the Gold Coast https://classbento.com.au/cooking-classes-gold-coast
Cozymeal – https://www.cozymeal.com/au/gold-coast/cooking-classes