Next-Level Vacation Eating

By Drew Lazor, CNTraveler.com

We all know how to eat when we travel—but what if you want to cook, too? Get a hands-on education from some of the country’s top chefs at these cooking shops and demo kitchens, and consider your next dinner planned.

COOK
Philadelphia, PA

Located just off Center City’s soigné Rittenhouse Square, COOK is a food-freak boutique from Audrey Claire Taichman, who runs two restaurants on the same block. Shoppers can browse smartly curated books, magazines, and kitchen gadgetry by day; at night, the 16 counter seats fill up for themed multi-course dinners from local and national chefs. One of the most popular fixtures is the monthly Open Stove event, pitting two up-and-coming sous chefs or line cooks against one another in an unpredictable (and often booze-fueled) mystery-ingredient competition.

Photo: MICHAEL SPAIN SMITH

THE PANTRY AT DELANCEY

Seattle, WA

Attached to acclaimed wood-burning pizzeria Delancey, The Pantry is the brainchild of pastry chef and culinary educator Brandi Henderson, who organizes technique-heavy classes (handmade pastas, seasonal craft cocktails, jam-making), homey five-course family dinners, and occasional potlucks based off the recipes in a single cookbook. The spirited space is also home to the Seattle Meat Collective, which celebrates old-school butchery and charcuterie-making.

Photo: COURTESY THE PANTRY AT DELANCEY

CHARLESTON COOKS!
Charleston, SC

Ambitious cooks who find themselves in one of the South’s most beautiful (and friendly) cities would do well to check out Charleston Cooks! A retail side filled with knives, cookware, appliances, and cookbooks leads to the space’s roomy studio, which plays host to events designed to appeal to multiple skill levels. One recurring shindig, The Taste of the Lowcountry, educates attendees on the fascinating and internationally influenced

Photo: COURTESY CHARLESTON COOKS!

See Also: America’s Best Sandwiches 

THE CHOPPING BLOCK

Chicago, IL

What began in the late ’90s as a quaint antique cookware shop has grown into Chicago’s premier knowledge-sharing atelier for Midwestern food lovers. Now operating out of two complementary sites, the Chopping Block promotes a participatory lineup on top of its retail arm. Classes touch on skill-building, regional cooking, and ethnic cuisines; the original Lincoln Square location even features an open-air space for smoking and grilling instruction.

Photo: COURTESY THE CHOPPING BLOCK

BROOKLYN KITCHEN

Brooklyn and New York, NY

“Cooking should be fun,” says Taylor Erkkinen, co-founder of Brooklyn Kitchen. “You shouldn’t put a lot of pressure on yourself to make something restaurant- or magazine-worthy.” But you just might get there if you spend enough time behind the cutting boards at either of its two Gotham locales. Artisanal groceries and high-end cooking supplies join small-scale classes on topics like pizza (taught by the folks behind Bushwick locavore joint Roberta’s), home-brewing, and knife skills. The Williamsburg site also houses whole-animal butchery The Meat Hook, which just released its own cookbook.

Photo: JACKIE NEALE

See Also: How to Make a Long Flight More Comfortable

STIR

Boston, MA

At a Lilliputian 250 square feet, this studio space from celeb chef Barbara Lynch can host only 10 guests at a time. But those who do secure a seat are treated to an experience custom-calibrated for the food- and drink-obsessed. Juggling daytime hours as cookbook shop and restaurant, as well as hosting private events, Stir covers plenty of ground, and expands that mentality to its class schedule. One session, “Armchair Travel,” takes eaters deep into the cooking traditions of France, Italy and beyond, with hands-on opportunities and iconic guest chefs (Yottam Ottolengthi, recently) filling out the rest of the calendar.

Photo: MERCURE PHOTOGRAPHY

HEIRLOOM KITCHEN
Old Bridge Township, NJ

Travel less than an hour outside of New York City and you’ll find Old Bridge, New Jersey, a charming town with a serious food destination in Heirloom Kitchen. Run by mother-daughter duo Judy Rosenblum and Neilly Robinson, it’s a state-of-the-art setting with down-to-earth desires: putting guests at ease, feeding them well, and making sure they pick up a little something to use at home. Heirloom’s instructors, who secure ingredients at 80-plus local farms in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, cover both basic skills and internationally-influenced recipes. If you want to pick up tools after your workshop, the on-site boutique features a selection of stylish kitchenware.

Photo: MICHAEL PERSICO

More: Would You Eat This Terrifying Dish, Now Available at the Fontainebleau Hotel?

FARADAY’S
Austin, TX

With a stock of more than 6,000 unique items, Faraday’s keeps foodies armed with goods, gadgets, and sharp, sharp steel. But to ensure they know what to do with all that stuff, the kitchen store promotes a packed curriculum of cooking classes. All the base-level skill-building sessions are there, but the options also include advanced topics, such as Moroccan tagine cooking, Spanish paella prep, or the art of Asian winter soups. Classes are taught by both on-staff experts and visiting chefs from the Lone Star State and beyond.

Photo: COURTESY FARADAY’S

NEW SCHOOL OF COOKING
Culver City, CA

When the toques-in-training at Culver City’s New School tell people they’re in the business, they don’t mean Hollywood. This is a real-deal cooking academy, with full-time programs cranking out cooks poised to land in restaurant kitchens in Los Angeles and beyond. But there’s also a public, recreational side to the programming, with one-off events led by local luminaries (jam-making with Jessica Koslow of Sqirl; an evening with Alma chef Ari Taymor) and even courses on how to perfect your food photography skills.

Photo: COURTESY NEW SCHOOL OF COOKING

PORTLAND’S CULINARY WORKSHOP
Portland, OR

Well-traveled chefs Melinda Casady and Susana Holloway settled down in Rip City to run this friendly classroom kitchen packed with personalized touches (the tables you work on were fashioned from doors salvaged by Holloway’s father). Their packed event roster touches most corners of the globe—the art of Japanese sushi, Argentine food and drink, South Asia curry-making—and includes classes designed specifically for couples and children.

Photo: COURTESY PORTLAND’S CULINARY WORKSHOP

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