Top Cooking Classes In Los Angeles

For those who like it, few things in life are as rewarding as cooking your own meal. Whether you're a great chef / cook or not, there are plenty of classes to help you hone your technique and help you learn to cook a delicious meal. Whether you're an experienced cook, a novice or anywhere in between, cooking classes are a great way to learn to cook, improve your culinary skills, meet like-minded foodies and have a lot of fun. We sampled some of the best cooking classes around town to get a feel for the "vibe." Here were our favorites.

EATZ LA
612 N. La Brea Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(310) 824-3586
www.eatzla.com

EATZ LA offers a fun, social and informative experience with the cooking classes offered on La Brea just south of Melrose. The students are positioned around a giant counter where they are partnered with one other student to share a burner, cutting board and tools. If you're a novice, you need not worry. Individuals, couples, small groups and beginners are welcomed at this cooking establishment. Each class is very social, hands on and you'll engage with the other students and create, as a group, delicious fare which you can recreate easily at home. In addition, classes including a five course meal as well as cocktails or wine. Students at EATZ are provided with all the necessary equipment and supplies as well for every class. To see a schedule of upcoming classes which you can book online, visit EATZ LA's Upcoming Classes.

Williams Sonoma
6602 Melrose Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90038
(323) 297-0100
www.williams-sonoma.com

Each month brings a new limeup of terrific cooking classes at this well known homeware company. Learn about cuisines from around the world as well as those closer to home from expert chefs. Each class is an hour and a half to 2 hours and includes a cooking demonstration, samples of featured dishes as well as printed recipes for you to take home. While fees vary from store to store, the prices are reasonable and those who sign up for the class will receive a 10% discount on any in store purchases the day of the class. Make sure to make a reservation and call ahead of time as spaces are limited.

Le Cordon Bleu Master Chef
521 E Green St.
Pasadena, CA 91101
(626) 377-9432
www.chefs.com/MasterChefClasses

If you're looking for a no-frills experience in cooking, look no further than Le Cordon Bleu. With personal stations, students get a hands on experience with other culinary trainees there to help you. Each class begins with a demonstration with an the instruction followed by students attempting their best at recipes afterwards. Some of the instructors are the best in the world so you'll be surrounded by those who really know what they're doing.

Sur La Table
6333 W 3rd St # P10
Los Angeles, CA 90036-7637
(323) 954-9190
www.surlatable.com

The cooking classes at Sur la Table at the Grove start out in lecture format as the chef/teacher gives a run down on kitchen safety before the students break down into groups and move to the different "stations" around the kitchen. Each station prepares a different item on the "menu" and students are allowed to either stay at one station from start to finish or to move about to the other stations and see how the other items are prepared. This is a wonderfully hands-on class where you learn a lot about cooking technique and tools. Yes…sometimes you suspect you're in an infomercial when they're plugging the grill pan they use, but there is no pressure to buy. Technique is emphasized and the knowledgeable staff of instructors/sous chefs helped make this a very worthy and informative class. They don't serve wine (although you're allowed to bring your own or you can pick up a bottle at one of the merchant stands in the farmer's market) but the organic flow of this class facilitated conversation and camaraderie among the students.

Chef's Inc
10955 West Pico Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90064
(310) 470-2277
www.chefsinc.net

Located in a cozy yellow storefront on West Pico Boulevard, Chef's Inc is setup with a kitchen, or "lab", with eight fully-equipped workstations. Classes begin with students being handed an apron and recipe booklet, and getting a brief lecture before they are broken down into groups. Each group chooses what they would like to tackle on the menu and the combined efforts of the various groups results in a lovely buffet and sit-down dinner. In addition, students are welcome to bring wine or alcohol to pair with your dish. With a minimum class size of five and a maximum class size of fifteen, the classes at Chef's Inc. are a great hands-on, social and fun cooking experience.

Hipcooks
2833 S Robertson Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90034
(310) 841-2738
www.hipcooks.com

With two locations in Los Angeles (Westside and Eastside), Hipcooks specializes in classes that are themed and is a great place for either a date or a more social cooking class. Whether you're in the mood for Thai food or Italian, Hipcooks has a class for you. Classes are fairly small with an average size being around a dozen and prices are fairly inexpensive as well. Instructors at Hipcooks engage the students and are very helpful in terms of giving good demonstrations and explaining their techniques as well.

New School of Cooking
8690 W Washington Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90232
(310) 842-9702
www.newschoolofcooking.com

If you're looking for a great culinary experience, The New School of Cooking offers both professional and recreational cooking classes. For those looking for more of a recreational cooking experience, The New School offers hands-on classes which allow students to truly learn and understand the techniques. Classes range from technique classes such as knife skills, tarts and pies, sauce making, cooking with fish, chicken, meat and vegetarian classes to ethnic cooking classes. You'll learn a great deal about proper technique and also use seasonal, local ingredients. To register for a class, visit the New School Of Cooking's Calendar