The round-up: become a culinary whiz at Brisbane’s best cooking classes
Have you ever watched an episode of Masterchef or My Kitchen Rules and thought “I could do that easy”? Flash forward to you in the kitchen with burnt potatoes, sloppy salad and a very sad attempt at a main meal. If this situation sounds a bit too familiar, then perhaps it’s time to consult the professionals to help take your kitchen skills to the next level. You’re in luck, as Brisbane is brimming with cooking classes that will take you from novice cook to culinary superstar. Here are some of our favourite places to pop on a chef’s hat …
Salt Meats Cheese, Newstead: We all love a good pizza, especially a homemade one! If you want be a dynamo at rolling dough, learn the tricks of the pizza-making trade at the Newstead Salt Meats Cheese. It’s here where you will be guided by pizza masters on how to curate the perfect authentic Italian pizza from scratch using the finest seasonal ingredients and techniques. As well as making your pizza from base to tantalising toppings, you’ll also get to sip on a wine or beer and graze your way through some antipasto as you patiently wait for your creation to come out of the woodfired oven. If you’re feeling extra thirsty, you can add a bottomless drinks package for $39 per person. Tickets for the class are $89 and can be booked via the ClassBento website.
Vanilla Zulu Cooking School, Teneriffe: If you’re looking to upskill in the kitchen, Vanilla Zulu Cooking School is the place to get schooled. The Teneriffe cooking school has got classes that cover just about everything – think Asian street food, healthy cooking, Spanish tapas and paella, dessert and pastry, and Middle Eastern cooking classes. Have a browse through the culinary classes at the Vanilla Zulu Cooking School website. You’ll be cooking up a storm like Gordon Ramsay in no time!
New Farm Confectionery, Newstead: Brisbane’s own Willy Wonka-esque chocolate factory, New Farm Confectionery, regularly hosts workshops where you can sate your sweet tooth and learn some new skills. There’s masterclasses in chocolate making, brittle and honeycomb, marshmallows, caramel and even special Christmas and school holiday workshops. Sound delicious? We thought so. Hop over to the
New Farm Confectionery website to have a gander at the workshops available.
Cakes & Shit, Paddington: Known for its sassy selection of cheeky confections, Cakes & Shit has earned a place in Brisbane’s sweet-treat scene for its tongue-in-cheek naughty cakes and curse cookies. Now you can have a go at making your very own R-rated treat at the Cakes & Shit Paddington hub, with workshops covering cookies, cupcakes and cakes. The best part? These tantalising workshops are BYO! Workshops start from $65 per person and bookings can be made at the Cakes & Shit website.
Mecca Bah, Newstead: Anyone who’s dined at Mecca Bah will likely agree that the fare is particularly flavoursome, so it was only a natural step for the restaurant to start hosting cooking classes. There’s currently four workshops to choose from including a pizza masterclass, a cocktail masterclass, a Middle Eastern cooking class and a dumpling workshop. There’s a minimum booking of ten guests, so if that’s not an excuse to throw a celebratory bash we don’t know what is. Classes start from $75 per person. To book a class, head to the Mecca Bah website.
Lumiere Events & Culinary Studio, Newstead: The award-winning chef behind Montrachet and King Street Bakery, Shannon Kellam, and his wife Clare, who have over time brought together and nurtured an award-winning team of hospitality professionals, also operate Lumiere Events & Culinary Studio. The culinary destination includes a state-of-the-art cooking school, an education hub and an event space that will equip home cooks and professionals with essential know-how across baking, pastry, butchery and saucier skills. You can embark on cooking classes featuring the highest-quality seafood from The Fish Factory, learn the process behind making a variety of choux pastry products, and watch and learn as internationally acclaimed chef Shannon Kellam prepares a number of dishes at snack sized portions right in front of you. To see the full roster of classes head to the Lumiere Events & Culinary Studio website.
La Macelleria Gelateria, West End: La Macelleria Gelateria is what sweet dreams are made of, so we can’t blame you for wanting to try to recreate the magic at home. The West End venue’s gelato workshops are dedicated to those approaching the gelato world for the first time, including a clear description of all the processes and essential raw materials used for the production of gelato. Classes are $75 per person and include a 1-L takeaway pack. To become a gelato master, head to the La Macelleria Gelateria website to book into a workshop.
Golden Pig, Newstead: A restaurant and cooking school wrapped into one, Golden Pig has got all of the skills and equipment to take you from amateur chef to Curtis Stone in no time. The hands-on cooking classes are under the tuition of a professional chef and run for 3.5–4 hours, with approximately 2.5–3 hours spent preparing and cooking the various dishes and then 1–1.5 hours eating and enjoying the fruits of your labours. You can learn how to cook Mexican street eats, Thai banquets, Spanish dishes, South Indian cuisine and much more. To make a booking, pop over to the Golden Pig website.
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