Sure Brisbane can offer delicious dishes at great restaurants, but have you thought of tempting your taste buds from a different angle and creating your own culinary masterpiece with guidance from the experts.
The state capital, together with the Sunshine and Gold coasts, boasts an impressive collection of top-quality cooking schools so grab a friend, partner or a bunch of your closest foodies and top up your skills. Classes have already kicked off for the year so dust off the apron and book in for one now!
Brisbane cooking schools
The long-established and utterly delicious James St Cooking School offers a flexible calendar of courses to accommodate all, held during the day at Loganholme and evenings and weekends in Fortitude Valley. Participants are guided and inspired to reach their culinary potential at demonstration-style and hands-on cooking classes using the freshest ingredients. Courses cover everything from sushi, Middle Eastern and Italian to dessert making and knife skills. Phone: (07) 3252 8850.
Students at Black Pearl Epicure, also in the Valley, get to spend time in culinary heaven, learning from the most highly recognised chefs in Australia. Demonstration classes allow you to sit, watch, taste and learn, or hands-on classes provide the opportunity to roll up your sleeves and join in. All classes include substantial food tastings, wine tastings and recipes. Before or after class, visit Black Pearl Epicure's retail shop - and see why it's regarded as one of Australia's finest purveyors of foods. Phone: (07) 3257 2144.
The cooking classes at Mondo Organics, West End, which showcase premium Australian food, cheese, and wine producers, are suited to the absolute beginner through to food enthusiasts. Students can expect an energetic, hands-on approach, learning the fundamental skills of cooking with organics, improving their health and becoming aware of the diverse choices available. Classes are designed to cater for vegetarian and meat eaters (unless specified) and are generally for 10-14 people. Mondo also offers hands-on classes as a team-building exercise to corporate groups of 12-28 people. Phone: (07) 3844 1132.
Executive Chef's Cooking School at South Brisbane offers regular day and evening classes including "Hands On" in which kitchen basics are taught, along with gourmet meals, Asian cooking, desserts and other tempting offerings. Demonstration classes with guest presenters are included in the schedule. Phone: (07) 3844 4413.
At Mons Ban Sabai Cooking School, Camp Hill, you can learn the secrets of Thai cooking at classes held on the last Saturday of every month, starting at 9.30am. Four recipes are covered in each lesson, along with basic skills in Thai cuisine preparation. The cost of $95 per person is all inclusive of ingredients, recipes, and a delicious four-course meal. Classes can also be organised to incorporate special menus or for a group of friends. Phone: (07) 3843 5366.
If you want to get into cooking at a professional level, check out the Shafston School of Hospitality. The school offers a wide range of practical and relevant subjects that provide real workplace skills at an operational and supervisory level. At the end of the course you'll have the skills necessary to work as a professional cook in a commercial kitchen as well as food and beverage service and management subjects needed to successfully run a variety of businesses such as cafés, restaurants, bars, functions and catering.
If you're looking for a team-building activity with a difference or want to entertain a client or reward your entire company, why not treat them to a cooking experience they'll never forget? Cheeky Food Group offers a range of interactive, fun and inspirational cooking classes and activities for groups of four to 400 at a venue of your choice. A great alternative to vigorous "high-five" team activities, Cheeky Food Group's sessions aim to teach, inspire, motivate and instill confidence with food, cooking and entertaining. Phone: 1300 785 365.
Sunshine Coast cooking schools
Spirit House, at Yandina on the Sunshine Coast, offers regular cooking classes covering the full gamut of Thai cuisine, from Thai Royal Cuisine, Bangkok Street Food and Exotic Thai Curries to Spice Trail, Healthy Thai and Modern Thai. A maximum of 17 people per class ensures a hands-on experience, creating food designed for fresh, fast and fabulous entertaining. Learn to make your own pastes in a mortar and pestle, brush up on knife skills and learn the tips and tricks for making restaurant quality food at home. Classes include all ingredients, recipes, lunch and wine. Phone: (07) 5446 8977.
How to Cook Kitchen & Food Emporium is a foodie's heaven. Located in Cotton Tree, in the heart of the Sunshine Coast, the emporium encompasses a kitchen shop, gourmet pantry, café-deli and cooking school. Each week head chef and principal of How to Cook, Iris Windsor, conducts classes in everything from Moroccan cooking through to cake decorating. The schools take place in the store, with each class running for three hours. The highlight is the feast that follows the lessons! Participants also receive a cook book that covers all of the dishes that are prepared on the night plus handy background information on the style of cooking completed. Phone: (07) 5443 6210.
Set on a working organic farm in Maleny, just an hour's drive north of Brisbane, Fountainhead Organic Health Retreat offers cooking classes as part of most of its health retreat packages. However, casual visitors are welcome to join in with retreat house guests just for the class. The retreat's Organic Food & Cooking School is hands on, focussing on meals that are healthy and delicious. Cooking classes are $85 per guest for day visitors. Groups of three or more are $75 per guest. Phone: (07) 5494 3494.
The Sunshine Coast's Amytis Gardens Retreat and Spa offers delicious chocolate classes or European-style cooking classes incorporating a hint of garlic and the scent of sunshine. A combination of hands-on cooking classes and demonstrations held in Amytis's well-equipped kitchen gives participants the opportunity to create their own culinary masterpieces. Class sizes are kept small with a maximum of eight students, enabling you to get your hands and taste buds into every aspect of the feast. Phone: (07) 5450 0115.
Gold Coast and regional cooking schools
Learn the joys - and the benefits - of healthy eating at Gwinganna Lifestyle Retreat in the Gold Coast hinterland, where there's a popular Organic Cooking School weekend (13-15 June 2008). This popular all-inclusive retreat focuses on the preparation of simple and delicious healthy meals using a variety of organic produce. Participants take home new ideas and recipes and learn the secrets from Gwinganna's Cuisine Team. Forget about rabbit food and lentil burgers, bring on the paella, seafood barbecue and prawn and mango salad! Also on offer is a new program, Feast of Nutrition, which combines classes with nutrition sessions. Guests can enjoy organic coffee in the mornings and wine at dinner, and facilities include swimming pools, gym and scenic bushwalking tracks. Phone: (07) 5589 5000.
Looking for something unique? Check out the Wild Lime Cooking School. Located in the beautiful Lost World Valley, only a 90-minute drive south from Brisbane, Wild Lime offers a tempting programme of monthly classes. Among other things, you'll learn how to use Australian wild food in fusion with Asian or Mediterranean cuisine. And the school's scenic setting gives participants a truly Australian bush food experience with a minimum of effort. Each two-hour class starts at 10am followed by lunch with local wine. Phone (07) 5544 8104.
Tell us about your cooking class triumphs. Add your comments below.
