Sydney Eat Street: Classes that will have you cooking like a pro
Whether for fun or to take your skill to another level, Sydney is home to dozens of cooking classes to suit the taste of every budding home chef.
Eat Street
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Whether you’re after a fun activity with friends or looking to hone your culinary talent, there’s bound to be a cooking class the suits your skills and palette
The Classic Cupcake Co
Those charming cupcakes in the shop window are 100 years in the making; not the sweet treat themselves but the recipe that Anna Eden, founder of The Classic Cupcake Co, inherited from her grandmother. But rather than tucking it away in the cupboard she’s sharing it with amateur bakers in her cupcake masterclasses.
“We are so happy to be back in the classroom and see more students in our kitchen than ever before,” says Anna.
“We have taught over 5000 people how to decorate cupcakes like realistic flowers and succulents, and some students come back time and time again to pick up new tips and tricks from our incredible bake team”.
And to make sure you get it right, the newest class on the roster is a one-on-one session with her head baker and decorator.
“This really is cupcakes 101 where, over the course of three-hours, the student will bake different cupcake flavours and will practice the art of perfect piping, incorporating buttercream flowers and succulents into their learning”.
For Anna, the crowning glory for these moist and fluffy morsels is as important as the cake. You won’t find any neon-coloured, saccharin sweet frosting here, nor any kitsch piled high on top. She uses only classic buttercream frosting, skilfully piping delicate flowers, petal by petal.
While she launched her masterclass teaching students the intricacies of rose-topped cupcakes, she’s recently added a rather unique and unconventional design to the list with colourful and realistic-looking Succulent Cupcakes. Her inspiration for her latest line came about after noticing that at garden centres around the country, “everyone was going crazy for these beautiful little plants that were slightly mysterious, very accessible, and super retro”. In these two-hour classes, you’ll learn different techniques to decorate a half-dozen cupcakes, and if you manage to not eat any, you get to take all six home. ($99pp per class).
-Shop 1, 167 Ave Rd, Mosman; theccc.com.au
Vive Cooking School
Two years of cooking at home can take its toll on your culinary creativity, regardless of how many online classes and YouTube videos you looked to for inspiration.
But now that you’re ready to leave the house, head straight for the kitchen, not the one you’ve been confined to but the state-of-art ones at Vive Cooking School for classes that range from Asian Street Food to French Tarts, vegetarian feasts to sticky and smoky American pork ribs, and every culinary culture in between.
Reconnect with friends as you prepare Singapore’s famous chilli mud crab, starting with live mud crabs locally-sourced from the family-owned A-grade seafood business, Red Claw Seafoods or make new ones with a special-event class such as the French Marseilles Cooking Class in honour of Bastille Day where with a traditional “Bouillabaisse”, and a delicious Lavender Creme Brulee on the menu.
Not only will you be guided by established chefs, but celebrity ones such Manu Feildel and Sydney Cake Queen, Katherine Sabbath.
Vive Cooking School founder, Jean-Luc Tan says, “We’ve noticed that our students are getting savvier with their food, and it’s great to see genuine interest in food provenance, and cooking techniques to the delights of our experienced chefs. But what stands out the most for me is to witness more and more groups of friends, and family members booking classes as an opportunity to reunite and share a fun and convivial moment together. Helping people to reconnect and bond together while learning useful life skills put meaning to our work, especially after the last two years”. Time to start cooking.
-Shop 18/ 61-71 Mentmore Ave, Rosebery; vivecookingschool.com.au
Sydney Seafood School
Adding winter layers isn’t just for people explains Sydney Fish Market Tour Guide and resident fish expert Alex Stollznow. “Just like a lot of us, many different marine species use winter as an opportunity to put on a bit of extra weight,” he says.
“This means thicker, juicier fillets and oodles of lovely fat that’s rich in Omega-3, one of our best winter defences. Some species even migrate to shallower, warmer waters, making it easier and cheaper to sustainably harvest them. Not only will paying attention to seasonality get you the tastiest seafood, but it will often save you some money too, as due to the lower demand for seafood during winter, many popular species are cheaper to purchase.”
This is just one of the lessons you’ll learn at the Seafood Basics class at the Sydney Fish Market. Learn about the locally-caught seafood, how to choose the freshest and how to prepare your purchase, fundamentals of fish butchery then move on to cooking blue swimmer crab with lemon soy dressing, squid with garlic and chilli, pan-fried “Fish of the Day” with salad and mussels in tomato sauce ($180pp).
“Most Australians have a summer approach to cooking seafood, but there are thousands of winter seafood dishes that are just as delicious, including Bivalve hot pot and Sea Urchin pasta which is both creamy and unctuous,” Alex adds. Once you’ve had a crack at the basics, try the Urchin Uncovered class. Their prickly appearance may be disconcerting but get past the aesthetics and you have a delicacy coveted the world over. In this course, you’ll learn how to cook Sea Urchin Butter, Sea Urchin Custards, and Spaghetti with Sea Urchin for $180pp.
-50-60 Pyrmont Bridge Rd, Pyrmont; sydneyseafoodschool.com.au
Sydney Chocolate School
There is nothing sweeter than a good education, except a good education in the art of all things chocolate.
Rebecca Knights, Director and Head Chocolatier of The Sydney Chocolate School, an established forerunner in Sydney’s chocolate-making scene has recently added three new courses, to her fundamentals sessions, including one that’s designed to include the whole family, plus, it’s an opportunity for mums and dads to get $50 off the total cost by cashing in their NSW Parents voucher (Class costs $80pp).
For the adults, there’s Choc-tails and Truffle Making ($100pp). This 1hr30min class starts with a chocolate martini where you’ll first learn the French techniques for hand-tempering chocolate and how to make caramel truffles, ultimately making your own batch to take home. A second adult-only course presents some of the finer things in life, Champagne, and Chocolate ($180pp). This course provides insights – and samples – of the perfect pairings, matching particular Coco Chocolates with four different Champagnes, you also receive a certificate and Rebecca’s book, “Popping the Cork on Champagne”.
Sounds delicious.
-Building 21, 1110 Middle Head Rd Mosman; sydneychocolateschool.com.au
WHAT’S FRESH
Omnom Cheese – Cheese Making classes
Forget flowers and mortarboards, the reward for graduating Omnom’s Bubbles, Burrata & Bocconcini Making Class is 1kg of cheese and the knowledge you can knock-up another kilogram back at home ($99pp).
For those with an affinity for halloumi, there’s also the Halloumi Making with Bubbles which starts with a lesson on milk selection, milk treatment and ultimately turning the curd into the fabulous “Squeaky cheese” ($89pp).
If your passion is pasta, you know that ricotta is a must, thus the Feta, Ricotta, and Rosé Class ($99pp), but if you’re looking for a whole meal on the spot, the Ravioli, ricotta, and Rose Class takes you through all the steps necessary to make mouth-watering spinach and ricotta ravioli, including the pasta making process.
Best of all, you don’t have to wait to get home to heat up your culinary creations, part of the package includes a sit-down meal and a glass of rose. Buon appetite!
-Shop 2A/791-795 Botany Rd, Rosebery; omnomcheese.com
Winter warmers to celebrate the season
Everyone is happy to see the sun peeking through the clouds, but winter’s not all bad. Bid farewell to the colder days with one last hurrah of warming fare.
Sniffing out Sydney’s best truffle desserts
Save the best for last. As truffle season comes to a close, be sure to indulge in some sweet treats featuring the annual earthy gem.