Photo courtesy of Yelp.com
Even if you only ate at Eat the District-certified Bargain Bites restaurants, both your bank account and your health would probably start to suffer eventually. Most people cook the majority of their dinners, and after a few years of the same 10 recipes recycled over and over, this can start to get a little tiresome. Luckily, this is why God invented cooking classes: to let those of us who can’t just “Julia and Julia” our way through a cookbook learn and practice some new recipes in a safe, supervised space.
Culinaerie, located on 14th Street NW between L and M, offers a large variety of cooking classes for both beginners and more experienced cooks. A mix of demonstration and then hands-on cooking, students are able to eat the fruits of their labor, drink wine on-the-house, and take home a packet of recipes at the end. The catch? A typical three-hour class at Culinaerie costs $85.
Our insider tip: in exchange for a few hours of labor, you can basically receive the same cooking instruction as everyone taking a class, but for FREE. Culinaerie relies on volunteers to staff its classes and doesn’t require these volunteers to have any particular cooking experience. Volunteers just need to perform three basic tasks:
- Showing up an hour early to set-up and learn a bit about what’s being cooked that class
- Providing support to the instructor during the class, a job which includes fetching supplies or ingredients the instructor needs, helping students when they’re struggling, and making sure everyone’s wine glass stays filled
- Staying late to help clean up
In exchange, volunteers get to watch the cooking demonstration, eat the food that the instructor prepares (which guarantees you’ll eat some delicious food, unlike if you’re the one doing the cooking), and take home the same recipe packet as the students. Want to learn some new dishes without breaking the bank? This opportunity’s a no-brainer.
Email info@culinaerie.com to find out how you can become a volunteer.
