Taking cooking classes is a hobby of mine. Nothing beats meeting new food lovers while gathering some inspiration and valuable tips along the way. Hands on or just demo… it’s all good fun and my idea of the perfect date night.
This awesome butcher shop called Carnivore recently opened in Oak Park. Its the kind of place that makes me happy to walk inside. It’s run by these two great young guys who have escaped a long string of restaurant jobs to become their own bosses and bring beautifully sourced fish and meat to our community.
And when I say beautiful. I mean beautiful.
In the slow winter season, this dynamic duo is offering a series of Family Meal cooking classes. The classes are cheap: $35 a person and you will leave very full. You’ll also be cooking your dinner.
The first one was all about fish. We began with a really interesting discussion about fish farming. Did you know that the all-popular branzino or Loup de Mer is a mostly farmed fish? We talked about the importance of encouraging sustainable fish farming from purveyors who use high quality feed. I’m now curious to find great farmed fish brands and to try different types of fish.
After chatting, we hit the grill and oven and started cooking. In restaurants, there are two settings for cooking. On and off. These guys believe in cooking as hot as you can go, letting caramelization occur, and using a lot of salt. With the gorgeous fish they carry, the result was unbelievable.
I walked out with beautiful grouper steaks, and a lot of excitement to fire up my own home fires and cook some fish.
Next class will be on January 31, all about medicinal and romantic uses of Chinese herbs to punch up your cooking. I can’t wait. To register, just call the store (708) 660-1100 and get on the list.