Local cooking classes offer techniques and intros to new cuisines.
Whether you’re perfecting your skills ahead of the holiday season or pursuing your New Year’s resolution to become a whiz in the kitchen (or at least not burn the eggs), you can learn from the pros here in the Reno-Tahoe region. Throughout the area, there are plenty of cooking classes open to students of all skill levels, and many with specific dishes and techniques to learn. So whether you want to whip up the perfect omelet, try your hand at sushi making, brush up on your knife work, or expand your baking repertoire with some new skills, read on to learn about the cooking classes located in Reno, Sparks, Carson City, and beyond.
Nothing To It! Culinary Center
Perhaps the most well-known cooking school in the area, Nothing To It! offers dozens of themed cooking classes each month. Specialty courses exist for children and teens who want to pick up new skills, and classes for adults range from culinary basics to tastes of specific geographic regions. Nothing To It! is where you can learn to make bread at home, add a Thai meal to your weeknight menu, or even pick up some cast-iron-cooking skills.
The center’s courses fall into several categories, including various techniques (presented in a series), hot topics (or culinary trends), and even holiday cooking classes that focus on the foods of the season (such as the gingerbread-house-decorating class described in this issue). To find out what’s on offer, visit Nothingtoit.com and peruse the calendar of upcoming classes. You may sign up right on the website.
Sierra Chef
Sierra Chef in Genoa is a go-to spot for those looking to enhance their culinary prowess. Its website, Sierrachef.com, provides a full calendar of upcoming classes, but you’ll have to call to register. In November, the course on Thanksgiving sides is a favorite experience; students learn how to up their holiday-table ante and impress the in-laws with fresh, inventive side dish options. Some examples include fresh cranberry vanilla bean mandarin orange sauce, sausage chestnut pecan stuffing, cheesy cauliflower mash, and acorn squash with a brown sugar whiskey glaze.
The rest of the year, you’ll find classes on everything from a children’s pizza-making class to tips on preparing autumn soups. The per-class cost depends on the course, but generally youth cooking classes run $55 per participant, and adult classes are $85 each.
Calafuria
Calafuria is a quaint, living room-esque, pop-up eatery and event venue located in Midtown Reno. While you likely have enjoyed date nights at this Italian villa in the heart of Reno, you might not know it also offers The Cooking Sessions, a lineup of what owner/chef Tim Magee calls unconventional Italian cooking lessons.
“Every session is a little bit different, and it is absolutely not like a regular cooking lesson,” says Magee, who also is the host for each class. “We go into history, stories, the origins of what we’re serving. Sometimes we don’t have proper recipes for our guests, but we always have a lot of fun.”
Each course is two hours long, with a one-hour dinner afterward, during which the participants enjoy the cooked bounty as a group. About two classes are held each month, but there is no set schedule. The best way to find out what’s coming up and when is to follow Calafuria on social media.
Calafuria also offers private lessons to groups on an appointment basis, typically on Sundays. To learn more, email Events@calafuriareno.com.
Thali
The North Indian restaurant in Downtown Reno hosts twice-monthly classes focused on vegetarian and vegan cuisine to share its distinct menu and approach to cooking with guests who love its food or want to expand their knowledge of international cuisines.
In each class, guests learn how to make a specific main dish, plus a side dish and a beverage, such as a form of roti or rice and either chai or golden milk. After cooking, students enjoy the prepared food together during a dinner and Q&A session.
If you want to be notified about upcoming classes, visit Thalireno.com/classes and subscribe. Before classes, Thali sends a sign-up form to subscribers. Classes take place on Monday nights, and each event runs from 6 to 8 p.m. The cost is $80. Private classes are offered, too, for groups of six. To schedule one, email Events.thali@gmail.com.
Truckee Meadows Community College
At TMCC, students can pursue careers in the culinary industry, such as restaurant manager, nutritionist, food stylist, and pastry chef. Coursework includes everything from sanitation and basic skills to aromatics and international cuisine. For details, visit Tmcc.edu/culinary.
Through its EPIC community education programs, college instructors also offer numerous varied cooking classes, at locations throughout Reno, through which home cooks gain specialized skills.
Each semester brings a fresh calendar of classes. Most recently, students were invited to learn to make an apple pie, decorate cakes using marshmallow fondant, prepare Chinese cuisine, and understand French wines, among others. Typically, each class is a couple of hours long and held on a single day, though some are held over two or more days. For details, visit Tmcc.edu/educational-programs-inspiring-community.
Williams-Sonoma at The Summit
Looking for bite-sized intros to cooking? Williams Sonoma’s store at The Summit in South Reno offers low-cost cooking classes (usually $20 each), both online and in-person. These quick sessions focus on everything from air-fryer favorites to mastering the espresso machine. Each class is short and sweet, focused on teaching you skills to take home and try on your own.
Sessions are often themed for the month, so you can attend weekly and build on a single skill set over the course of four weeks.
Fun with Food
Instead of heading to a local gathering spot for your cooking class, you can bring the experience home. Fun with Food is a mobile food trailer based in Carson City that offers personal chef services, catering, and cooking classes taught by owner Alicia Wilson.
“I provide all the stovetops, cooking utensils, food, etc., and I not only show the group how to cook the meal selected by the host, but I have everyone doing the steps right along with me, so the end product is something they have actually created themselves,” Wilson says.
While most of Fun with Food’s educational experiences are done in-home, she does offer occasional pasta workshops in the rec room at Shoe Tree Brewing Co. in Carson City.
“I show the group how to make pasta from scratch and we have fun with it,” Wilson explains, adding that she changes up the pasta shapes and colors of the pasta from class to class.
The costs of in-home experiences vary based on the meals chosen, but pasta workshops are $80 per person. Interested parties can book a private class online through the business’ scheduling page, but Wilson prefers emails, phone calls, or texts for bookings. All of her contact information is available at Funwithfoodcc.com.
RESOURCES
Calafuria
725 S. Center St., Reno
775-360-5175 • Calafuriareno.com
Fun With Food
775-230-3639 • Funwithfoodcc.com
Nothing to It! Culinary Center
225 Crummer Lane, Reno
775-826-2628 • Nothingtoit.com
Sierra Chef
2292 Main St., Ste. 3 & 4, Genoa
775-392-4417 • Sierrachef.com
Thali
148 West St., Reno
775-470-5898 • Thalireno.com
Truckee Meadows Community College
Tmcc.edu • Tmcc.edu/educational-programs-inspiring-community
Williams-Sonoma
13945 S. Virginia St., Ste. 600, Reno
775-853-6877 • Williams-sonoma.com
