Education & Classes in Burlington

Nella Cucina grants the fabled power of food preparation to neophyte cooks through a variety of classes. Each month brings new classes and new cuisine styles, ensuring that you’ll find at least one tasty tutorial in which to immerse yourself. The month of May, for example, kicks off with a Malaysian-cuisine class ($95) in which instructors from Arvinda’s Artfully Created Indian Spice Blends will teach the spice-tinged ins and outs of the Indian-Thai hybrid cuisine through such dishes as fragrant lemongrass-coconut soup, Malaysian chicken curry, and vanilla-coconut-chai ice cream. Break open a piñata of possibility with May 11’s class in Mexican cuisine ($125), taught by chef Jose Hadad of Frida Restaurant & Bar, or scale summits of pasta and prosciutto at May 19’s class in authentic Italian cooking ($125), courtesy of chef Gabriele Paganelli of Romagna Mia. The snowy winds of summer bring classes in Latin-American cuisine ($125) on June 16, classic soup and stew stocks ($95) on June 19, and authentic Chinese cooking ($95) on July 7. Peruse Nella Cucina’s list, with classes detailed into the autumn months, to find the cooking course that best speaks to the ladle of your heart. (The letters next to the prices are a key to the types of classes: I for individual, G for group/team, D for demonstration.)

Delish! Cooking School, whose classes were voted as some of the Best of WNY by Buffalo Spree, is known for its quality instruction and taste. Within a comfortable urban space, customers can pick up sweet selections such as fresh fudge, scones, bar cookies, and hand-dipped chocolate. Fresh-brewed espresso drinks accompanied by baked goods or housemade ice-cream sandwiches tempt tongues, while a range of cooking tools, sauces, and spices line shelves for at-home chefs to use in their own kitchens.

Experienced chefs lead cooking classes geared toward the home cook looking to hone skills without memorizing transcripts of the Food Network’s full broadcast. Students sip wine during classes such as The Exciting Foods of Thailand, Casual Italian Supper Party, or The New Vegetarian Cuisine.

A government-certified educational institute, Ontario Conservatory of Music has fostered the musicians of tomorrow since 1939, when tomorrow had just been invented. Its teachers believe that playing music acts as a gateway—to building character, boosting confidence, and improving self-discipline. The school helps students of all ages explore those benefits through lessons in instruments ranging from drums and guitar to piano, voice, and violin. Band programs get even beginning students working together and performing in front of live audiences, giving them a space to hone their chops outside their basement, where mole people might hear them through the walls and steal their songs.

Jackie Harris, mother of two, uses the knowledge she gleaned while studying art at Kenton College to kindle a passion for art in every child she teaches. She believes art can not only unleash a child's imagination, but also improve their self-esteem. In her family-oriented Kids Creation Art Studio, Harris and her experienced team engage pint-sized artists with paint-your-own pottery, daylong or week-long summer camps, 12-week art classes, and blank canvasses coated in sugar. Troupes of youngsters can also visit the studio for art-filled birthday parties that include two hours of studio time, facepainting, and sweet treats.

Gavin has been working and teaching behind the bar for almost 20 years, making drinks in 14 countries across 5 continents. His experiences inspired him to design and teach programs for home enthusiasts to create cocktails at their own parties, and to train students to secure professionally and financially rewarding positions in the hospitality industry almost immediately after graduation.

As BartenderOne’s CEO, Gavin and his team of professional mixologists and bar chefs helped design a curriculum based on interviews of bar, lounge, club, and banquet-facility owners. The certification courses still teach students to make a number of trendy and classic cocktails, but they emphasize the kinds of customer-service, cash-handling, and break-dancing skills that employers value. Instructors also train their small groups of students outside of a typical classroom environment, giving attendees experience behind an actual bar as opposed to a staged set. Additionally, BartenderOne gives its graduates a leg up by sending weekly emails with new job opportunities.