Education & Classes in Inwood

A mother and her teenage daughter stand at the counter side-by-side, chop, chop, chopping in unison. Neither have cooked much with vegetables before, but under the friendly guidance of experts, they find their veggie phobias fading. This is a recurring theme within The Food Evolution's kitchen, where students learn to toss their culinary insecurities into the flames and begin having fun with meal prep.

At The Food Evolution, which Diane Hoch founded in 2010, students aged 16 and older learn from professional instructors how to create healthful, tasty, preservative-free meals. Classes highlight either techniques or styles of cuisine and vary in levels of participation—from demonstration classes where students observe and take notes, to hands-on courses in which students are required to touch everything with all 10 fingers. In private nutritional-counseling sessions, Diane, a certified nutritional-health counselor, tailors advice and programs to help individuals reach their health and wellness goals.

At Ridgewood Culinary Studio, small class sizes and a playful, hands-on approach to cooking empower students of all ages to confidently make meals from scratch. In addition to teaching youngsters basic skills such as kitchen safety and how to get out of dishwashing duty, instructors inspire adult gourmands with classes on grilling and barbecuing. Regardless of the class or age group, instructors emphasize mindful eating habits and nutritious recipes. The commercial kitchen also plays host to summer camps and birthday parties.

Initiating newbie motorists through hands-on training, the expert instructors PAS Auto School Inc. have been steering students toward road-rage-free licensure for more than 40 years. The five-hour prelicensing course awards budding auto operators an MV-278 certificate upon completion, allowing them to make a road-test appointment through the New York Department of Motor Vehicles and awe friends with never-before-seen quadruple-clutching skills. Specially trained staffers teach students in traditional classrooms, helping them learn road-safety practices without the constant need for parents to slam invisible brakes.

Internationally exhibited contemporary painter Rebecca Schweiger could let her dreamy forest landscapes and densely textured abstract oils speak for themselves. Instead, she constantly reaches out to other budding artists, helping them represent their own authentic voices in paint. Schweiger's work with pupils in locations from Costa Rica to Israel to Texas inspired her to open her own studio, where she and her team of instructors lead students through workshops in painting and drawing landscapes and tastefully nude fruit.

With their expert eyes and nostrils zeroed in on high-end petals and stems, the designers at Studio Sweet Pea assemble custom arrangements and teach novices to curate their very own vases. The Horticultural Society of New York recognized founder Lisa Fireman Dorhout as 2003's Emerging Designer. Since then, her studio has worked with Martha Stewart Living, its bouquets have been interviewed by New York Magazine, and its classes have been celebrated by the TBS network. Lisa's and her team's work can also be seen at special events around town, making up elegant centerpieces, wedding bouquets, and creative greenery solutions.

A graduate of the Manhattan School of Music and Berklee College of Music, David Sklar has composed for independent films, played at Lincoln Center, and won several piano competitions of his own. But his true legacy lives on in the deft fingers of the countless protégés to attend his studio, where he helps them hone their musical expression and creativity with a mixture of technique, music theory, and ear training during fun and engaging one-on-one lessons. Specializing in a variety of styles—from classical sonatas to show tunes and pop music—David also gives students his undivided attention during voice and songwriting classes.