Education & Classes in Santa Monica

Growing up, Katie London helped her mother cook weekly meals for dining rooms full of friends and family, employing diverse recipes inherited from her Italian and Jewish grandparents. So when she decided to share her culinary skills with the world, she kept things in the family, enlisting her father, Jeff, a former CPA, to help her establish Katie's Cooking School.Staged in a classroom that mimics a home kitchen with its residential appliances and cabinets, Katie's classes for kids and adults emphasize practical skills and simple recipes that the students can recreate at home or in the kitchen section of the nearest Home Depot. The class schedule rotates on a monthly basis, adopting a new seasonal, geographic, or dietary theme each time. Past projects have included selections from around the world such as homemade pasta with meat sauce, Danish pancake balls, and moo shu chicken.

At a moment's notice, contestants from the Emmy-Award-winning show Top Chef appear in Top Chef University members' homes, ready to give one-on-one cooking lessons. Though users will meet stars such as Spike Mendelsohn and Stephanie Izard, they don't have to wipe down the counters or season their neglected cast-iron pans in preparation. That's because the school's 200 lessons are all online videos, streamable to any computer.

Top Chef contestants walk members through a slew of cooking methods in 12 one-month courses, each composed of videos ranging from 5–30 minutes long. The easy-to-follow curriculum starts with basic cooking techniques such as sautéing and braising, ending with more advanced recipes for modern and ethnic cuisines from Top Chef All-Stars winner Richard Blais. Each video comes with a printable recipe to save and cherish, along with a Top Chef Certificate of Completion.

A woven basket of berries, foraged greens, and a wild boar with a spear in its side––these were the feasts of Paleolithic humans, who ate only what they could hunt and gather on the move. Grains, dairy, and legumes were inedible to our early ancestors, and adherents to the paleo diet maintain that our bodies are best served by eating that same pre-agrarian diet. Nutrition coach, accomplished Ironman athlete, and exercise instructor Nell Stephenson guides her clients to vibrant healthy lifestyles within the diet's parameters.

In an interview with Lava magazine, Stephenson outlined her journey to the paleo diet, which began by identifying a latent gluten allergy in 2006 and continued on with her co-penning cookbooks with Dr. Loren Cordain, the “father” of the diet. Her experiences led to her current philosophy, which mimics the Hippocratic view that food should be medicine and vice versa. On CBS, Stephenson demonstrated some of her recipes and explained that one of the goals of her Paleoista book was to assure women especially that despite the caveman-esque name, the diet is accessible to anyone.

Stephenson channels her enthusiasm for and expertise in paleo living through diet and lifestyle services designed to introduce clients to pre-Neolithic ways. Phone or Skype consultations help determine individual plans of action and abilities to hunt and trap wild avocados. After that, clients can commission her for custom nutrition plans, more hands-on coaching, cooking lessons, and kitchen makeovers. :m]]

Director Marianne Van Etten and her troupe of instructors help to inject steps with traditional American and international rhythms during interrelated lessons. The curriculum helps students of all experience levels to confidently navigate the dance floor without surgically removing a second left foot. Three-hour weekend workshops immerse students in the instruction of swing, Latin, and smooth techniques in one dose, and group classes gather guests for one-hour sessions in styles including Zumba and children's ballroom. Classes unfold inside the air-conditioned studio, which accommodates up to 40 dancers atop its spring-loaded wood floor. Further inspiring lofty steps, a stereo sound system floods the space, which overlooks views of mountainous terrain symbolizing the uphill battle faced when tangoing with both hands tied behind your back.