Like learning to juggle, learning to cook requires patience, a distraction-free environment, and the ability to handle multiple eggplants at once. Become the ringmaster of your kitchen with today's Groupon: for $25, you get one cooking class at Pina's Culinary Experience in Roselle (a $50 value). Unless otherwise noted, classes begin at 7 p.m.
Chefs Pina and Ed of Pina's Culinary Experience bestow their edible expertise on studious suppersmiths week after week in their elephantine kitchen and Mediterranean-style dining room. This year's third-quarter and fourth-quarter syllabi feature the ever-popular tapas class (Wednesday, July 13 and Friday, July 22), which fills up quickly as pupils crowd to assemble a jigsaw puzzle of small plates such as andalusian shrimp fritters and moules marinara. Chefs learn the secrets of cooking quick meals with ingredients easily at hand on Wednesday, August 24 and Wednesday, August 31, fixing under-30-minute delicacies that far surpass slapping together a sandwich or microwaving some ice cream. Students over age 21 are welcome to bring their own wine or alcohol to complement the feast of munchable masterpieces held at the end of each session, and all will be sent home with doggie bags of any leftovers in the hopes of inspiring pets to finally start cooking for themselves.