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 $60, you get an introduction to raw-food preparation class at To Be Raw in Fuquay-Varina (a $125 value). This three- to four-hour class is currently available Mondays at 12 p.m. and Fridays at 7 p.m.

At To Be Raw, chef Shirley Hunsberger teaches students to wean themselves off cooked food and into the world of off-the-vine vitality. During a three- to four-hour lesson, pupils learn to prepare six simple recipes that follow Alissa Cohen’s raw-food preparation methods. Budding chefs chop and blend a variety of fresh fruits, vegetables, and nuts to create nourishing uncooked dishes or hats for Carmen Miranda. Because raw-food diets contain no artificial preservatives, they can help increase enzyme levels, which may bolster the immune system and increase energy. To provide the most thorough instruction and to discourage note passing between pupils, a typical class consists of only a couple of students.