The Cookery

I've taken almost every class The Cookery offers and I have never once left without learning something. (They're also the reason I now own three fluicers -- but that's its own story.)

Here's what I love: when they sell you a tool, it's a tool they actually use and that I would actually use -- not a please-spend-more-money pitch. It's completely low pressure. The only time they sell you anything is when you say something like wow, this squeezed that lemon perfectly -- and that's the cue for: "we happen to sell fluicers at the front."

And the format is just right. You come in, get a starting glass of wine and a little appetizer they've pre-prepped, then everyone gathers around this huge island that feels like a real home kitchen and cooks the whole thing together. You sit down to eat at a massive square table that's gorgeous and decorated like an actual dining room, then it's back to the island to cook the next course, then back to the table again. Dessert happens standing around the island, and there's almost always a birthday -- so the lights go down, the candles come out, and everyone sings. I always learn something and I always have a good time.