Culinary Studio Offering Adult Cooking Classes To St. Cloud Area

(KNSI) – The brand-new Culinary Studio is cooking up a range of fun classes to help area residents improve in the kitchen.

Co-founder Michelle Massman says the idea came to her as she struggled to enroll in classes offered in the Twin Cities area. Massman reached out to Mary Levinski, a culinary arts teacher with Sauk Rapids-Rice School District, and they have whipped up an enticing menu of courses to finish out the year.

The first is Oktoberfest-themed. Levinski runs down what students will learn. “They’re going to be making a homemade soup, and they’re going to be making beer-braised sausage and cabbage. And then we’re also doing an authentic German roulade and an apple kuchen.”

The goal is to have no theme repeat with a wide variety of offerings. That experimentation will likely extend to who teaches the classes. Levinski says every chef has certain specialties, and she is looking for collaborations with other area chefs to help flesh out a lesson that goes beyond what she feels she can teach at an expert level.

Massman adds that when the studio moves from the Sauk Rapids-Rice High School kitchen labs to its own space inside the 539 Building next year in east St. Cloud, you will likely see that experimentation continue into the format of the classes. Alcoholic drinks may become part of the curriculum and the overall experience. They are considering trying a class that involves a local symphony concert in the background.

The most important thing is to be there, no matter the format. Massman says doing it in person adds a missing ingredient to the learning process. “You can take a cooking class on Zoom, or you can watch a YouTube video, but it’s not the same as being able to be in a classroom with other people learning shoulder-to-shoulder, and having somebody like Mary, who’s got so much expertise, who can show you little techniques that just make things so much better.”

Massman recounts a pastry class she took with Levinski before the Culinary Studio blossomed into a full-fledged idea. She took away at least five tips from that lesson, which she still uses today.

Whether you’re interested in sublime soufflés, faultless fettuccine, divine desserts, or amazing appetizers, there will be a class for you. Find out more information about the upcoming class lineup and register here.

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