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George Brown College: Culinary Arts I

For those of you looking for a challenge, George Brown College’s introduction to culinary arts is the perfect course for you. This intensive four hour 14-week course (yeah, that’s 56 hours of cooking!), will help students develop fundamental skills, including using commercial kitchen equipment, knife skills and safe food handling principles. However, it isn’t cheap! This course costs $718.00, but includes food and uniform.

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President’s Choice Cooking School: Pasta Making 101

Chef Lorraine Powell teaches students the incomparable tastes and textures of fresh pasta. In this class, students will make Egg Fettuccine, Ricotta Cheese-stuffed Ravioli and Potato Gnocchi along with the accompanying sauces. This 3-hour class is located at Loblaws (60 Carlton St. in Toronto) and is a great introduction to cooking with classic skill!

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The Chef Upstairs: Friday Night Cooking Classes for Couples

What better way to enjoy a date night with your sweetie than a cooking class! The Chef Upstairs hosts Friday night themed classes in which couples work together to make a dish from scratch, then taste their creation. Some upcoming classes include Spanish Tapas Night (September 5th), TGIF… Thai One On Friday (September 26) and Ontario Fall Harvest Delights (October 3rd). At $149.50 for two, this is an affordable way to enjoy an evening together and learn some great skills (such as getting along with your sous-chef)!

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The St. Lawrence Market: Fall Cakes

The St. Lawrence Market has a wide variety of classes, including one on September 13th for only $40 called Make & Take: Fall Cakes. This class will teach the basics of baking through the preparation of seasonal cakes, using the best fall ingredients. The best part? You get to take everything you make home!

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Marni Wasserman: Thanksgiving Dinner with Marni

Thanksgiving is an amazing occasion to enjoy friends, family and of course a big feast. This class is composed of 5-courses that will demonstrate the comforting harvest flavours from fresh local ingredients. You will walk away from this class ready and confident to prepare this year’s Thanksgiving meal.

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The Big Carrot: The Anti-Inflammatory Diet

In some cases, a change in diet can easily remedy common health concerns. The anti-inflammatory diet has increased in popularity with it’s benefits for those suffering with arthritis, IBS or chronic pain. Inflammation is the body’s natural response to a number of harmful bacteria or viruses however, when inflammation becomes chronic (the body doesn’t shut it off) it can lead to numerous diseases such as cancer, heart disease, alzheimer’s and type II diabetes. This course will introduce students to proper food choices as well as tips to help the immune system recover. Get healthy, educated and have a great time doing it!

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Sure Chef: Fall Jr. Chef Programs

Looking for an after-school program for your kids this fall? This fun and educational course will teach kids (aged 6 to 12) techniques, vocabulary, etiquette, safety and nutrition all while introducing them to nutritional yummy foods leading to a healthy appetite. For $320, your kids will be occupied for a 6 week period and who knows, maybe by the end they will be cooking you dinner (one can dream)!

Have other cooking classes to share? Leave them in the comments below.

With Labour Day fast approaching, the inner child in many of us may return with ambitions to start something new. There are so many great workshops around Toronto and we’ve done a little research to give you a list of activities we think are definitely worth trying out. So what are you waiting for? Gather some friends, organize a weekly outing, or better yet,  sign up alone and meet new like-minded people!

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1. Canada’s National Ballet School

Channel your inner 5-year old prima ballerina. Canada’s National Ballet School offers a wide range of courses from beginner to advanced that make a great workout substitute, conditioning muscles and improving flexibility. Their Intro To Ballet runs from the week of September 8th to the week of December 15th and costs $345, or click here to see what other levels are offered. Grab those ballet shoes, a leotard and reignite that inner superstar!

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2. The Devil’s Workshop

The Devil’s Workshop is a Toronto-based jewellery studio offering a variety of workshops to the public including: wire-working,  bead-working, wedding band workshops and our top pick, silversmith for beginners. In this course ($300), students have 6 sessions to learn a series of skills while using professional tools and materials. The best part? Everything you create is yours to keep (and show off to your jealous friends).

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3. Toronto Botanical Gardens

There’s something about a beautifully arranged bouquet of flowers that demonstrates class and sophistication. The Toronto Botanical Gardens offers floral design classes that teach the fundamentals of flower arrangements, as well as material-specific classes. While it may sound a little frou-frou or outdated, we think that it’s a skill that is sure to impress! Courses range from $140 – $170, and just think of the gorgeous arrangements you’ll bring home!

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4. The Calligraphy Arts Guild of Toronto

So many of us have moved away from the art of pen to paper and rely solely on our computers, phones and tablets. The Calligraphic Arts Guild of Toronto is offering a six week course on Thursday evenings from 7:00 – 9:30 pm that will introduce beginners to The Italian Script. This course, for $170, will be a relaxing and interesting opportunity to try something truly different. Just think how beautiful your greeting cards will be!

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5. Lettuce Knit

There’s something inexplicably special about a hand-knit scarf, or better yet, that blanket Grandma knit you 10 years ago.  Lettuce Knit offers a variety of classes from beginner to project-based varying on time commitments and price (from $30 to $100).

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6. Gardiner Museum

The Gardiner Museum offers drop-in clay classes on Wednesday and Friday from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. and on Sundays from 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. Unwind from a busy day at the office by getting your hands dirty! What a great way to make your own ceramics for a reasonable price ($12-$15 per session)!

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7. Ladies Learning Code

While this is a bit more technical than the other suggestions, it’s definitely useful. On September 13th, Ladies Learning Code is offering a crash course on WordPress for Beginners in Toronto from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. With a high student-to-mentor ratio (4:1 or better), a fun venue and a catered lunch, this course will not only be valuable for work and home, but informative and  lots of fun. Grab your laptops and lets start blogging!

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8. OCAD Continuing Studies

Always wanted to develop those Adobe Photoshop skills? What better place to learn than with the best of the best! OCAD U is offering an Introduction to Adobe Photoshop (starting September 7th) over four classes. The cost of the course is $225 (+HST) and will cover topics including: image resolution, using layers, modifying and transforming selections and much more.

Have more class suggestions to share? Leave them in the comments below!