Adult Hands On Cooking Classes in Baltimore, Maryland
Join the Fun, Food, & Friends - Feed Your Passion!
Unless noted, all classes begin at 7:00 PM
and last 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
Cooking Classes are held in Reisterstown, MD in our two
state-of-the-art kitchens.
Click here for Driving Directions.
Be sure to wear closed-toe shoes to all classes - No sandals or flip flops allowed in kitchens.
Cancellation Policy: If
you must cancel a cooking class we will give you credit for another
class, as long as you cancel up to one week before the class is
scheduled. If you cancel up to 72 hours' before the class, we will
give you credit for another class within this upcoming year. If
cancellation occurs less than 72 hours prior to class, credit can be
given only if we are able to rebook your space in the
class. We're sorry, if you call us after missing a class date, we can
not offer you a credit or make-up.
Register & Pay Securely Online for classes with MC, Visa, Amex, Discover or PayPal.
If you have any questions or to register using a Gift Certificate, call Chef Diane at:
443-865-0630 -or- 410-833-5579 email: diane@fortheloveoffood.com
MARYLAND WINEMAKER'S DINNER Saturday, July 18th at 7PM
We are excited~ and are sure you'll be too! In what is sure to be one of the highlights of your summer season...we have partnered with 3 of Maryland's top winemakers in a series of MARYLAND WINEMAKER DINNER'S
to showcase their wines and our food, featuring primarily Maryland products.
The first of these dinners - Saturday, July 18th at 7 PM features Ed Boyce of Black Ankle Vineyards and an amazing menu featuring goat and blue cheeses from Firefly Farms, beef from Springfield Farms, berries from Larriland & Baugher Farms, sour cherries from our own Ed Boyce at Black Ankle, crabmeat from J.M. Clayton Seafood Company, and a whole lot more!
The amazing 6-course tasting menu features different wines from Black Ankle Vineyards with each course, (starring their award winning Crumbling Rock), all of which will be available for sale at the dinner.Hors d’Oeuvres
Crab, Peach & Thai Basil Samosas
Lamb Loin, Firefly Farms Goat Cheese& Sweet Cherry Chimichangas
Potato Blini with Crème Fraîche & Homemade Gravlax
Paired together with - Black Ankle Bedlam
Seated Dinner
Corn, Crab & Saffron Risotto - Black Ankle Albariño
Seared Rockfish with Gazpacho Sauce & Black Olive Tapenade
- Black Ankle Viognier
Grilled Sour Cherry “Sauerbraten” Filet Mignonm - Black Ankle Crumbling Rock
Firefly Farms Blue Cheese Tartlet, Pineapple Ice Cream, &
Blueberry Peppercorn Soup - Black Ankle Syrah
Mixed Berry Sorbet Shortcakes - Black Ankle Grüner Veltliner
The dinner can accommodate up to 18 guests and is $125 + tax per person
To sign up click here
For more information call Chef Diane today at 443.865.0630
Our ever popular Series:
HOW TO THINK LIKE A CHEF
A 6-Class Series for aspiring chefs MONDAYS, September 14, 21,October 5, 26, November 2 & 9th
at 7 PM $415
The ideal hands-on cooking series for seasoned cooks and beginners alike! We begin with Knife Skills and move on to sautéing, roasting, braising, poaching, pan & classic sauces and variations, and stocks. We'll cover butterflying meat an
d chicken, and the best cuts of meat for different types of cooking. Learn to tell when meats, poultry and fish are done without cutting into them! Overcome your fear of cooking whole fish and filets...and more ~ much much more!
We focus on technique - the how's and why's of cooking, rather than just the doing, so you'll become more comfortable with food in general, and will ultimately be able to cook without a cookbook, because you'll understand the foods and cooking methods used to cook them. Experimentation and questions are encouraged. There is no such thing as too much of a beginner - everyone will feel comfortable, and we guarantee everyone will leave a better cook than when you arrived!
Please understand, but due to the very popular nature of this series, we can't allow any class make ups. You may however, send someone in your place. We will always provide you with the recipes from the class you missed, and always feel free to contact Chef Diane with any questions regarding cooking methods and recipe execution.
CLICK HERE to Read a recent student's story about her How to Think Like A Chef experience.
When Ordering, Choose from 3 How to Think Like A Chef Packages:
1. HTLAC 6-Part Course Only $415
2. HTLAC Course + Chef's Knife
(Santoku 8") $450
3. HTLAC Course + Knife + Chef Coat: embroidered with your Name & FTLOF (Cotton/Polyester Blend) $489
Order form filled out first night of class - Allow 2-3 weeks for delivery.
ADVANCED HOW TO THINK LIKE A CHEF - "Burn
Your Cookbook!" Now 6 Classes! $415 WEDNESDAYS - September 16, 23, 30, October 7, 28 & November 4th
You’ve all been asking for it, so here it is! ADVANCED HTLAC. We’ll be delving more deeply into releasing your inner chef, with classes focusing on Herbs & Spices and how to use them; Marinades, Rubs & Brines; more advanced meat cutting techniques; Stuffings & ‘How To’; 2 classes on brown stocks and classic roux thickened sauces, and much more.
This class will really test your mettle, supplying few recipes for finished dishes, but relying on the accumulated culinary knowledge and experience you've gleanedf, to really get you to burn your cookbook and Think Like a Chef! This is a most rewarding class for my students and myself, as you become much more confident and comfortable cooking from your heart.
(Knowledge of cooking methods &/or completion of “How to Think Like A Chef” strongly recommended.)
Insider Pages How to Think Like A Chef Course Review?
I took the "for the love of food how to think like a chef" class part 1 and 2 last year (I guess you can already tell I got enough out of the first class to try the second). I thought it was a well-organized, well-taught exploration of cooking technique with a lot of encouragement to just try things and stop relying totally on a cookbook. I would highly recommend it. Wendy
Judy's Book For the Love of Food-Best Cooking Class - How to Think Like a Chef Rating: 5
Dear Chef Diane, Thank you for a very special six weeks of cooking classes. I was concerned that the course would be too remedial for my modest knowledge of the culinary arts. As the weeks went on, I was pleased with the many new skills and techniques I learned under your tutelage. You advertised your classes will help you think like a chef and that is exactly what was delivered. My confidence level to experiment in the kitchen has greatly increased! I recommend your class to anyone who wants to be a better cook. I will wear my For The Love of Food chef's coat with much pride. JeffHO
W TO THINK LIKE A PASTRY CHEFTHURSDAYS November 5, 12, 19, December 3 & 10th + 2-DAY BREAD WORKSHOP (optional) - Sat. & Sun., Nov. 14th & 15th
You've been asking for it, and here it is! Baking is a lot more precise than cooking, but it can be a whole lot more rewarding as well. In this class we'll begin with Ingredient ID ~ the difference between different flours, sugars, chocolates, fats, etc. then it's on to different mixing methods and the uses for each. We'll cover cakes, icings and glazes, cookies, quickbreads, custards, pies & tarts, mousses & creams and more! We'll touch on presentation work ~ different sauces, garnishes, decorative touches...and we'll do a whole lot of eating! Life is sweet!
Last year's weekend bread workshop was so popular, we've added it as an option to the HTLA Pastry Chef Class.
Baby I'm Cooking with class... and once more, BABY I CAN COOK!
AN AUTHENTIC THAI FEAST with Chef
Description and Menu coming soon. Click Here to read an account from a recent student's "Indian Cooking Class with Ravi" experience.
COOKING WITH FRUIT
Ravi To be Rescheduled to August $70
Thursday, July 2nd $75
Funny how we think about fruit most often as the perfect snack
food or as a dessert, but less often as a savory ingredient to
accompany meat or fish. We're going to try and change the way you
think a bit with some slightly unusual, but quite delectable dishes,
where fruit is the star ingredient.
Dazzle your guests at your next dinner party with Blueberry
Spiked Chicken with Cognac; Pan Seared Shrimp with Raspberries &
Almonds; Pan Roasted Sausages with Grapes & Moscato; Sauteed Sole
with Nectarines. And to end on a truly spectacular note, Sauteed Tomatoes & Plums with Basil Ice Cream.
ALL IN GOOD HUMOR Homemade Ice Creams & Sorbet
Thursday, July 30th $70
Really now, isn't ice cream the universal food? We may not all agree on the best flavor, or smooth or chunky, but is there really anybody out there who doesn't like ice cream? And once you've had the homemade variety, you'll be even more bowled over (sorry!).
Homemade ice cream, fresh out of the machine is smooth, and creamy and nothing like most storebought versions. It's got no stabilizers in it, nothing artificial, no gums... just heavy cream, milk, sugar, eggs and flavorings.
Tonight we'll make the mother of all ice creams, a fabulous cooked custard based or "French" vanilla ice cream, a non-cooked "country" style chocolate ice cream, a creamy eggless "Philadelphia" type ice cream (maybe espresso?), and a fat-free, luscious fruit sorbet. And of course, we'll make the world's best hot fudge sauce to go with it all!
FUN & FABULOUS HORS D'OEUVRES
Tuesday, July 28th $70
Just right for a summertime cocktail party, a casual evening with friends, or a cool, grazing lunch or dinner menu, these finger foods fit the bill anytime you're looking for a light, meatless, nibble that says Creative! Fun! Fabulous!
Blue Cheese, Walnut & Date Rugelach; Avocado Spring Rolls; Roasted Confetti Pepper Salad with Pine Nuts & Feta; Dilled Potato Blini with Smoked Salmon, Creme Fraiche & Caviar; and Hot 'n' Sweet Nut Brittle will ensure your cocktail party's the one not to miss!
And to make sure your evening starts and stays fun and fabulous, we'll greet you upon arrival with a cold glass of bubbly.
KNIFE SKILLS Wednesday, September 2nd at 7 $65
This class is the same as the first class in our “How to Think Like A Chef” series. We’ll cover proper knife skills and safety, as well as foundation basics like how to dice onions and shallots, chop herbs, roast peppers, peel and seed tomatoes, pit olives, supreme citrus fruit, plus some tricks for kiwi and avocado and more! We'll have a small feast at the end of class with everything we've chopped, diced, minced and pitted! Plus, we will show you how to sharpen your knives...If you have a favorite knife, please feel free to bring it, but we'll have knives and aprons for your use in class.
WINE DINNERS coming up...
Food 'n' Film is back with...LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE"
Saturday, July 11th at 7 $95 per person / $185 per couple
Laura Esquivel's breathtaking novel turned film, weaving live, love, food and passion seemed a natural for our next Food 'n' Film dinner.
We'll weave together a truly amazing meal based on the recipes in Esquivel's deliciously steamy novel ~ and only hope we too don't burn down the kitchen in the process!
Like Water for Chocolate is easily one of the all-time great food films. This is a delicious film about love, tradition, passion, communication, and food.
Not since 9 1/2 Weeks has the kitchen been portrayed in such a carnally scrumptuous manner. In Like Water for Chocolate, the kitchen is the center of the story, becoming a character itself, and throughout the movie, food is used as a metaphor for erotic gratification. Like Water for Chocolate is a strong and intoxicating piece of work that takes on many issues yet manages to stay light on its feet.As always, our wine educator will find us the perfect wines to compliment our perfect meal.
THE HOT & SEXY FOODS OF
LATIN AMERICA A Wine Dinner
Saturday, July 25th at 7:30 PM $95 per person / $185 per couple
We are switching hemispheres - leaving Europe for a while for the culinary delights found on this side of the pond...
Join us on a whirlwind tour as we fly through Latin America, sampling incredible culinary treats from Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica ~~~ mouthwatering delicacies like Carne en Pipian Verde (Beef in Pumpkin Seed Sauce), Belizian Fry Jacks with Refried Beans and Red Pepper Sauce, Tiburon Cocinado en Leche de Coco, Lima y Jenjibre (Red Snapper in Coconut, Ginger & Lime Sauce), Arroz Blanco (White Rice), Honduran Avocado Salad, and Nicaraguan Tres Leches Cake.
This area is awash in incredibly delcious food ~~~ you know we'll be back to this area!
As always, Dick our wine guy, will pair our meal with the perfect wines - this time some fabulous new wines from South America.
Menus may be adapted to market availability. We reserve the right to cancel or reschedule a class when necessary, due to under-enrollment. 
Our fabulous 520 square foot 2nd kitchen
(Click for More Images of our Kitchens)
Watch for these Exciting New Classes:
Say, Cheese!
Delicious & Nutritious Cooking for Your Dog
with Dr. Carey Zumpano, DVM
…and more!
If there’s a class you’d like to see us offer, or if you’d like to host a private class ~ Please let us know by calling:
443-865-0630 or e-mail us
Chef Diane Bukatman
Chef Owner of For the Love of Food, Est. 2000
Graduate Culinary Institute of America, 1986
