50 Shades of Sweet

It's funny how our eating habits can change in just a month. In January, we're all about eating healthy, but we are obsessed with sweets right before Valentine's Day.

Of course, we always have plenty of healthy cooking options (Fresh Start, Clean in '15: Charged Up Carbs, etc.) on our class calendars but if there's any time to indulge in some sugar, it's now. You can always blame it on the one you love!

You'll be like a kid in the candy store in our new Sugar Buzz: Homemade Confections class with grown-up treats like Coffee-Flavored Marshmallows.

If your honey is more into tender, flaky crusts, treat them to Pie & Tart Boot Camp for Banana Cream Pie.

For chocolate lovers, learn to make Chocolate Stout Cupcakes with Dark Chocolate Frosting in our Cupcake Boot Camp. You'll take some home!

Want even more chocolate? Satisfy your craving with Chocolate Cake Donuts with Dulce de Leche Glaze and Coconut Flakes in Donut Boot Camp.

Take your sweet dough-making skills to the next level with our upcoming Croissant and Danish Boot Camp. You'll learn to make Danish, croissant and puff pastry doughs from scratch. It's no easy feat, but it can be done! Read about Chef Sara Salzinski's DIY Croissants in her latest blog.

Please note some of the above classes are offered more than once at both of our locations. Please peruse our March class calendars for the best fit for your schedule.

SEE ALL OF OUR MARCH CLASSES

Make Your Kitchen Sustainable & Self-Sustaining

Would you like to change your cooking to better reflect your palate, your purse, your place and your politics? Join us for a special lecture and cooking demonstration by Eugenia Bone, author of "The Kitchen Ecosystem: Building a Perennial Pantry". Eugenia will explain how to rethink your shopping habits, how to choose which foods to preserve, and how to fold preserving and using recipes into your busy schedule. You'll be inspired to take control of your cooking!

Monday, March 9

6pm-8:30pm

Merchandise Mart

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE KITCHEN ECOSYSTEM

The Waffleizer is Back

Dan Shumski is on a quest to answer the question "Will it Waffle?". His sold out class back in September shows our students want to know too.

Join us as the journalist, teacher and food blogger returns for a second class wielding his waffle irons as he makes dishes like Fawaffle (Waffled Falafel) and Hummus. You'll take home his book with over 50 irresistible and unexpected recipes to make in a waffle iron!

Saturday, March 7

10am-12:30pm

Merchandise Mart

FIND OUT "WILL IT WAFFLE?"

Throw Out the Jargon & Learn to Speak Wine

If you shy away from wine because you don't understand complicated "wine speak" you hear in restaurants or wine stores, our upcoming class will demystify the language of wine. Learn common terms used to describe what YOU like in a wine. You'll never be at a loss for wine words again!

Thursday, March 19

7pm-8:30pm

Lincoln Square

Register now.

Our Sommelier Viktorija Todorvska has no trouble coming up with words to describer her favorite wine. Read about the love fest over ros� in her latest blog.

READ ABOUT A MOST ROMANTIC WINE

Cooking is our Idea of Sunday Funday

We've got the ultimate Sunday Funday planned in March. Join us for five weeks of Culinary Boot Camp on the weekend! Perfect for home cooks who have to work Monday through Friday, this is an opportunity to get an entire professional culinary school education in just five Sundays. You'll work alongside our chefs to master the fundamentals of cooking, from basic to advanced techniques.

Ramen is All the Rage

Based on the number of Ramen restaurants that are popping up in Chicago and the popularity of our Ramen Workshop, we can confidently say this food trend is here to stay.

Our Events Manager Gina Veneziano went in search of the perfect ramen in her latest blog Ramen Wars. Is your favorite place on her list?

Food blogger Barb Miller doesn't have the luxury of ramen restaurants in her hometown, so she took matters into her own hands and attended our recent Ramen Workshop. Read about her experience in her guest blog for The Chopping Block.

Please note this class is so popular, it's offered multiple times at both of our locations so please check our class calendars for the best option for you.

Our New Kitchen is on Fire

We've been enjoying our new kitchen at the Merchandise Mart so much. Shelley Young's vision made a reality by Susan Fredman Design Group is the perfect setting for fun and culinary inspiration. Our Jenn-Air appliances are rocking, the amazing Greenfield Cabinetry gives us so much more storage, and our countertops (a mix of Cambria quartz & John Boos custom woodwork) are both beautiful and functional. If you haven't seen our Currant Kitchen yet, stop by for a tour, or better yet, take a class!

This new kitchen is part of a two-year re-branding process that will include remodeled facilities, a new logo and a new mobile-friendly website (which is just around the corner). Stay tuned!

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE CHOPPING BLOCK EXPERIENCE

Our Sizzling Savings card is back! Buy a $150 gift card and get $170 value on the same card. That's an extra $20 to spend on wine, retail or another cooking class. It's the perfect last-minute gift for Valentine's Day!