Hey There, Good Cookin'

Posted by Sarah, Associate Fashion Editor

When family members asked me what I wanted for Christmas, I couldn’t come up with anything. Well, not anything affordable or reasonable, because everything I really wanted was in the Barneys shoe department. So I told them to be creative and get me something I wouldn’t buy myself.

Well, my sister nailed it on the head. I opened a box that contained an adorable oven mitt and a gift certificate for a cooking class at Miette Culinary Studio, a small school in the heart of Greenwich Village that offers night and weekend classes in a wide range of styles. While I've definitely developed an interest in cooking over for the past few years, this certainly fell into the "I wouldn't have gotten it for myself" category.

To really try something new, I signed up for an Indian cooking class on a Thursday night. I was a little nervous about doing something like this by myself but was instantly relaxed when I was offered a glass of wine as I entered the studio. There was an intimate kitchen and another room with a long family-style dinner table.

 

It was a 10-person class (only 7 of us showed up) and our teacher was a wonderful, chatty, and knowledgeable woman who grew up in India. The head chef, Paul Vandewoude, was also on hand to chime in with tips and tricks here and there. Together, we made chili cauliflower, lamb rogan josh (curry based), pulao (a basmati rice dish), and pudina raita (yogurt with cucumbers and mint). It was all delicious, and after we sat down and ate, there were still leftovers to bring home!

Now, I wouldn’t post this until I had successfully made one of the dishes on my own. So last week, I had a friend over for dinner and made a plate of chili shrimp (I substituted shrimp for the cauliflower, just as my teacher said I could!). The lamb will be my next undertaking, and I’m feeling pretty confident.

While you'd need to be in New York to enjoy Meitte, you could try finding a small school or private teacher wherever you live. I found it as satisfying as shoe shopping -- and that says a lot.