If you find yourself with a little extra time on your hands this summer, maybe spend it by broadening your culinary horizons. Whether you prefer savory or sweet, there’s plenty to learn around town. A few suggestions:
Party Time
Bakers and cake decorators of Baton Rouge can find Mecca at Party Time, the city’s biggest locally owned party retailer. To hone your skills, sign up for one of their decorating classes, which range from $20 to $50. You can pick up anything from basic buttercream techniques to advanced gum paste flowers and designing towering layer cakes.
LSU Leisure Classes
You don’t have to be a student to take a class at LSU this summer, and the university’s leisure class program has plenty of cooking and cooking-adjacent options. For a tuition fee (plus cost of materials for some classes) you can learn about Italian cuisine, beer brewing, seasonal flavors and even beekeeping.
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Louisiana Culinary Institute
Baton Rouge’s prestigious culinary school offers their know-how to aspiring at-home chefs with pastry and savory leisure classes. This summer’s lineup includes courses on Mediterranean herbs and spices, knife skills, homemade breads and from-scratch cake baking.
Ruffino’s Restaurant
If your favorite part of a cooking class is tasting the food, Ruffino’s cooking classes might be for you. The work is minimal—you learn from the gourmet chefs at Ruffino’s while they demonstrate cooking techniques as you savor a five-course meal with wine pairings for the food they prepare. July’s class focuses on grilling, while August will focus on French cuisine.
Young Chef’s Academy
For the kids, Young Chef’s Academy hosts several summer cooking camp events in their Camp Can-I-Cook program. Events include pizza cooking, a “pantry panic” camp on how to cook with what you already have in your kitchen and a Chopped-themed camp, plus one-time classes beyond Camp Can-I-Cook throughout the summer.