Summer vacation is almost over and my 13-year-old has gone to several different activities and camps since June. One of his favorites was taking cooking classes at Sur La Table in Santa Clara. He had two days of classes, two hours each day. So, four hours total for $120. He took the classes with other middle-schoolers.
On Day 1 he made ribs, onion pancakes and Portuguese egg tarts. On Day 2 he served up pork loin sandwiches, corn and vanilla ice cream (yes, he made the ice cream himself and said it was "heavenly") with a pineapple sauce.
A chef guided the students through it all. In the photo, my son is fishing out some ribs he made in an Instant Pot.
As a parent, I can report this was easily my favorite of my kids' summer activities. My son learned new skills in the kitchen, the meals are memorable (this was more than a month ago and he can still recite both menus to me) and the environment bright and clean. Lastly, but very important to me, the staff at Sur La Table was enthusiastic and thoughtful. The instructors encouraged the parents to try what the kids made (especially the desserts) and reviewed the techniques the students learned. They sent the kids home with the recipes and the apron they used for class--nice touch!
