5 Culinary Classes That Let You Travel the World Without Leaving NYC

Travel to your favorite cities by learning how to make their specialty regional dishes in a cooking class in NYC. This will allow you to experience a slice of another culture without the hassle or expense of traveling. 

One of the best parts of traveling is getting to understand new cultures through food. Whether you’re traveling within the U.S. or abroad, you can learn more about a region through its cuisine. While traveling is fun, it’s not very economical to fly to India every time you want curry or to Japan just for a sushi night. Luckily for you, you can enjoy cuisine from all over the world in a cooking class in NYC. 

Your chef can give you insights into the origin of the recipe and then teach you how to make authentic dishes. While you might not get the same ambiance as a French cafe or a pizzeria on the Almafi coast, you will get to enjoy a rewarding meal and a memorable experience with your fellow classmates. 

These classes make great date night ideas, team-building activities, birthday party ideas, and more! Treat your date, colleagues, or friends to an unforgettable culinary experience that will make them forget they are in a kitchen in NYC. 

Explore authentic Mexican cuisine

Dreaming of warmer weather? Travel to the beaches of Mexico and learn how to make street tacos. Depending on the class, you can even sip on a Margarita or cheers with a couple of cervezas. 

First, you’ll make handmade tortillas, which will make you never want to opt for store-bought again. Next, learn how to cook steak perfect for street tacos. You’ll make homemade salsas and guacamole to pair, or even snack on with chips. Depending on the class, you can even finish with fresh churros!

Learn cooking basics in a French cooking class

Often, culinary school starts with French cooking, so you might think of French cuisine as five-star dining. There’s no need to be intimidated by a French cooking class because you will learn how to cook easy French recipes alongside an expert. 

You can even go patisserie style and learn how to make pastry including homemade beignets and croissants from scratch. Learn how to make a quiche lorraine or French onion soup like a classic French bistro. You’ll turn your home kitchen into French alleyways in one of these cooking workshops. 

Get hands-on with the ingredients in an Italian cooking class

Italian cuisine is well-loved around the world, bringing saucy bowls of pasta, pizza, and delicious desserts. You don’t need to travel all the way across the Atlantic just to get a taste of authentic pizza. Join an Italian cooking class and learn how to make a Margherita pizza just like the ones in Napoli or get a taste of Sicily and learn to make authentic meatballs. 

Pasta-making classes are some of the best cooking classes in NYC because they are fun and creative. First, you’ll start by making pasta dough from scratch. Then choose your favorite pasta shape to create! From filled pasta like ravioli or tortellini or go with classic linguine or tagliatelle. If you’re looking for something even more original, you can even learn how to make homemade gnocchi! 

You’ll have a great time rolling out the dough, learning pasta-making techniques, and cutting perfect shapes. This class is perfect for date night ideas or team-building activities because pasta-making cultivates a fun and casual environment where you can get to know one another through a shared activity. 

Master comfort food with Indian recipes

Indian cuisine has many delightful and flavorful dishes to offer. You might feel overwhelmed at how to master some of your favorite dishes without having any experience. 

In an Indian cooking class, your expert chef can walk you through the process step by step. Start by learning about all the ingredients from proteins to spices. Your instructor can teach you how to pair ingredients to create mouthwatering flavors. Cook freshly baked naan, fragrant curries, and all of the other comfort staples you love. 

If you’re always short on time or endlessly scrolling through recipes, learning to master a few recipes you love will come in handy when cooking at home. Rather than wasting time trying to learn something new in a pinch, you’ll always have delicious Indian recipes to turn to when you’re looking for a hearty homemade meal. 

Learn how something new in East Asian cooking classes

Dumplings and sushi are familiar favorites in East Asian cuisine but are often something that seems easier to buy than make at home. In a cooking class, you can learn how easy and fun it can be once you know a few techniques. 

It can be hard to know where to start. You might be wondering where to source ingredients, how to make sushi rice, or where to buy dumpling wrappers. A cooking class will answer all of your questions and more! Next time you have a craving at home, you can feel confident taking on the recipe yourself. 

The great part of going to a cooking class is that you can learn to make your favorites. If you have certain dietary restrictions or preferences, you can create vegan sushi or soy-free dumplings easily after learning the basic skills in a cooking class. 

In addition, sushi-making and dumpling-making classes make some of the best cooking classes because they are fun and interactive. Learn how to perfectly roll sushi and experiment with different types of dumpling folds until you find one you’d like to master!

These are just a small handful of countries you can travel to through one of these cooking classes in NYC. Find cuisine from Spain, Iran, Thailand, the Balkans, Venezuela, and so much more, in these unique culinary experiences! Time to plan a date night or an interactive dinner party with friends to check a few more off your bucket list.

Want to know which cooking classes make great date night ideas in NYC? Take a look here.