Spring is just about here and summer is not far behind, which means warmer weather is finally upon us. Yay! It also means that new and exciting cooking classes and camps for young kids, teens, and in-betweens are just around the corner. This list offers one-day classes, private chef-lead cooking parties, and week-long (or summer-long) camp sessions for all types of cuisines and skill levels. Whether your high schoolers are looking to hone their knife sharpening and other kitchen techniques, or your elementary school-aged kids just want to bake cupcakes from scratch and decorate them (whilst licking the bowl), Connecticut has many opportunities for a wide range of culinary interests. Some classes are coming up this month and summer programs fill up quickly, so don’t delay! Keep your kids’ creative juices flowing and register them today!
Let’s admit it, summer is over. But instead of being sad about the end of hot days and warm nights, why not get excited about what autumn and winter have in store for us? Put away those bathing suits, flip-flops, and floppy beach hats we bought on a whim because we thought they were cute but never actually wore. Now get out those deliciously cozy leaf-colored sweaters, oversized flannels, and UGG(ly) slippers because it’s time for the best cooking, baking, and cocktail classes CT has in store this season.
Oh me, oh my, are there some amazingly inspired courses out there! Whether you’re looking for a date night culinary adventure, a girls’ night out pizza making and wine tasting experience, classes for your little ones, or advice on eating clean, mean, and in-between, this list has you 100% covered. So don’t be sad that those long summer days are behind us, be glad they happened. Then get over it, because the best of 2024 has yet to come!
Spring is right around the corner and summer will be here before you know it, so why not stay ahead of the game and take advantage of the many kids cooking classes and camps being offered all over Connecticut? There’s nothing quite as important as your children’s diet. Each of these courses will teach them about nutrition, kitchen safety, food preparation, different types of cuisines, and how to make food and cooking fun. Every child is creative in their own right, so let these culinary chefs help foster their creativity and you may just have someone cooking for YOU…and let’s be honest, that would sure be a nice change.
It’s that time of year again when fall-inspired meals are probably popping up all across your social media feed. If you ever caught yourself thinking, “Wow, I’d love to be able to cook something like that myself,” then it may be time to look into taking a cooking class! And with the holidays right around the corner, now is the perfect time to brush up on your culinary skills. Whether you’re hosting Thanksgiving this year or have been charged with bringing a dish to your office holiday party, make this year the one where you really impress your family and friends!
There are many businesses across the state that offer cooking classes and workshops to hone your craft. Classes can range from learning how to use the various tools in your kitchen to preparing everything from soups to desserts. Take a look through this roundup of classes and see which ones you can put to use this holiday season – they also make for a great gift idea for the budding chef in your family!
There are so many kids camps and classes to choose from these days, why not choose one that starts with the basics: our food. Classes at these following establishments range from the basics of utensil skills to cooking up favorite foods and learning about nutrition and where our food is grown. That’s a whole lot of inspired learning about something that is both important and delicious and can be carried with a person long past a single summer. Bon appetit, foodies-in-training!
Feels like we were all just stuck home together and dreaming of getting OUT and low and behold, now we can! Let’s start with getting those kiddos some cool stuff to do once school lets out. Let’s hear it for cooking camps! To learn (in a fun way) about food, where it comes from, what the heck we can do with it, and yummm, how it tastes-what could be better? Follow it with some parent-kid trips to your local farms or farmers’ markets, and lookie there, you’ve just filled the calendar a bit for the summer months. Here’s to brilliant and tasty new discoveries!
It’s interesting that with all the restaurants to grace our local communities – from the sushi to the noodles, the vegetarian and vegan, the French, Mexican, Italian, Indian and Asian, to seafood – that we don’t have many steakhouses. So when I was invited to attend a media dinner at Blackstones Steakhouse last week I was quick to respond.
With locations in Greenwich, Stamford, Norwalk and Southport, Blackstones is a name you should know – even if you’re not a meat eater. Each restaurant is slightly different in style and menu. The Southport location is reminiscent of the old world steakhouse.
Something I struggle with living in Norwalk is having a go-to Asian spot for a quick lunch or affordable takeout. There are plenty of neighborhood Chinese restaurants but they’re mostly mediocre, and I haven’t liked any of them since Red Bean sold their business. Ever since they took their American General Tso’s chicken (and actual Asian specialties) out of my life, I’ve been lost, searching for something halfway decent, even branching out to nearby towns out of desperation.
Cue a Southport newbie, Mama Chow, that’s been open for barely three weeks. I heard about it from CTbites Boss Lady, Stephanie Webster, who sang its praises and insisted I try it. Damn, was she ever on the money with this one.
Mama Chow is a fast-casual Asian street food concept featuring popular grub from Malaysia, Japan, and Vietnam.
Welcome to the neighborhood SoNo Baking Company. We’re awfully glad you’re here! (Though my waistline may beg to differ.)
SoNo Baking Company & Café officially opened its doors on Pequot Avenue in Southport today. Behind the glass display cases a beautiful array of cookies, tarts, pastries, cakes, and croissants all neatly arranged all ready to be purchased. Trays filled with delectable treats, fresh out of oven, were stacked and cooling. Brand new coffee and espresso machines glistened along the back wall.
Paci, one of Connecticut’s best Italian restaurants, has completed a grand remodeling and renovation after 21 years in businessThe restaurant, located in the nationally recognized historic train depot in Southport, will reopen on September 5th after a two month long redesign. The fresh new space showcases a new gleaming 1000 square foot glass walled bar with spacious seating as well as a gorgeous new dining area. The adjacent grounds will offer patio seating hedged with lush greenery. A new menu and hours of operations are also planned.
Gino and Cathy Riccio have been an integral part of the Fairfield County restaurant scene for the past three decades, but their newest venture – an organic plant-based eatery – is uncharted territory for the couple. While many alleged healthy eateries have been popping up all over the place, Organika Kitchen takes the idea of healthy eating to a new level. I recently sat down the Riccios to learn about the inspiration behind their latest endeavor.
Organika is more than a restaurant Gino explained, “It’s an experience that is as much about the food as it is the customers and the employees.” Organika opened its doors in August to praise from vegetarians, vegans and meat-eaters alike. Cathy expanded on her husband’s thoughts. “We felt that we needed to be eating healthier. We grew up eating healthy, but somewhere along the way processed foods started to enter our diets. Now we have all this modified food and heavy-duty pesticides so even when we try to eat healthy we aren’t always.”
Garelick & Herbs Southport have opened the doors at 3611 Post Road. After 23 years of happy success in the original flagship store in Westport, G&H opened their entirely unique space a few steps up the Post Road at the Westport/Southport border.
Owners, Jason and Paola, have always had the philosophy that good food creates a good mood, but now Garelick & Herbs is adding good space – Vaulted ceilings, and a light filled atrium designed to look like a barn made of glass, set the tone that the G&H Southport location will be THE destination for daily gourmet good food. The modern-industrial eclectic vibe lends itself to Fairfield County aesthetics.
It is almost 10,000 square feet on 2 levels, more than double the size of their former flagship store. The marketplace is accented with an exciting new juice and smoothie bar, an antipasto bars to graze in or take out and expanded breakfast and lunch options. Our noodle bar adds a wonderful spice and flavor. The in-house bakery will be downstairs at this location, so be prepared for the wonderful aroma of signature items like ruggalach and soft black & white cookies. “We are excited to have the bakery right under our noses”, said Paola Garelick.
Last summer, the three King brothers-Hunter, Carter and Parker- pooled their resources, efforts and creativity and opened King’s Kitchen at Southport Beach (1505 Pequot Avenue, Fairfield). The response to their farm-to-table beach shack was overwhelmingly positive and a new kind of beach dining hit our shores, happily gathering the communities of Westport, Southport and Fairfield.
Under multicolored umbrellas, diners sat at pastel beach chairs, tiki torches flickering in the sea air, to enjoy organic and sustainable offerings that put the plain hot-dog-hamburger-fries beach fare to shame.
This Winter, the shack was ravaged by Hurricane Sandy, but has been denied help from the Town of Fairfield and FEMA. King's Kitchen is now reaching out to the community to gain the funding it needs to keep making the food we love.You can read the full article at Fairfield Green Food Guide, and find out how you can help King's Kitchen get back on their beach.
If you Google or Bing the word "Wafu" it translates to "Japanese-style," but when I asked Elaine Chen, the proprietor of the new WAFU Asian Bistro in Southport, her definition was "peace and harmony." The new Wafu, located at 3671 Post Road (formerly Friendly's) seems to be a little bit of both. Chen, from the FUJIAN PROVINCE of China, and her husband (the restaurant's lead sushi chef), have created an ASIAN establishment where Japanese, Chinese and Thai food mesh perfectly in a serene and sophisticated environment. Although it's difficult to telll from the exterior, the decor once inside is New York chic (and perhaps a tiny bit over the top with Swarski Chandeliers and neon-blue lighting). Menus are presented on ipads and you sit comfortably at your glossy tables on your white-leathered booth. Sure, it's a bit shi shi, but shi shi works at WAFU. The food is good for a "multi-culture" menu, the decor is funky and, though it looks fancy, it turns out to be a very kid-friendly establishment.
I know, what’s with a preface to a review? Is it some admission of not being able to objectively evaluate a place? Or a built-in excuse for the inevitable “don’t just be a cheerleader for a pricey restaurant” response? Who knows? It could be anything - but I do feel like sharing my biases about Paci in Southport.
First, they’vebeen open in Southport for fifteen years, about as long as I’ve lived in Westport – so there is a hominess and familiarity to the place that I appreciate. There aren’t many constants in life, but for nearly a third of my years, Paci has been there.
Artisan, a "farm to table New England-inspired" restaurant opens tonight, July 13, 2011 at the Delamar Hotel in Southport, CT.
“We wanted Artisan to feel comfortable, as if you have been invited to enjoy a weekend in the country,” says Chef Kieffer, a native of Paris and resident of Fairfield County. “And we want the food to match the feel of the restaurant; a place that is casual and very comfortable yet that also reflects quality and excellence.”
Previewing the space during an opening party is a biased occasion, admittedly, but it’s also one of the best ways to understand intentions as well as gauge reactions. Dining experience non-withstanding, mission accomplished Artisan.
There seems to be a new trendy area developing just where Westport meets Southport. To borrow from our trendy NYC neighbors, maybe we should call it "Down Under (the exit) Nineteen Overpass" or DUNO. In the past year, we have seen some great new restaurants open in this area, including the oh-so-trendy GREY GOOSE at 246 Old Post Road and the latest COROMANDEL, serving great Indian food at 17 Pease Avenue . Now, luckily for us, a second TABOULI GRILL opened 2 weeks ago at its new location at 3381 Post Road. (Formerly home to Ole' Mole.) TABOULI GRILL is making DUNO it's second home and we quickly made it ours.
Looking for that perfect restaurant to woo your significant other this Valentine's Day? Try one of these great romantic spots in Fairfield County, CT.
Schoolhouse - WiltonThis quaint renovated schoolhouse is the quintessential special occasion spot (if you can get a reservation). Local ingredients and nuanced flavors highlight this menu.
Paci - Southport Nestled in the Southport train station, Paci's unique interior combines a renovated freight depot with urban modern chic. This Southport favorite has been serving some of the best Italian fare in FC since 1996.
So many Coromandels, so little time. Gopinath Nair and the other 6 partners in this Indian dynasty have opened yet another authentic Indian restaurant, their 3rd of the same name, in Fairfield County. "Indian is a destination, not a 'drive by' and 'stop in' kind of cuisine," Nair says. That explains, perhaps, why the partners chose to open number 3 at the thus-far unsuccessful location off Southport's exit 19 where the old Kicking Horse Tavern used to be. People aren't driving down the Post Road and, on the spur of the moment, deciding to have some curry. The decision has most likely been made before prospective diners get in their cars. So 'location, location, location' may not be so important. 17 Pease Street, although perhaps not the most ideal locale, hidden behind an off-ramp as it over-looks (actually, under -looks!) southbound traffic on I-95, turns out to be a great spot for Indian for those of us in the Fairfield/Westport 'hood. The owners have redesigned the space and warmed it up. The floor is carpeted to absorb most outside noise and the walls are decorated with beautiful Ajanta Cave Drawings. The restaurant seats approx 55 people and there is a full bar with all the trimmings. And by the way, they just so happen to be serving top notch food.
I've always enjoyed getting GOOSED. Now, I can get goosed whenever I want to and it won't even make my husband jealous. In fact, I'm sure he'll enjoy getting GOOSED too at THE GRAY GOOSE, a tasty new lunch and dinner spot in Southport. The menu is classy, interesting and full of simple creative dishes, prepared with skill by executive chef Tom Carney (previously of Spazzi in Fairfield.) The restaurant, which formerly housed The Wine Knot, is situated in a charming, 100 year old building, creating an idyllic spot for restaurant developer Kevin McHugh, (previous co-owner of Little Pub in Ridgefield, Match, and the Loft Martini Bar in Sono) and his business partner, Tommy Febbraio. With fresh and inviting decor, McHugh and Febbraio have utilized reclaimed materials to create old wood floors, exposed beams and stone fire places (inside and out) and added modern lighting to juxtapose and to induce a crisp new feel.
