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20+ Virtual Experiences and Cooking Classes for CT Food and Drink Lovers

Features Cooking Cooking Classes Education Virtual Experiences Virtual Cooking Classes Homepage

Emma Jane-Doody Stetson

If you’re missing in person cooking classes or simply want to spice up your usual repertoire, Connecticut caterers, chefs, restaurants, shops, and bartenders have the perfect solution: virtual classes! Want to bake a cake? Mix up a cocktail? Cook a savory meal? Get private instruction? Do it as a group? There are opportunities for all of it! Here is a guide to virtual experiences in Connecticut.


Barcelona Wine Bar Hosts "Women In Wine" Events Across CT

Features WIne Wine Dinners

Stephanie Webster

Barcelona Wine Bar is celebrating National Women’s Month with a wine focused series titled, “Women in Wine.” This uncorked event will feature 30 different wines from female wine-makers across Spain, Portugal, Argentina and Uruguay all paired with a chef-prepared culinary experience. They will host these events at all of their locations across CT. It is worth noting that these wines by women are always available at Barcelona but they wanted to take a moment to celebrate some badass women in the wine biz.

Tickets to each event are $55 and are available for purchase via Eventbrite (links below):


Nibble: Tasty CT Food Events For February 23 to March 1

Events Features Events News Wine Dinners

Emma Jane-Doody Stetson

Wednesday February 26 marks the final installation of The Schoolhouse at Cannondale’s Plant-based dinner series. The 4 course menu costs $48 and is a tasty way to “veg” out. Make your reservation online.

CT Eats Week lasts from February 24-March 1. CT EATS WEEK is the ONLY statewide restaurant week in Connecticut. Restaurants from communities all across the state will participate during this week long celebration. Over 150 restaurants are participating, including Brick + Wood (Fairfield), Engine Room (Mystic), Cactus Rose (Wilton), GZen (Branford), and more.

On Monday February 24, learn all about “Becoming a Sustainable Bartender.” Gyph, the world’s first molecular whiskey, and Highland Imports, are teaming up for this workshop, which sill take place at Hub & Spoke.


Nibble: Tasty CT Food Events for January 26 - February 2

Events Features Events News Wine Dinners

Emma Jane-Doody Stetson

The 6th Annual Great Mac And Chili Challenge takes place indoors at the new SoNo Collection in Norwalk CT on Sunday January 26th from 11am – 3pm. 

On Monday January 27, Mezon Tapas Bar & Restaurant invites you to a Wine Dinner featuring JM Fonseca Wines.  $85 per person (plus tax and gratuity) includes a 5 course meal and wine pairings.

Mondays are Wine Down Mondays at Artisan Restaurant!  Get half off wines $100 or less.

Square Peg Pizza, The Mystic Cheese Company, and Black Hog Brewing Co. are all teaming up on Monday January 27.  The delicious, fun event will take place at Square Peg Pizzeria in Glastonbury.  There will be free prize giveaways, pairings, education, and great local CT food and drink. 


Cooking Classes with Indian Master Chef Prasad Chirnomula, The Scholar of Spice

Features Indian Cooking Cooking Classes New Canaan New Haven

Kristin L. Wolfe

In addition to blazing trails with restaurants (Thali, INDIA, Indian Kitchen) Chef Prasad has begun to make his fans swoon on a more intimate level with a regular cooking school series. What a special treat. I recently went to one of his Sunday classes and came away with a whole new passion for Indian cuisine. And believe me, I’ve already been a giant fan for years. (Jackson Diner, Queens anyone? I lived in Jackson Heights for ten years).


Terrain Cafe & Amis Trattoria Teach Seasonal & Sustainable Cooking Class Series

Features Ingredients Cooking Cooking Classes Education

Stephanie Webster

Join the culinary professionals that lead the kitchens of Westport restaurants Terrain Cafe and Amis at Stamford Museum & Nature Center as they show you the joys of sourcing and cooking with the best in seasonal and sustainable ingredients. From salads and appetizers to entrees, pastas and desserts, this six-part series (January 27 through March 9.) takes you through the methodology of creating show-stopping dishes as you also learn how to source the best ingredients right in your own backyard.


Nibble: CT Food Events For November 10-17

Events Features Events News Wine Dinners

Emma Jane-Doody Stetson

On Tuesday November 12, Lidia Bastianich comes to Tarry Lodge in Westport.  She’s celebrating the release of her new cookbook, Felidia: Recipes from My Flagship Restaurant.  Guests will get a signed copy of her book as well as a four course dinner with optional wine pairings.  There are two seatings, 5-7pm and 7:30-9:30pm.  Tickets start at $135, inclusive of tax and gratuity. 

The story of the legendary Vegetarian spot, Bloodroot is coming to life on the big screen!  The movie will be shown on Monday November 11th at 6:50pm at the Cinepolic Chelsea Theater in New York City as part of the Doc NYC Festival.  Selma and Noel will be in attendance, along with the filmmakers for a Q&A after the showing. 

CT Cider Week is coming!  On Wednesday November 13, Mystic Cheese Company invites you to a cheese and cider pairing class- and it’s all gluten free.  It runs from 6-8pm and costs $45 per person. 


Nibble: Tasty CT Food Events For Week of October 20-27

Features Events Events News Pop-Up Dinner Wine Dinners Festival

Emma Jane-Doody Stetson

Get egg-cited… the Tasty Yolk storefront opens for business on Tuesday October 22!  Check them out at 2992 Fairfield Ave in Bridgeport.

From Wednesday October 23 through Friday October 25, Norwalk Now presents CRUSH: A Celebration of Beer, Wine, and Spirits.  Norwalk restaurants and businesses are opening their doors for demonstrations, tastings, seminars, and other events inspired by these tasty adult beverages. 

Wednesday October 23 marks Brasitas’s first Wine Dinner of the season.  The five course meal will compliment wines from Napa Valley.  Tickets are $75 per person and space is limited. 


Nibble: Tasty CT Food Events For September 22-29

Features Events Events News Pop-Up Dinner Wine Dinners

Emma Jane-Doody Stetson

You still have time to partake in “Taste of the Suburbs” presented by CTNow.  Through September 29, participating restaurants will offer special multi-course, price-fixed tasting menus.  Visit hotspots like Millwrights, Bistro on Main, Carbone’s, and more. 

Every Wednesday from Sept 25 through November 13 a new chef will bring their culinary POV to Amis Trattoria in Westport in their new Guest Chef Pop-Up, where chefs create a menu of specials that fuses their style with the Italian flair of Amis.  On September 25, they welcome Robin Selden of Naked Fig Catering. 

Enjoy a Spanish Evening of Cheese and Wine at the Farmington Polo Grounds on Wednesday September 25.  Start the evening with a prosecco toast under the tent watching the polo game. Then, a professional cheesemonger will guide you through a selection of artisanal Spanish cheeses and pairings of locally made jams, pickles charcuterie... and of course, wine! 

The Westport Farmer’s Market’s Fork It Over Party in the Parking Lot goes down on Thursday September 26.  Partake in dinner, drinks, and music in a picturesque setting… and all to support the market.  This year, witness the Chef-at-the-Market finale! 


Nibble: Tasty CT Food Events For September 8-15

Features Events News Festival Wine Dinners

Emma Jane-Doody Stetson

Join Chef Geoff Lazlo for a Greenhouse Garden Dinner at the Greenwich Botanical Gardens on September 12 from 6-9pm.  Dinner will include a specialty cocktail, passed hors d’oeuvres and a three-course meal inspired by the seasonal vegetables and herbs grown in the GBC teaching vegetable garden.  Lazlo will lead a discussion about the menu and environmentally friendly cuisine. 

Celebrity Chef Tyler Anderson will host the second annual Eat.Drink.Give fundraiser benefitting Foodshare at Millwright's Restaurant and Tavern on Monday, September 9 at 6:30pm.  Eat. Drink. Give will feature a multi-course dinner with wine pairings prepared by local award-winning chefs Tyler Anderson & Niles Talbot of Millwright's Restaurant in Simsbury, Prasad Chirnomula of Chef Prasad Indian Kitchen in New Canaan, Jeff Lizotte of Present Company in Tariffville, Billy Grant of Restaurant Bricco in West Hartford, and Pastry Chef Kristin Eddy of Millwright's in Simsbury.  There will also be a silent auction.  Tickets are $125 per person. 

The Hadley + Occum, 2019 Farm Dinner Event series continues on Friday September 13 with the Chefs from Treva.  The DORO Restaurant Group has teamed up with Sub Edge Farm for an RSA (similar to a CSA but geared towards restaurants) and chefs will highlight the local bounty at this beautiful meal on the farm.  Tickets are $99 per person. 

Suffering from empty nest syndrome?  Roger Sherman Inn wants to celebrate the launch of our children on September 13 from 6-8pm. Tickets will be available for $50 per person at the front desk.

CTBites’s own editor Stephanie Webster is Dancing with the Stars… AGAIN!  On Saturday September 14, she’s kicking up her heels in Greenwich on behalf of Abilis, Inc., a wonderful non-profit that supports kids & adults with special needs.  Make a donation or cheer her on at the event. 

High George, New Haven’s newest rooftop bar located at The Blake Hotel, has launched a new Happy Hour just in time for guests to enjoy the fall foliage.  From 4-6pm, partake in $1 oysters, $6 wines, $8 mojitos, $4 beers, and an $8 rotating punch cocktail.

It’s Sunday Funday El Segundo!  For $10, get a bracelet for $5 drinks specials all day long.  For an additional $5, enjoy a signature breakfast burrito, normally on the brunch menu for $10.  You can come and go as you please.


School’s in Session! Hoodoo Brown Debuts BBQ 101 Classes

Features Cooking Classes Education BBQ Ridgefield Homepage

Andrew Dominick

It’s a sweltering hot Sunday in July and a dozen of us are standing outside of Hoodoo Brown BBQ at quarter to eight in the morning. A father-daughter duo came in from the Upper East Side, one guy came from Queens, others made a 45-minute drive down from parts of the Hudson Valley or from various parts of Fairfield County, the rest sped over from up the street. At that time, Hoodoo Brown was still over three hours away from opening its doors to customers craving their Texas-inspired barbecue, so what the heck were we all doing there? 


Guide To Adult Cooking Classes in Connecticut: 2019 Edition

Features Cooking Cooking Classes Education Best of CT

April Guilbault

You’ve arranged to keep the kids busy all summer long with camps and lessons, sleepovers and maybe a bit of volunteer work here and there, but what about some fun for YOU? Those kids shouldn’t get all the fun. And because we are, eh-hem, adults, learning a few new things alongside that good time is always a welcome bonus. Cooking classes are a unique way to have a memorable evening. You can go solo, with a friend or a group. Choose the flavors or the skills you are interesting in knowing more about. Then walk away with a full belly, new information and probably a few laughs under your chef’s apron. What the heck are you waiting for? Remember too, these are great gift ideas as well. Friend with a birthday during the summer? Treat them! It’s like dinner out but so much better. Pencil in some time for yourself this summer and treat yourself..like a kid. 

Here is our Guide To Adult Cooking Classes in Connecticut.


Guide To Kids Cooking Camps & Classes in Connecticut for 2019

Features Cooking Cooking Classes kids cooking party Kids kids activity Summer Camp

April Guilbault

Hot summer days and you don’t feel like cooking. The stove, oven, even the grill…it’s all so hot. But hold on a minute there, maybe *you* don’t have to! With a little foresight (read: now), your kids can learn to cook this summer, get inspired and whoa-oh, looks who’s not in the kitchen anymore?! Beyond your parental joy, though, kids will enjoy learning cooking skills, whipping up some pretty cool menus from around the globe and even having a cooking competition or two just to test their mettle. Just be sure to sign up your aspiring chefs soon, these classes and camps fill up quicker than hot grease will jump out of a pan!


Nibble: CT Food Events For Nov 11-18: Champagne, Bourbon & Wine Dinners, Cooking Classes, Beer Events & Food Trucks

Features News Wine Dinners Events

Emma Jane-Doody Stetson

On Tuesday November 13, Washington Prime SoNo will have a Macallan Scotch Dinner featuring the 12 Year Sherry, the 12 Year Double Cask, the 15 Year Triple Cask, and Edition #4.  Upgrade to the 1824 ticket for a rare chance to have a glass of the 1824 Series Single Malt Reflexion. Price is $250 per person for this option.  $140 pp.

Olea’s annual champagne dinner will take place on November 12.  Laval wines will be accompanied by Champagnes produced by another premier grower/producer, Benoit Marguet of Champagne Marguet Pere & Fils in Ambonnay, France. This 4-course dinner is $200 pp, all inclusive. RSVP by calling Olea at 203.780.8925, or sending an email to info@oleanewhaven.com 

On Monday November 12, Tim’s Kitchen at Wakeman Town Farm will teach you how to make “Holiday Hors D’oeuvres.”  Chef Gene Habansky will guide you through making delicious appetizers from 7-9pm.  It costs $65 per person.  Join them again on November 15 to learn how to make vegetarian and gluten free Thanksgiving sides. 


CT Guide To Kids Cooking Classes & Summer Camps

Features Cooking Classes kids activity Kids Education Summer Camp kids cooking party Homepage

April Guilbault

“MOM! MA! Mommmmmmm… “What?!” “I’m bored.” Oh boy.

Have you heard this lovely little conversation often during the summer months? Kids young and old let that horrifying phrase fall from their lips at an astounding rate. Are you just cringing thinking about how you will derail these declarations for 10 weeks? Well, now you can consider yourself informed and prepared to battle the cries of blahs and beat the little buggers at their own game! We’ve got some tasty ideas so that you can wave goodbye to boredom, and say hello to a creative and fun summer (not to mention, delicious). Maybe your kids will even treat you to a meal or two along the way. Maybe you’ll get the last laugh this summer…

Here are 14 Kids Cooking Classes & Summer Camps.


Guide To Cooking Classes in Connecticut: 18 Spots To Get Schooled

Features Cooking Classes kids cooking party Education Entertaining Catering Homepage

April Guilbault

It’s not warm enough to totally be outdoors and you’ve got a wicked case of cabin fever after this roller coaster of a winter. What’s a food loving, experience-hungry, knowledge-loving person to do? Take a class! Specifically, a *food* class! From breads to butchery, cheeses to fondant, we’ve assembled a class list that will have you hungry to learn, so to speak. Using the skills offered in these classes, you (and your friends, if a group activity if something you are looking for) can learn a wide variety of culinary skills that will allow you to have fun in the moment but then take that fun back to your own kitchen and share it. Learn to cook for a crowd, perfect skills you’ve been thinking you need a smidge of help with, or just do something different for an evening. Break out of that bread box! Strike a new (knife) pose! Any way you slice it (see what I did there?), you are going to have a grand time…learning! Who knew? 


Nibble: CT Food Events for Week of March 11-18

Features Events Wine Dinners

Emma Jane-Doody Stetson

Two Roads Brewery in Stratford invites you to an “Open Roads Beer Dinner” on Monday March 12 at 6pm.  Christie Caters- Farm to Table Catering will provide tasty food and each course will be paired with an 8oz pour of a Two Roads brew. The menu theme is "Around the World.” 

In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, Artisinal Burger Company in Manchester will have an Irish whiskey dinner on March 14.  Tickets are $65 per person. 

Aditi Goswami of Calcutta Kitchens will teach you how to make simple everyday Indian at Wakeman Town Farm on Thursday March 15. Learn to prepare a quick chicken curry, a vegetable curry, and rice pilafs. Don’t forget to BYOB!  The class is limited to 16 and costs $65. 

Max Amore Restaurant in Glastonbury hosts An Italian Wine & Food Pairing Dinner featuring the wines of Di Majo Norante on Tuesday March 13.  The evening will begin with a reception followed by a five course meal prepared by Chef David Stickney.  It costs $85 per person, plus tax and gratuity. 


Southern Connecticut Wine Company Invites You To Make Your Own Wine

Features Ingredients Education Cooking Classes WIne Wine Tasting Vineyard Wallingford

Emma Jane-Doody Stetson

In 2016, Forbes Magazine claimed to have discovered the “secret to happiness.”  “Spend money on experiences, not things,” they told their readers.  CNN took it one step further.  “That's in part because the initial joy of acquiring a new object, such as a new car, fades over time as people become accustomed to seeing it every day…,” they reported.  “Experiences, on the other hand, continue to provide happiness through memories long after the event occurred.”

Those looking to invest in a meaningful experience can find a solution tucked away in Wallingford, just off the highway, but hidden from view.  Southern Connecticut Wine Company, located in an unassuming garage-like building behind the railroad tracks, affords people the unique opportunity to create their own wine over the course of a season.  I had the chance to be an honorary co-op member for the day and witness a little bit of what they have to offer.


Learn How to Make Your Own Wine w/ Southern Connecticut Wine Company Classes

Features Ingredients Education Cooking Classes Events

Stephanie Webster

Wanna learn how to make your own wine? Wallingford’s Southern Connecticut Wine Company www.soconnwineco.com is Connecticut’s first micro winery and they have a few spots open in their fall SoConnWine CoOp. The CoOp kicks off on Saturday, September 16th with a full day of crushing grapes from 12pm - 4pm at SoConn. No barefeet required — the winery has machines for that Crushing will continue every Saturday through October 7th. CoOp members can come once, or come all four Saturdays. Lots of sips of wine are included at every CoOp event. 


Kids Cooking Classes & Camps for Summer 2017 in CT

Features kids activity Kids Cooking Classes kids cooking party Education

Emma Jane-Doody Stetson

Summer is on its way!!  In just a few weeks, the kids will be out of school and looking for their next adventures.  Why not a culinary endeavor?  These Connecticut caterers and venues are offering up kids cooking camps and classes throughout the summer months. Check their web site for complete details. 

  1. AMG Catering and Events, Wilton: This summer, youngsters can sign up for the Kids CIT (Chef In Training) Camp at AMG Catering. There are four weeks to choose from, but book quickly because they are already selling out!
  2. Bishops Orchards, Guilford: New this year, Bishops Orchards in Guilford has announced Summer Camp Programs for kids! The summer is broken down into four two day long sessions where kids can explore a different farm theme.
  3. Wakeman Town Farm, Westport: In addition to learning about life on a farm, participants in the Junior Chef Summer Camp get to work alongside local chefs and counselors to pick the freshest ingredients around from the farm, see how organic fruits and veggies grow, and learn to cook and create fun fare, from pickles to smoothies to stir-fries, in our brand-new farm kitchen classroom! It's seed-to-plate culinary fun with a homegrown spin.