REVIEW: Harmon’s Grocery Cooking School

 

Even though I have shopped at Harmon’s my entire life (my parents have always been a fan of Harmon’s as well!), one thing I hadn’t done is taking one of their cooking classes. I was excited to find out that we were making risotto. My husband and I are big fans of Hell’s Kitchen, and love watching the chefs on there try to prepare risotto meal after meal after meal. If Chef Ramsey likes it, it must be good, right?!

My first impression of the cooking school was how “pretty” it was. I expected there to just be a counter where a chef prepares the food, and we all sit and watch. There were beautifully set places for each of us at a table, and cooking stations set up around the perimeter of the room. At the front end was a main cooking station, with TV monitors so that those of us in the back could also see what was being done.

The cooking demonstration by Chef Aaron included all of the instructions on how to prepare our risotto, as well as how he prepared the beef tenderloin and kale. He passed around some duck bacon for us to sample, which would be the finishing touch on our plate after it was all prepared. Not only did he show us how to prepare our dish, but also a proper way to hold a knife, what “risotto” means, and other fascinating knowledge about cooking in general.

After watching the demonstration, we were assigned four to a station, which was already stocked and prepped with all of the ingredients and supplies we would need. Throughout the process, Chef Aaron walked around to check on us from time to time, and was available throughout the entire process for all of our questions and panic moments.

Once finished, Chef Aaron showed us the proper way to plate our food, and why it’s done the way it is (there is actually a reason why they plate the food so pretty!). We then enjoyed our lunch, and got ready to take or tour of the store.

Information about Harmon’s Cooking School:

• View a full schedule of the cooking classes, including Harmon’s Grocery stores that offer cooking classes. My son especially likes to cook, and I am excited to sign him up for one of the kid’s classes!
• If you book a group of twelve or more, you can reserve exclusive use of the cooking school, which would make a great couples’ date night! They also offer birthday party cooking classes for children! Read more about their private parties.

I was provided a complimentary cooking class to attend and write my review. I was not compensated for my review, nor was I required or persuaded to write any specific type of review. The opinions and views expressed in this post are all my own.

Read about more reasons why I love Harmon’s Grocery, and what it provides for our local community.