The path to learning a new skill is seldom without twists, turns and detours.
So, in a quest to stop fearing my own kitchen and to do right by my fancy pots and pans, I set to expand my seriously lacking culinary skills.
A flurry of emails and other messages went to anyone who might help draw me a map to my destination. Each crumb of a suggestion was helpful.
Where to start?
Why not a grocery store? Sadly, the majority of the big chain grocery stores in Leaside do not offer cooking classes. Some used to provide that option, but the pandemic shut them down – at least for the time being. But Longo’s answered the call.
“A lot of people don’t really know that we exist,” says Rhonda Musseau, who co-ordinates the Loft at Longo’s at 93 Laird Dr. Their space allows for varied events, including cooking classes.
“Some of our locations do teen classes,” Rhonda adds. “And we do birthday parties. I just did a baby shower here. Our demographic is 18 to 90. It’s a great night out, and it’s so much fun.”
The Longo’s menu of events offers a chance to channel your inner chef and create memories along the way.
“We’ve had a wedding here in the restaurant space,” says Rhonda. “It was amazing.” Find classes here: https://www.longos.com/longos-cooking-classes
Don’t forget the sweets
With a huge assist from a Leaside Life colleague, I then met Helen Nugent. Helen knows the value of pie. No complicated calculation is required for the Leaside resident to determine that creating the flaky delicacy makes people happy.
“I have an Irish mother who’s an amazing baker,” Helen says. “She taught me everything I know.”
She is passing down what she learned at her mother’s apron, hosting classes in her home for those looking to expand their baking repertoire. The class is very intimate, with only six guests at a time. And you can be sure the classes fill up very fast.
Author of the book Pie Style, which came out in 2020 (available at major booksellers and Amazon), Helen is working on another book and also does recipe development for The Food Network.
With the pandemic making live promotion of her book impossible, she has hosted a few Instagram (IG: Batterednbaked) live events.
Just dig in
Chef John Bela, who teaches cooking classes and runs corporate events for Longo’s, says the key to enjoying any culinary adventure is to demystify food.
“People need to stop worrying about a recipe and start going into their cupboards, into their pantries, into their fridge and start cooking,” John says. “And I’m all about telling people it’s okay to make mistakes.” The chef loves teaching everyone in the room to be a culinary explorer. The experience feels like a dinner party.
“When I see someone a day later or a week later, or they come back to a class that I’m teaching six weeks later and they say, ‘Oh, I made your mushroom bourguignon. And it was incredible.’ It’s the greatest compliment,” says John. So, how is my culinary journey going? Let’s just say, it’s a work in progress.
Visit www.longos.com to see all the classes and events available.
Helen runs pie classes throughout the year. To be added to her email notification list, contact her at or DM her on Facebook at Helen Nugent.
