LEARN TO COOK WITH CONFIDENCE!
Cooking with Confidence Course for Beginners
Cooking at home doesn’t have to be overwhelming or take a lot of time. If you’ve ever thought, “I want to cook, but I don’t know where to start,” this course is for you.
At our 4-Class Cooking with Confidence Course for beginners, we will teach you everything you need to get started in the kitchen. You’ll learn essential recipes that form the foundation of everyday home cooking—recipes that are easy to remember, quick and inexpensive to make, and infinitely adaptable to what you have in your fridge or pantry. More importantly, you'll understand the building blocks of putting together a meal so you can start improvising with confidence, adapting recipes to your taste, your pantry, and your wallet.
In our in-person, small-group classes you’ll learn:
12 essential recipes and how to adapt them into endless variations
How to shop smart and what staples to keep on hand
Which cookware and appliances you actually need (and what you can skip)
Basic knife skills and food prep techniques that save time
In the four classes, we will cover essential pasta dishes, rice and chicken dishes, sheet dinners, and recipes to impress your dinner party guests. You will take home the recipes from this course and helpful resources to get you started at home.
By the end of four classes, you won’t just be cooking — you’ll be cooking to your taste. Fast, flexible, flavorful meals, made by you at home. Let us show you how easy and enjoyable cooking can be!
This course also makes an excellent graduation or wedding gift for your loved ones. Please see the FoodFirst store for the gift certificates!
NOTE: We are happy to accommodate the vast majority of allergies and dietary preferences in all of our classes.
Photos by FoodFirst of food cooked on premises
Upcoming Cooking with Confidence courses:
Weekly classes: Wednesdays May 27, June 3, June 10 and June 17 at 11am to 1:30 pm. Register here.
Fast Track: Mondays and Thursdays June 15, 18, 22, and 25 at 6 to 8:30 pm. Register here.
Fast Track: Mondays and Thursdays July 20, 23, 27, and 30, 11 am to 1: 30 pm Register here.
Current offerings do not fit your schedule? Fill out our form and let us know what day/time works best for you, and we will do our best to accommodate!
Skill Building: Knife Skills Class
Our new skill-building series of classes opens with a knife skills class. Many home chefs do not realize how much improved knife skills could ease their food prep process. In this class, you will learn the key principles of using knives in the kitchen:
How to hold a knife correctly,
Different knife grips and their function,
The “claw grip”,
Different chopping techniques and types of cuts in application to various common ingredients,
How and where to shop for kitchen knives, and
How to care for your knives at home.
This class is hands-on and is limited to 5 participants. See description of this class here.
Upcoming knife skills classes:
Sunday May 31, 1 to 3 pm. Register here.
Wednesday, June 24, 5:30 to 7:30 pm. Register here.
Wednesday, July 22, 6 to 8 pm. Register here.
Current offerings do not fit your schedule? Fill out our form and let us know what day/time works best for you, and we will do our best to accommodate!
Testimonials (from Google Maps reviews):
“The Cooking with Confidence course is ABSOLUTELY LIFE CHANGING. I don't usually leave google reviews, but I feel like everyone needs to take this class. I have two little kiddos and I am tired ;-) I was looking for a few easy, go-to recipes that everyone would actually eat. Elena went above and beyond, helping me adapt recipes to accommodate my son, who is a picky eater with food allergies. Several of her recipes are now part of our regular rotation and are really frigging good. My kids are actually eating them, which is just wild. In the past I have had an aversion to cooking and felt like it was a chore, but this class was so fun and enjoyable. It has taken a TON of stress out of meal prep for our family. Elena is also just a wonderful person—she genuinely wants you to love cooking and is bursting with knowledge about food and cooking. Her enthusiasm is contagious. I can't wait to take more classes and get classes as gifts for all the aspiring cooks in my life ;-)” (Rachel G.)
“We took the Knife Skills class with Elena and it was wonderful. She provided great information about knives in generals, purchasing, cleaning, etc. Then there was a hands on demonstration for cutting different food items. It was a great experience. She is a wonderful teacher who is patient and knowledgeable. Would recommend her classes and look forward to taking more.“
“I took the Cooking with Confidence classes with Elena and couldn’t be happier! She is very knowledgeable about food and makes you feel right at home. Values communication, collaboration, and having fun! Elena prioritizes educating inside and outside the class, with an easy to follow recipe card you can take home to replicate what you did that day. I can’t wait to sign up for my next master class! 10/10 recommend!!“ (Nicole M.)
“Elena is a great cook/teacher. Was never a cook, didn't need to be! Life changes and this was a life changer! I have taken the Cooking with Confidence Beginners course and the sourdough class. Both were amazing, learned so much, not just the recipes we cooked but the tips and tricks she taught us. Cooked a few dishes for friends and they were a success (they would honestly tell me otherwise!). All easy to follow recipes are provided to take home, including advice on supplies you may need, all inexpensive recommendations (I am sure you have in your kitchen but there might be that one thing you don’t have). Her sourdough class is amazing, now addicted to making sourdough bread (although had a few questions at the beginning!). If you take the cooking class you eat what is cooked and believe my you don’t leave hungry!“ (Lilian M.)
“Elena is a phenomenal cook AND TEACHER! I was truly a beginner (my spouse of 50y said I couldn't even boil water); and now I can read a NYTIMES recipe and make a pretty tasty meal. In a strange way I have to thank Elon for making it happen (take a class and you'll find out why 😉)!! …“ (Marc P.)
“The beginner’s course was great for inspiring me in the kitchen. I don’t love cooking–I see it as another chore–but Elena’s course helped drag me out of a slump. I learned the basics and beyond. I’ve never cooked with eggplant before, and couldn’t get a handle on slicing onions properly, et voila, 4 weeks later, I’m making new stuff in the kitchen, and enjoying it instead of dreading it. Not only do you learn cooking techniques, but Elena also walks you through smart grocery shopping, kitchen equipment, and cookware. If you are new to cooking or need a reset, I recommend this class. Plus, each class includes a full meal at the end, and sometimes, dessert!“ (Adriana C.)
(see more reviews on Google Maps)
Ready for more?
Check out our Master Chef classes and our baking classes!