Chef’s Kiss: Long Beach Cooking Classes

If there’s one thing better than eating great food, it’s eating the great food you’ve made yourself. Long Beach offers a wide menu of cooking classes, everything from the proper use of a knife to the proper reading of a wine list. Classes are fun, educational and–just sayin’–can make for a great date. Here’s what’s cooking.

LOCALI SEASONED

Locali Seasoned (456 Elm Ave) offers curated cooking classes led by some of the city’s best chefs–its tamal making class is led by Arcelia Reynoso, 2022, 2023 winner of the Long Beach International Tamales Festival. Located at Partake Collective, Locali Seasoned classes are open to the public in a state-of–the-art industrial kitchen. It’s great for dates, birthdays and corporate team building. Classes are followed with a relaxing dinner party around a communal dining table providing you a full culinary experience.

CHEF TECH COOKING SCHOOL

Chef Tech’s (3842 Atlantic Ave) stated mission is to teach people to cook, to not only show them the best techniques but teach them to select the best ingredients and use proper equipment. Their weekend workshops have included the techniques of cooking Thai, pizza and vegetarian. They also offer four-class series–held every Saturday of a particular month–that teach basic cooking skills as well as a series on the art and science of baking.

BUVONS

Buvons (1147 Loma Ave) wine bar and bottle shop is a bright, soothing space with a homey interior filled with rows of smartly arranged bottles that give you a feel you’re sipping in a friend’s kitchen. The congeniality makes it a great place to learn and Buvons regularly offers classes on a wide range of subjects, usually wine related. Recent classes have included an introduction to natural wine and how to read a wine list. Classes are accompanied by tastings and snacks.

KITCHEN LINGO

Located on Retro Row, Kitchen Lingo Books (2116 E 4th St) is a bookshop dedicated to all aspects of cooking. There you’ll find cookbooks, both modern and vintage, essays about food, instructional manuals regarding techniques, books about the culture of food, its history as well as the science of cooking and eating. The shop organizes classes in cooking offered off-site. Recent get-togethers have covered knife skills as well as lessons in fermentation. The shop also hosts book signings by cooks, food celebrities and noted journalists.

About the Author

Steve Lowery

Steve Lowery is a longtime local. Over the years he has written for the Los Angeles Times, ESPN, and others. If you're looking for the hidden gems of Long Beach, Steve is your go-to.