Ushering in the holidays means the return of long-awaited annual culinary traditions, from slow-cooking, hearty dishes that fill the house with the smell of their mouth-watering flavors for hours on end to holiday desserts, treats, and more. Most of all, the holidays are a time of prepping meals to be spread out on a table surrounded by gatherings of family and friends to all enjoy together. This spirit of culinary community and creation is one that Food Lab here in Boulder on Pearl Street’s East End is steeped in.
Celebrating their one-year anniversary on December 15th, Food Lab offers a variety of cooking classes and learning opportunities for Boulderites while also encouraging building community around the preparation of food.
“Food Lab is a non-intimidating place for people to come and learn, cook, break bread around a common table, make friends, and mostly have fun,” says Casey Easton, founder of Food Lab. “Food is a universal language and people bond over it, so Food Lab is really a special place.”
With a background as a personal chef, Easton often enjoyed the enriching experience of taking cooking classes while traveling and opened Food Lab after realizing that Boulder and its residents would greatly benefit from such a venue. A place where food and its preparation is explained, revered, and celebrated, Food Lab offers both an educational and community-building experience.
Food Lab offers a variety of classes led by immensely talented local chefs. From classes that allow participants to deep dive into a very specific area or element of cooking, such as sauces, dumplings, or even meatballs, to classes that teach cooking methods and those that embrace whole menus from different regions of the world, the Food Lab calendar is varied, creative, and enticing. Food Lab likewise hosts camps for kids to teach them the basics of cooking as well as private parties and events.
Easton notes that the holidays are a particularly fun and exciting time at Food Lab because of the extra festive and celebratory vibe of their classes. Food Lab’s upcoming class schedule is abundant with workshops that will get you into the holiday spirit, provide ideas for meals and treats, and teach valuable lessons in common holiday food preparation specifics.
Exercise your dessert skills with classes such as Gingerbread House Making on December 17th or 23rd and Holiday Pie Making on December 21st. Whip up a world-class Holiday Brunch on December 18th. Get into the gift-giving spirit with a Holiday Gift Giving class on December 23rd, which offers ideas and tools to spread homemade holiday cheer, such as dark hot chocolate mix, gingerbread mix, and cider mulling bags. Also be prepared to ring in the new year in delicious fashion with a Champagne and Fried Chicken course on December 27th, Celebration Tapas on December 29th, and a New Year Celebration with Fondue on December 30th.
With spirits available for purchase to imbibe in and make you feel at home during class, Food Lab’s workshops are wonderful ways to learn something new and get into the festive spirit. Giving the gift of a cooking class with a Food Lab gift card is also a great way to bring culinary cheer to someone’s holidays. Check Food Lab out on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, for even more information on exciting opportunities, and prepare to be enticed by all the delicious and creative experiences they offer.
