Kiwi Curated
Sip and Savor with Hotel Culinary Classes
by Eva ZhuA vacation isn’t a vacation without a little indulgence, and a cooking or cocktail class presents the perfect opportunity to make and taste your own under the guidance of an expert. Grab an apron and get schooled behind the bar or in the kitchen at these hotels.
The Peninsula Hong Kong is home to some of the most famous dim sum in the world, and the hotel’s Dim Sum Making Journey class is an opportunity to learn from a master. Get to know the history of Chinese dim sum and enjoy a hands-on lesson, while a professional photographer captures every moment. Once your delicacies are ready, you can enjoy them with a dessert in The Spring Moon Kitchen.
Voted as one of the best hotel culinary schools, The Cavallo Point Cooking School features seasonal, sustainable and organic ingredients from the San Francisco Bay area. Head chef Tony Adams leads the classes, held in a large demonstration kitchen filled with natural light and top-of-the-line equipment. Once the meals are prepared, country wood dining tables and local wine pairings complete the farm-to-table experience.
Photograph: Kodiak Greenwood
It is no secret that the Italians know gastronomy. At Palazzo Scanderbeg, the Market & Cooking Class includes shopping for fresh ingredients in the Campo de ‘ Fiori, followed by a lunch cooking class in a private apartment. You’ll make pasta such as ravioli or fettucine under the watchful eye of a chef, and afterwards, savor your dish complemented with a wine pairing.
The Fairmont Pacific Rim’s new Botanist restaurant is putting the hotel on the map as a destination for some of the most unique cocktails. Complete with custom-designed equipment, the Cocktail Lab is the bartender’s artistic studio and where inspired drinks are born. The Sips to Sushi package will get you a backstage pass, including a one-hour private class making experiential cocktails with tips and tricks from a pro.
In the heart of Amsterdam, the Conservatorium Hotel Amsterdam’s elegant yet casual Tunes Bar serves gin and tonics and first-class cocktails inspired by the countries of the world. The bar recently welcomed mixologist Dimitar Vassilev to the team, whose mixology classes will guide you through the different liquors and teach you to mix your own cocktails. Afterwards, stay behind to sip and enjoy the ambiance.
Café Hercilia, located in Hotel Cartesiano’s 18th-century mansion, is a neighborhood cafeteria and courtyard offering casual meals and gourmet foods to go. Weekly culinary classes also take place here, where you can enjoy the tradition of learning, sharing and cooking food together. Chefs Dani Capri and Amalia Quintana lead the classes, with a focus on Barrio cuisine.
Award-winning mixologist Dre Masso heads the Akademi bar at Katamama, where international and local bartenders learn to be world-class in their field. Here, enhanced local araks, barrel-aged negronis and house-blended tinctures and syrups are paired with exotic ingredients and seasonal fruits, herbs and flowers. Aspiring bartender or not, guests also have the opportunity to go behind the bar by signing up for a guided cocktail masterclass.
The Fortress Resort & Spa’s Cookery Demonstration introduces you to Sri Lanka’s culinary spectrum. Drawing inspiration from Sinhalese and Tamil cuisine, the hotel’s executive chef has created a menu of different rice, curries, samols and salads for a full range of flavors, aromas and colors. Demonstrations take place on the terrace, where you can learn easy-to-follow recipes to replicate at home. Completed meals are enjoyed with freshly made juice.
Jerónimo monks have baked bread at Convento do Espinheiro, a convent-turned-luxury hotel in Portugal’s Iberian peninsula, for many centuries. Now, you have the opportunity to learn the ancestral art of making Alentejo bread at the hotel’s From Flour to Bread baking class. While the dough is rising, the chef will also take you on a tour of the hotel’s herb garden, where you can pick fresh seasoning to add to your fresh-baked lunch.
UXUA Casa Hotel & Spa offers cooking classes on Bahian gastronomy, a fusion of African, Portuguese and indigenous cuisine, which can take place at the pool restaurant’s open-air kitchen or in your casa’s own private kitchen. The class includes traditional Bahian moqueca, a fish stewed in local spices, and handmade chocolates using fresh cocoa from the hotel gardens.
The Resort at Paws Up’s Cookbook Live events bring published authors to the resort for live demonstrations of their cookbook recipes. Visiting soon is Ken Forkish, who will be sharing from his James Beard award-winning book Elements of Pizza. In the fall, celebrated chef Kristen Kish will come to showcase her talent for turning everyday ingredients into culinary masterpieces.
The Mixology Masterclass at The Franklin Bar, led by multi-award-winning mixologist Salvatore Maggio, starts with a drink to remove your inhibitions. You will then be introduced to signature cocktails, such as The Bell Epoque and The Dickens Martini (created by Charles Dickens himself), followed by making two of your own under the supervision of Maggio. Completed drinks are carefully paired with canapés and a friendly competition for the Master Mixologist title.