Wonderful and insightful experience! As a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, I spend a lot of time…read moreteaching people how to shop for and prepare healthy foods. Yes, a lot of what I do entails teaching people foods to eat for optimal health, but the actual preparation of the food is a big part of that too. I came to the Zwilling Cooking Studio on behalf of my job, to enhance my cutting skills by taking their "Basic Knife Skills" class. Firstly, the Zwilling Cooking studio is modern and beautiful! There is also plenty of parking. I did not know what I was getting into when I signed up for the course. I didn't even know who Zwilling was before this, so it was a great experience. Upon entering, I was immediately greeted by the instructor (unfortunately, I forget his name) and assigned to a "station". It was a small class, probably 12-13 people. We worked in groups of 3 on kitchen islands that were set up with a cutting board, a variety of knives, and some food to practice with. The kitchen itself is bright, modern, and spacious. In addition, the placement of the stations allowed for easy viewing of the instructor. Spacing between the kitchen islands and group members felt a little tight at times, but nothing extremely uncomfortable.
During the course, we discussed the companies history, the different types of knives on the market, appropriate uses for different types of knives, and how to maintain your knives. We also received some hands-on experience with knife techniques. Among my most favorite, I learned how to properly hold a knife, how to skin a tomato as well as an orange, and how to prepare parsley. At the end, we prepped a small bag of veggies that we were able to take home and use.
In terms of service, the instructor was amazing! Very patient and communicative. Throughout the class, he walked around and observed our techniques, then provided feedback accordingly. He also provided a lot of professional insight from his time as a chef, that really put things into perspective. After the class, we had a chance to shop in their store and were offered a discount on regular priced merchandise. They have a great selection of items including an impressive clearance section. I ended up purchasing a steak knife and paring knife at a steal. The only thing I would change about this experience is the communication regarding registration. You can easily sign up using their online portal however, once you sign up, you don't hear anything back. It would be nice to know who the instructor is and perhaps some information on what to wear or rules in the kitchen, in advance. A reminder or confirmation a few days prior would be courteous as well. Perhaps they do this and I did not see anything (?). Not a big deal but a helpful suggestion indeed.
Overall, it was a good experience. I highly recommend it for anyone seeking to build their culinary skills, whether professionally or personally. Zwilling offers actual cooking classes, which I think would be more ideal for couples, friends, or families wanting an authentic culinary experience. I will return for one of those, but in the interim I highly recommend visiting.
