Cooking Lessons at Back of the House

(HE)

I am a sucker for cooking shows on television. I didn’t even realize it until I found myself cursing Star World for airing errantly scheduled episodes of Masterchef and cursing AFC when New Scandinavian Cooking would air just when it’s time for me to go to work.

This penchant for cooking shows is why I was pleasantly surprised when Len told me that she enrolled Sloan and me in a cooking class. The venue was at Back of the House, a quaint establishment that also hosts dinners wherein guests are the ones who cook the dishes themselves. It’s along Xavierville Ave., which can be a nightmare to be in on a weekday; fortunately, the class was held on a Sunday. Plus, FCL Center, the building where Back of the House is, had ample basement parking.

It was interesting for me to learn the secrets of the culinary arts, and, as always, it was a joy to do stuff with Sloan. He gobbles up stuff and relishes every experience, and he was exactly that way during the cooking class.

Sloan enthusiastically did the chores himself. He would get the bowl from me and mix the brownie dough himself. When it came to cooking, I just had to remind him not to touch the stove, and point out where the hot spots were. He would sauté the ingredients. The only thing I did not let him do was cut the vegetables (but of course). I had a good laugh when we both started tearing up while I was cutting the onions!

  

When we were done, Sloan proudly presented the finished products to his mom, sharing how he helped cook the dishes. He was just a tad disappointed that we weren't required to bring up our plates to Chef Mira, who led the class. Apparently, he was expecting a Masterchef kind of judging (I did say I watch cooking shows a lot).

All in all, it was not a bad way to spend our Sunday. And yes, our food tasted great. For upcoming classes, check out Back of the House on their Facebook page.