Niagara Falls is known around the world for the high quality and diversity of its cuisine. Celebrity chefs like Jamie Oliver have taken advantage of the high-quality ingredients in the area and have opened restaurants that are booked solid throughout the year.
While you can feast on all types of delicious dishes during your visit to Niagara Falls, other culinary adventures are at your fingertips. Cooking classes, long popular in other parts of the world, are popping up all over the Niagara region and any of these will make a wonderful addition to your Niagara itinerary.
Strewn Wine Country Cooking School
Located at Strewn Winery, one of the most popular wineries in the region, Strewn Wine Country Cooking School offers a variety of classes focusing on local ingredients and food and wine pairings. Their classes are held very frequently and you can choose from a number of different types depending on length.
Their Saturday classes are five hours in duration and you will cook and eat the entire menu, as well as learn about the best wines to pair with your dishes. They offer an extended course that takes place over a Saturday evening and Sunday morning, as well as a five day culinary vacation where you can not only cook but visit local markets and farms as well.
Niagara Falls Culinary Institute
Niagara Falls Culinary Institute is where students from all over the world go to learn their trade from master chefs. Luckily, they also open their doors and offer classes to anyone with an interest in cooking, baking, wine pairing, and other aspects of the culinary industry.
They offer private cooking classes for groups of six or more where you’ll have the chance to cook alongside one of their experts and prepare an exquisite meal. Pastry and beer, wine, and spirits classes are also available, as are private tours of the entire state-of-the-art facility.
Chef Mark Picone Dining Experience
While not necessarily a cooking class, a dining experience with Chef Mark Picone at his culinary studio is bound to teach you a thing or two about food, the slow food movement, and the farm-to-table mentality. Chef Picone hosts lunches and dinners at a studio near his home where he delights in sharing his years of expertise with culinary aficionados.
But the dining experience is not the only treasure that Chef Picone offers. His home and dining studio are located on a small but highly regarded vineyard which produces grapes for other vintners. So not only can you expect a perfectly prepared meal, you can also be assured that the wines paired with the meal are expertly chosen.
Trying something new when you travel is always a good idea, and it’s part of the overall experience. On your next visit to Niagara Falls consider one of these unique culinary and cooking experiences. In addition to your favorite Niagara souvenirs you just might return home with a few brand new kitchen skills.