Top Michigan Cooking Classes

Crab-filled cappelletti with Hollandaise sauce and chive oil, plated professionally. Sounds ambitious. Chef Jerry will have you pulling it off in a single class. This is the kind of workshop that actually explains the why behind the techniques, why flour ratios change everything, how emulsification works and why plating is less about talent and more about understanding color, height and negative space. By the time it all clicks, you will look at your own plate and wonder when exactly you got this good. The setting is relaxed, the crowd is welcoming and Chef Jerry has a gift for making complex techniques feel completely within reach, even if your current pasta experience begins and ends with boiling water.

Travelers will be able to select a drink tasting menu and dinner menu for their group to sample and participate in creating. Guests will taste the menu and take home samples for later. Cuisine ranges from Mexican to Japanese menus, to reflect the knowledge, experience and culture of the host.

There is a specific kind of satisfaction that comes from biting into a dumpling you folded yourself. This class exists entirely to give you that feeling. Chef Cortney will take you from total beginner to confident dumpling maker in just one session, starting with a flavour-packed filling of your choice, pork or a vibrant vegan version with napa cabbage, bamboo shoots, scallions and ginger. You will then learn the folding techniques that make dumplings look as good as they taste, cook them until the outside is golden and the inside is perfectly tender, and finish with a punchy dipping sauce that has just the right amount of kick. The room is casual, the crowd is friendly and by the time you sit down to eat, you will already be thinking about who you are going to make these for next.

Bring some warmth to your kitchen with this cozy, hands-on pasta-making class in Grand Rapids, hosted through Classpop! and led by Chef Jerry. You’ll learn to make sweet potato gnocchi from scratch, combining simple ingredients like flour, eggs and olive oil into a soft, flavorful dough. As your gnocchi cook, you’ll prepare a nutty brown butter and sage sauce with tender asparagus and a splash of lemon for freshness. Chef Jerry keeps it approachable, delicious and full of pro pasta tips. Perfect for foodies, date nights or anyone craving a new kitchen skill, this class ends with a homemade Italian feast you’ll want to make again and again. What to Expect: - Step-by-step guidance from a talented chef who makes it make sense. - A fun, beginner-friendly class where no one judges your knife skills. - Tasting, laughing and leveling up your kitchen game. - Ideal for: a solo outing, date night, girls’ night or group fun.

Gnocchi sounds like the kind of thing only Italian grandmothers can pull off. Your local chef is about to prove that wrong, and make it really fun in the process. In this laid-back, beginner-friendly class, you will go from a pile of potatoes and flour to a plate of pillowy homemade gnocchi tossed in a rich brown butter sauce with crispy sage, fresh asparagus and a bright hit of lemon. Along the way you will pick up knife skills, dough technique and the deeply satisfying knowledge of exactly how brown butter is supposed to smell before you pull it off the heat. Come as a complete beginner. Leave as someone who genuinely makes gnocchi from scratch now.

Fresh pasta is simpler than you think. This hands-on class in Detroit, hosted through Cozymeal, which connects you with top-rated local chefs, strips Italian cooking back to its essentials – dough made by hand, sauce made from scratch and a tiramisù to finish. Perfect for beginners and home cooks looking to level up. Your hands-on cooking experience features: - Bruschetta – fresh tomato and basil on toasted bread - Fresh Pasta – tagliatelle or gnocchi with classic tomato-basil sauce - Tiramisù – mascarpone, cacao and espresso-soaked ladyfinger biscuits You will leave with solid handmade pasta technique and the confidence to recreate this three-course Italian meal at home anytime.

Ordering sushi is great. Making it yourself and actually knowing what you are doing is a completely different level of satisfaction. That is exactly what this class is for. Chef See will take you from total beginner to confident sushi roller in one fun, relaxed session. You will master the rice, nail the rolling technique and build two crowd-pleasing classics: a California roll with fresh crab, avocado and cucumber, and a spicy tuna roll that brings just enough heat to keep things interesting. Along the way you will pick up the kind of insider tips that make the difference between sushi that holds together beautifully and sushi that, well, does not. Come for the skills. Stay for the eating. Leave as the person in your friend group who makes sushi now.

Settle into the casual atmosphere of a Grand Rapids distillery and get ready to make pasta from scratch with Chef Jerry. You’ll start with flour, eggs and olive oil, learning how flour type and ratios affect your dough before mixing, rolling and shaping ravioli-style cappelletti. Then comes the good part: a rich crab filling packed with crab, parsley, cream cheese, scallions and Old Bay. You’ll learn how to portion and fold the pasta so it holds that delicious filling without falling apart. While everything comes together, you’ll whisk up Hollandaise using eggs, butter, chicken base, lemon and Dijon mustard, mastering emulsification and heat control along the way. Finish with a punchy chive oil of chives, garlic, olive oil and chili flakes, then practice plating with color, height and negative space. No pasta-making confidence required—just bring your appetite.

Rolling sushi is way more satisfying than it looks, especially when you’re eating your creations five minutes later. In this lively cooking class with Chef Cortney, you’ll learn the basics of sushi making in a relaxed social setting hosted at a stylish local venue in Grand Rapids. This experience is designed for beginners who want a fun night out with actual useful skills involved. The class starts with preparing sushi rice the proper way, focusing on texture, seasoning and easy techniques that make a huge difference in flavor. Chef Cortney will also share approachable knife and prep tips before guiding you through two handmade sushi rolls from scratch. First, craft a California-style roll with avocado, cucumber and imitation crab or cooked shrimp wrapped in nori and sushi rice. Then, make a fresh veggie roll layered with colorful vegetables, avocado, cucumber and cream cheese. Expect plenty of tasting, laughter and “wait, I actually made this?” moments throughout the experience.

Forget ordinary dinner plans and spend your time creating sushi that's almost too cute to eat. Set inside a welcoming local distillery, this fun cooking class teaches the building blocks of sushi-making in a relaxed, social setting. You'll start by seasoning sushi rice and preparing fresh ingredients before learning how to spread rice evenly, roll nori with confidence and slice each roll into picture-perfect pieces. Then comes the creative twist as you decorate and shape your sushi into charming character-inspired designs that are guaranteed to earn a spot in your camera roll before your plate. Along the way, you'll pick up practical rolling, shaping and presentation techniques that make recreating sushi at home feel completely doable. Expect plenty of laughs, colorful creations and the satisfying moment when your handmade sushi comes together. Takeout might start getting a little jealous.

A perfectly folded dumpling is part comfort food, part accomplishment. Join Chef Legina for a hands-on class that breaks down Asian dumpling-making into simple steps. You'll learn how to prepare fillings, handle wrappers and master folding techniques. Start by crafting pork dumplings filled with seasoned ground pork and vegetables. Then create vegetable dumplings packed with fresh ingredients and vibrant flavor. Along the way, you'll practice filling, folding, sealing and shaping techniques. As the dumplings cook, the room fills with irresistible aromas. Chef Legina keeps the class relaxed and engaging, making it easy to build skills and enjoy the process regardless of experience level. You'll leave with practical cooking knowledge, confidence in the kitchen and a plate of handmade dumplings worth showing off before taking the first bite.