Long ago, before the world decided to shake itself up in 2020, I’d hoped to try my first cooking class before turning 30. But alas, small town struggles mean small town options. And sometimes it takes an extra minute or so to bring our dreams to life. Thankfully, the team at Swiftly Catered decided to start hosting cooking classes as a part of slow season. Let me tell you – it was well worth the wait and quite an adventure.
An Evening Cooking Class with Swiftly Catered
If you’ve been following along with my say yes to life journey, you might have caught the initial pieces I shared after the class. Much of this year is focusing on healing for me. And to challenge and expand myself, I’m leaning into doing more things alone even when it feels uncomfortable.
I started our journey feeling a sense of peace. Of rightness. Of knowing I simply needed to be there for this class. But I most definitely couldn’t have anticipated the divine timing of the outing.
The Class
My expectation and experience with cooking classes prior to this adventure was occasionally peeking through the doors when in Sur La Table to see what was going on. Truthfully, I wasn’t really sure what it would be like but as someone who often cooks and mostly enjoys it, I expected it would be more hands on.
Thankfully, it wasn’t. The class ended up being just the perfect mix of needing to do things, learning the techniques, socializing and enjoying fun beverages. I came out of it feeling like I’d added a few new skills to my cooking tool belt but not like I’d slaved forever over a meal.
The class itself lasted a few hours and ended up having around 13 members. It was easy. It was fun. And it’s absolutely something I would do again.
The Menu
The evening was designed to have 4 courses. An initial cocktail and charcuterie pairing started us off while we learned how to prep crab cakes. I love a crab cake moment but I absolutely benefited from learning a few tweaks for getting the form of the cake right to help it cook better and fall apart less.
While our crab cakes cooked, we prepped the greens/salad plating – a delish apple & kale combo. Each course and section had break built in to give us time to eat and enjoy.Â
For our third course, the filet mignon with mashed potatoes and green beans, we each prepped our filets to our personal spice & herb preferences. We learned the searing techniques before everyone’s steaks went into the oven and we were taught a few chef secrets for the perfect mashed potatoes.Â
The last portion – I was well and truly full by the point – was plating for our chocolate mousse. I had a blast learning how to make the chocolate splatter to give a more artistic look. The plating techniques we learned throughout the evening were simple but add just that extra touch of elegance.
DIETARY RESTRICTIONS & AVAILABILITY
As I’m sharing this post, it’s the end of February. Tourist season is slowly coming back to 30a and I’m guessing the option to go to the Swiftly Catered facility for a cooking class with wine pairings will be a bit more limited. However, it’s always worth checking the website/instagram should they be offering more classes.
Alternatively, if you are staying locally, private chefs are available. And in home cooking classes are something they have previously offered. This is great for a chill evening, bachelorette party or rainy day adventure.
As far as dietary restrictions go, the team does an amazing job at accommodating. For the large class, several of the dishes were gluten free. But there is a detailed menu available ahead of time.
WINE PAIRINGS WITH A LA MODE SOCIAL
As a part of the cooking class, each course had a wine or cocktail pairing. Truly, this was a highlight of the evening because the choices were amazing. I ended up asking to snap a photo of each bottle and passing recommendations along to friends. They offer so many services that would be perfect for your next 30a trip. From picnics and brunches to table scapes and girls weekend decorations/food/etc, I can’t recommend their attention to detail and incredible taste enough.
All in all, this was a lovely way to spending an evening in Santa Rosa Beach. If you want to see more class options, be sure to let them know. As of now, I’m unsure how often they will be hosting it. But I’m sure if we tell them it’s popular, they will listen!
If you’re looking to do your own private cooking class, you can’t lose trying Swiftly Catered. Ps. they do incredibly weekly catering as well if you’re looking to cut down on your cooking time during your next beach vacation.Â
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