I’ve been a long time fan of Get Cooking, which is a culinary school in downtown Edmonton, owned by Kathryn Joel. I’ve been to many different events hosted there, from the fresh pasta masterclass I took with my friend Laura, to the ramen pop-up by the folks who would eventually create Prairie Noodle, to the private cooking class that was hosted as a part of my bachelorette party – it’s safe to say that I have many fun food memories from Get Cooking. Come to think of it, I think my first introduction to Kathryn and the other chefs at Get Cooking might have been the slow food event at Tangle Ridge Ranch, where they cooked an amazing Mexican feast. I still daydream about that event, it was such a good time and the food was absolutely outstanding.
When I moved away from Edmonton, there was a lot I missed about Edmonton’s blossoming food scene, including the fun events at Get Cooking. Fast forward a few years, I’m now living in Calgary in the midst of a worldwide pandemic. The restaurant and food industry, like many industries, has been been hit so incredibly hard by the pandemic. Businesses have had to pivot and find new ways of operating in the strange new world we find ourselves living in. Get Cooking is no exception, and in April they started offering virtual cooking classes. Although I, like probably everyone else, would much rather attend an in-person cooking class, the virtual nature of the classes has meant I’ve been able to attend cooking classes hosted by Get Cooking without ever having to leave Calgary. You have to find the silver linings where you can!
The first virtual class I attended was the green onion cake class which was taught by Elyse Chatterton and Kathryn Joel. Elyse and Katheryn learned this recipe for making green onion cakes from Siu To, an Edmonton chef and restauranteur who immigrated from northern China in 1978. Siu is attributed with popularizing the green onion cake in Edmonton in his restaurants in the 80’s and since then they’ve become an Edmonton summer festival staple.
My husband, Byron, and I attended the virtual class together, which made for a great at home date. The cooking class was an excellent excuse to break up our usual at home routine and we finished up the hour long class with some delicious green onion cakes we’d made ourselves.
The second class I took was the hot steakhouse dips class, which piqued my interest as I’d already planned on making steaks for dinner that Friday, and the dip recipe seemed like a great appetizer to go with our dinner. The class was a lot of fun – I only cooked along with 1 of the recipes, as I thought Byron and I really didn’t need enough dip for 12 people. The cheesy crab dip was a hit at our house and I’m looking forward to trying Kathryn’s spinach dip recipe.
I eagerly anticipate the day when I can take Byron to an in person class at Get Cooking, but in the mean time the virtual cooking classes are a great way for us to have a fun, safe date at home.
Whether you’re a foodie, you’re looking to learn a new recipe or you’re trying to think of a fun date night or family activity I can’t recommend Get Cooking enough. The virtual classes are very reasonably priced, Kathryn and the other chefs are wonderful instructors, and most importantly, the recipes are always delicious.
Life is Better Red 
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