Santa Fe School of Cooking, Santa Fe, NM

The Santa Fe School of Cooking is one of the top things to do while visiting Santa Fe, New Mexico. The school is just steps away from the historic Plaza and has reached international acclaim as one of the premier recreational cooking schools. There are Southwest cuisine cooking classes several times during the week on a year round basis. The address is 116 W. San Francisco St, Santa Fe, NM 87501. There is also a market attached to the cooking school that has ceramics, chilies, coffee, clothing, cookbooks, cooking tools, gift baskets, herbs and spices, jams, salsas, specialty foods and other interesting items.

Seasonal cooking classes can be attended by the whole family with menus that feature New Mexican, Native American, Mexican, Spanish, contemporary Southwest and vegetarian cuisine. The top rated chefs of Santa Fe are some of the teachers. The classes are entertaining and educational at the same time.

Santa Fe School of Cooking has been in existence since 1989. Some of the classes that have been part of the school or will be coming up include some family classes, where the entire family learns how to prepare a delicious meal together. Visitors could learn to prepare fajitas, tamales, a southwestern brunch, the cuisine of Mexico, a southwestern breakfast, and a southwestern steak.

A southwestern culinary boot camp is a three day introduction into cooking this delicious fare. In it visitors will learn tips and the history of southwestern cuisine. Students will learn how to use a knife properly, enjoy flavor labs, a course on ingredients, cooking techniques, and how to build a meal with the food sources. The course is hands on and interactive and the final meal will be judged by some of Santa Fe's finest chefs. The cost of the course is $750.00 per person.

The school has put together an Opera Tailgating course for $98.00 per person. As opera is a tradition in Santa Fe this course is very popular. There is a designated menu that goes hand in hand with the opera. Students will prepare poached shrimp, a French bean and asparagus salad with avocado vinaigrette, green chile and spinach quiche with Pico de Gallo and Mexican Pot du Crime. There are several other opera tailgating menus that are perfect accompaniments to specific operas.

For students that would like to enjoy wine there is a course entitled wine Maker's Cooking Class series. The cost is $135.00 per person and includes a trip to Estrella Del Norte which is a vineyard about twenty minutes from the city. The food is prepared by one of the schools chefs in a wood burning oven or charcoal grill.

Visitors to the area can have a cooking class tailored to their needs. The school hosts corporate events, wedding showers, birthday parties, parties or family reunions. The family cooking class is often used for these events. The event could include a salsa making contest either at the school or at the visitor's hotel. Wine tasting and pairing can also be one of the classes for different events.