Add spice to your holidays with culinary classes

Americans have become much more adventurous about food and cooking. They eat out more than ever before.

As a result, they've become more familiar with dishes from other countries and with different ways of cooking.

“I'd love to be able to make that at home'', people might say after a wonderful restaurant meal. For them, such cooking may seem beyond their culinary capabilities.

But it needn't be. Learning to cook impressive meals doesn't have to mean taking a week's (or month's) worth of classes.

Many chefs offer cooking programmes that can be combined with a vacation.

Let's begin with The Washington Hotel, Restaurant & Culinary School which is located in Washington Island, Wisconsin.

Visitors to Washington Island at the northern tip of Wisconin's Door County will discover a historic fishing and agricultural community committed exclusively to the sustainable food movement.

Lessons with Leah

At the centre of this movement is The Washington Hotel, Restaurant & Culinary School, run by the gracious chef-proprietor, Leah Caplan.

Chef Caplan's interest in the subtleties of food preparation began during her formative years, while travelling abroad with her father.

The concept that influenced her the most was taught in Japan, where she learned to balance food harmoniously in quantity and quality with aesthetic simplicity.

She stays in close contact with organic and sustainable food producers who teach her students. Chef Caplan then takes their products and turns them into a delicious meal.

The year-round teaching programme encourages students to buy, grow and eat sustainable foods, and to master sensible techniques for preparing and preserving food.

Students learn to prepare meals that look just the way they should — attractive without being artificially decorated. At the end of each class, students receive original recipes for use at home.

Cost: $35 to $150 (Dh128 to Dh550).Class frequency: weekly in the summer; private classes are available in winter; class length: two to three hours.

For more information, contact: The Washington Hotel, Restaurant & Culinary School, 354 Range Line Road, Washington Island, Wisconsin 54246; www.thewashingtonhotel.com.

The St Regis Resort, Monarch Beach, California, offers cooking classes for adults and children.

St Regis Resort is an Italian Revival palazzo of polished stone, located on the coast of southern California. It offers a memorable setting and European-style service and food.

Chef's secrets

Food preparation is overseen by Frédéric Castan, the resort's executive chef.

His most influential mentor was France's renowned Pierre Hiély of Hiély Lucullus in Avignon. Working closely with this strict and passionate chef, Castan learned commitment to detail.

At St Regis Resort, guests interested in learning to cook with flair can choose from several culinary courses which focus on a different theme every year.

The classes provide guests with the opportunity to interact with the chef and enjoy a delicious meal in the end.

A programme for children aged 5 to 12 is offered during the summer and is quite popular, because it provides children with an opportunity to apply their ingenuity while cooking their meal.

The simple-to-prepare menu appeals to youngsters' tastes and skill levels.

Cost: adult dinner classes range from $50 to $125 (Dh183 to Dh459) per person; children's classes, $50 (Dh183) per child. Class length: two hours.

For more information, contact: St Regis Resort, Monarch Beach, Dana Point, California; www.stregismb.com.