Last week, I took a three hour Pizza Making 101 class at SLICE with a friend. It was such a wonderful experience that it totally changed my mind about pizza. Although I have lived in NYC for almost two decades, I was never really a huge pizza fan. I liked it well enough, but I didn’t understand how some people could so passionately debate about who offer the best slice. Although I have had pizza at several “real” pizzerias, I was equally happy with Papa John’s or Pizza Hut. However, now that I have had the “perfect” slice, I will never look at pizza the same again!
The class wasn’t a writer/blogger event, so I won’t be sharing the recipes. Rather, I want to share about the experience and let you see (in pictures) what I experienced. If you live in NYC, I highly recommend that you take a class with a partner or friend. (There is just something so bonding about sharing a new cooking experience together.)
Our lesson was taught by Paul Calhoun, a graduate of the French Culinary Institute. I really liked that the class was small and intimate. There were six of us, so by the end of the session, we all knew each other by name. I was also pleasantly surprised about how much was included in the price of the class. We were offered beer (from local NY State vineyards), wine and soft drinks. In addition, we ate the most delicious hummus and pita as appetizers while the dough was rising. Lastly, we created an arts and crafts project during the wait time. Take a peek:
I was so pleased with the outcome. The mushroom and chicken sausage pizza that I made was delicious. It was the best pizza that I had ever tasted. (Of course I was probably a bit biased. I had worked hard on that dough…kneading dough is a great arm workout!) My delusions of being the “best pizza ever” maker, were quickly dashed though when we were all giving samplings of SLICE’s signature gourmet pizzas. (It was so smart of them to serve their pizza after we tasted our own creations.) Their goat cheese pizza was the group favorite and I also enjoyed the spicy Indian selection.
In any event, the class would make a special treat. It costs $150 per person ($275 for a couple). On a charitable note, when you sign up for the class, SLICE gifts a child at Hunts Point Alliance with a free pizza making class. You can visit the SLICE site for more details. Now, I’m looking forward to my next cooking class!
