What’s Cooking, Key West? New Cooking School Serves Flavorful History

Chef-storytellers astatine nan Key West Cooking School show really to hole classical dishes for illustration Key lime pie, nan Florida Keys’ signature dessert. KEY WEST COOKING SCHOOL/Contributed

In 1 of Key West’s oldest buildings, a caller culinary attraction awaits group quiet to observe nan island’s authentic flavors. It’s an attraction that celebrates nan southernmost city’s 200-year heritage, imaginative and resourceful group and one-of-a-kind cuisine. 

What is it? The Key West Cooking School, located upstairs astatine 291 Front St., successful a sprawling ceramic building built by nan U.S. Navy successful 1856. 

The schoolhouse isn’t an in-depth training academy for master chefs, and it’s not a edifice successful nan emblematic sense. Instead, it offers guests an entertaining cooking class, a glimpse of Key West’s history done cuisine, and a satisfying eating acquisition shared pinch caller friends — each successful a colorful, comfortable mounting that suggests a vintage room ruled by a smiling grandma. 

Each of nan school’s culinary classes is simply a standalone adventure, taught by a chef-storyteller who shares insights and cooking tips, and ends pinch participants savoring a repast of dishes that thief specify nan island’s essence. 

Guests bask an interactive people and eating acquisition astatine nan Key West Cooking School, learning astir nan island’s unsocial cuisine and practice from chef-storytellers. KEY WEST COOKING SCHOOL/Contributed

As successful grandma’s kitchen, guests astatine nan schoolhouse study to hole dishes seasoned pinch tradition. Alongside measurements, mentation techniques and useful room “hacks,” chef-storytellers uncover nan history down favourite land recipes, nan reasons definite ingredients are truthful prevalent, and nan ways pioneering Bahamian and Cuban settlers contributed to nan fusion called “Conch cuisine.” 

That unique cuisine was built connected resources disposable successful nan island’s isolated early days: food and seafood harvested from surrounding waters, tropical fruits from trees that flourished successful nan year-round warmth, and spices and seasonings carried connected ships visiting nan port. 

During each demonstration-style class, attendees study to hole a four-course repast based astir dishes that person been Key West favorites for generations. These mightiness see Bahamian coconut stew, featuring caller seafood, coconut milk, limes and fiery Scotch bonnet peppers; picadillo, a beloved Cuban “comfort food” blending crushed beef, olives and raisins successful a seasoned sauce; aliases Key lime pie, nan Florida Keys’ tart, creamy signature dessert. 

Classes are offered Tuesday done Saturday, 3 times each day, and reservations are required (305-294-COOK). Menus and dishes alteration to guarantee an ever-changing experience. 

Delicious arsenic they are, culinary classes aren’t nan only offerings astatine nan Key West Cooking School. Adjoining nan room and eating area stands Bar 1, a convivial refuge-themed barroom to salute Key West’s past and existent literate adventurers. 

The barroom is unfastened Tuesday done Saturday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., pinch a cocktail paper whose influences scope from nan island’s early settlers to its infamous rum-running days. Also disposable are foodie favorites that tin beryllium paired pinch libations. 

At nan extremity of each class, guests astatine nan Key West Cooking School savor a four-course repast of accepted land dishes. KEY WEST COOKING SCHOOL/Contributed

Last Bites

Dish of nan month: Mariscado. What could beryllium amended than caller food harvested from section waters and marinated pinch citrus, ail and spices earlier cooking? The island-style entrée called Mariscado is served pinch a broadside of fluffy rice. 

Helpful room hack: To trim picture-perfect slices of Key lime pie, ever usage a lukewarm knife. Dip nan weapon successful basking h2o and past barren it earlier cutting into nan pie.Hungry for more? Visit keywestcookingschool.com.