Cooking Classes on Long Island: Where to Get Private Lessons

For Long Islanders looking to take their cooking skills to the next level, a private lesson with a chef might be at the top of their wish list.

Mamie Nishide, owner of Japanese Cooking Studio, is one of the chefs offering private cooking lessons on Long Island. Other culinary experiences available on the island include making kosher and soul food, learning about farm-to-table cuisine, and perfecting the art of baking and preserving.

“People really enjoy touching the food, cutting it, the whole hands-on experience. It makes you feel like a kid again,” said Nishide, who teaches authentic Japanese cooking. “It’s also very calming, very therapeutic.”

Nishide teaches private lessons at her clients’ homes, her home in Laurel, and her cooking studio in Manhattan. Each lesson lasts approximately 2½ hours.

With Nishide, students learn how to make the perfect sushi roll, prepare handmade ramen noodles, and make dumplings from scratch. She also teaches them how to select fish, how to properly handle a knife, and how to properly cook the foundation of Japanese cuisine: rice.

Eating etiquette is of great importance in Japanese culture. Nishide says that in her classes she covers the basics, including the rules for slurping noodles.

“Americans are taught not to make sloshing noises when they eat,” she said. “But in Japan, you’re expected to slurp your noodles and make noises.”

Her sushi classes are most popular in the summer, Nishide says, while the ramen and dumpling sessions are most popular in the fall and winter.

Cindy Ash-Primont from Seaford took a group sushi-making class with a dozen friends and family members a few years ago. She said it was such a memorable experience that they all want to do it again.

“We were a group of kids and adults, and it was really fun,” she said. “Chef Mamie is a purist, but she takes her cues from the participants and makes it fun. We learned so much from her. She really took the time to teach us, and even the kids totally understood what they were doing. We all loved it and would love to do a ramen class.”

The tastiest part of the lesson is saved for last: enjoying the feast you just tasted with family or friends. Meshiagare!