The classroom experience can be an evening session near your home or a full-dress weekend at a luxury resort for you and your spouse where your taste buds and culinary skills will get a treat. And it’s not all sautéing, grilling or broiling, either. You can acquire a culinary expertise that extends beyond the kitchen. Learn how to set a proper table or how to choose the best produce or the ideal wine for every course of a meal.

With about 20 classes under her belt, Roberta Lundquist of Springfield is a cooking school veteran. Like many other students, she has special dietary needs and looks for ways to spice up healthy meals. "Healthy cooking can be boring," Lundquist says. "Classes can teach you how to use different combinations of ingredients to perk up flavors without adding the bad stuff." While some courses have set schedules, others allow you to choose the time and place. Inns and resorts will put you up in fine style and mix classes with other activities, such as vintner dinners and wine tastings. Here’s a sampling:

A Taste of History
Chef Suzie Blanchard teaches country inn cooking and sophisticated Southern cuisine at her bed and breakfast, the historic Inn at Meander Plantation in Locust Dale.

The inn dates back to 1766, and it is believed that Thomas Jefferson and General Lafayette were frequent visitors. Rooms, each with private bath, are furnished with antiques and period reproductions. Guests can stroll through formal boxwood gardens or wander through woods on the 80-acre estate.

Faculty: Suzie Blanchard, chef/owner of the Inn, a 20-year veteran instructor, and former food editor for suburban Chicago weekly newspapers

Dates: Oct. 29-30 and Dec. 3-4
Cost: weekend package,
$500 per couple;
one-day class, $75 per person;
Saturday morning class, $40
Class Size: 4-25
Contact: The Inn at Meander Plantation (540) 672-4912
Locust Dale, Va. www.meander.net

Mr. Jefferson’s Culinary Village
The Boar’s Head Inn in Charlottesville partners with Cuisine International to present three days of cooking classes in New Virginia Cuisine, which combines fresh local ingredients with Southern staples. Price includes meals, wine tastings, wine class and excursions, as well as two vintner dinners and three nights accommodations.

Faculty: Boar’s Head Executive Chef Alex Montiel trained under five Michelin chefs.

Costs: $1700 per person double occupancy; $1400 single occupancy
Dates: Nov. 6-9, 2001
Class Size: 12 maximum
Contact: Boar’s Head Inn
200 Ednam Dr.
Charlottesville, Va. 22903
(804) 296-2181 • (800) 476-1988 www.boarsheadinn.com

Worth a Mint
If you think you need special attention or maybe just a crash course for an upcoming dinner party, Helen Worth offers one-on-one classes in her Ivy kitchen. Not only are you the focus of the class, you can design your own program. Learn regional cuisines, from Indian to Italian, how to make stunning sweets, or bone up on the essentials, like wine appreciation and table refinements.

Faculty: Helen Worth, cookbook author and member Les Dames d’Escoffier

Cost: $75/hour
Class size: one
Contact: Helen Worth’s Cooking School 1701 Owensville Rd. Charlottesville, (Ivy), Va. 22901-8825 Phone: 434-296-4380

Fresh Bounty
Chef Judy Harris teaches a variety of international cuisines in her professionally equipped Alexandria kitchen. Emphasizing technique and creativity, Ms. Harris uses freshly picked herbs and vegetables from her own garden.

Classes last approximately three hours.

Faculty: Chef Judy Harris studied at La Varenne in Paris, as well as guest chefs and cookbook authors.

Cost: $50-$75 per session
Class size: 12 hands-on; 20 demo
Contact: Judy Harris Cooking School
2402 Nordok Pl.
Alexandria, Va. 22306
Phone: 703-768-3767
E-mail: judy@judyharris.com

House Calls
Your choice: What do you want to know, and when do you want to learn it? A Pinch of Time’s Robyn Webb will teach you how to cook in your own kitchen (provided it’s in the DC Metro area). Webb’s instruction emphasizes healthy, low-fat cooking in a variety of international cuisines.

Faculty: Robyn Webb, author of Memorable Menus Made Easy, and guest instructors

Cost: two hours for $200; call for information about larger groups
Class size: 1 or 2
Contact: 308 S. Payne Street
Alexandria, Va. 22314
Phone: 703-683-5034
Email: robynwebb@aol.com