Crescent City Cooks in New Orleans is the French Quarter hands-on school on Chartres Street, with chef Rich Lee leading Cajun and Creole classes that finish with a sit-down communal meal.
Tip: Couples and small groups fit best; private classes run for 4 to 6 people by booking direct on the website.
Address: 201 Chartres St, New Orleans, LA 70130
New Orleans School of Cooking on St Louis Street in the French Quarter is the canonical city demo school, with daily gumbo and jambalaya lessons in a renovated 1830s molasses warehouse.
Tip: The demo classes are the cheaper and more entertaining option; hands-on classes run smaller and cost more.
Langlois Culinary Crossroads in New Orleans is the Marigny hands-on cooking school on Pauger Street, with intimate dinner classes covering Creole etouffee, gumbo and Louisiana seasonal cookery.
Tip: The class includes the dinner you cook; pair with a bottle of wine, the school doesn't have a corkage policy.
Cookin' Cajun in New Orleans is the daily demo school inside Riverwalk Outlets on Poydras Street, with chef-led Cajun gumbo, jambalaya and pralines instruction in a riverfront mall setting.
Tip: Daily 11:00 demo class includes lunch portions; cheapest formal class in the city and walks to the streetcar.
Mardi Gras School of Cooking in New Orleans runs hands-on Creole classics in a private kitchen near St Charles Avenue in the Lower Garden District, with small groups and three-course dinners.
Tip: Books in small groups so reservations need 2 to 4 weeks lead time on weekends; weeknights have more space.
Kitchen Witch in New Orleans is the Mid-City cookbook shop on North Broad Street, with author talks, signed-book events and reading-led classes that feature local cookbook authors monthly.
Tip: Sign up to the newsletter; cookbook author events typically run free, and run with a wine pour at the back.
