Top Things to do in Louisiana
10 Cooking Classes in Louisiana That You Shouldn't Miss
Louisiana tourism is centered on New Orleans and the North Shore region in the southeastern corner of the state near the Florida border. West of New Orleans is the Great River Road, with the I-10 running to the Mississippi River port capital city of Baton Rogue. West of New Orleans along the Gulf of Mexico, the I-10 cuts through Lafayette and Lake Charles on its way past Abbeville to Texas. Central Louisiana is Lake Country, and home to cities like Alexandria and Natchitoches. In northern Louisiana, the I-20 runs west from Monroe to Bossier City, Shreveport, and East Texas. Unless Louisiana is very familiar and frequent territory, New Orleans will be the top choice for a Louisiana vacation. Though Mardi Gras, music, and the winning ways of the New Orleans Saints football team get the spotlight, there is much more to explore in New Orleans. Within New Orleans choose among Bourbon Street, Royal Street, the Upper and Lower French Quarters, the Warehouse and Central Business District, the Garden District and Uptown, and Mid-City. With street car lines linking the French Quarter to the Garden District, Convention Center, and everywhere else, it is easy for the whole family to get around. If long walks are your exercise, explore the scenic city on foot. An easy two-hour drive from New Orleans brings you to Baton Rogue, Natchitoches and Lake Country. Explore old Beauregard Town in downtown Baton Rogue, the historic homes of the Baton Rogue Garden District, and tour one or several working plantations. Walk the 33-block Historic Landmark District and tour the historic homes and churches of Natchitoches. Relive Spanish Empire history in Louisiana at Fort St. Jean Baptiste State Historic Site. Heading west from New Orleans is Cajun Country and Lafayette with its mix of French, French Canadian (Acadian), Spanish, and Caribbean cultures. Besides Cajun and Creole cookery, explore the Civil War heritage at the Lafayette Museum. Stop by Abbeville to view the courthouse designed by Hayes Town, St. Mary Magdalen Church, and have a seafood meal. With 75 annual festivals Lake Charles is Louisiana's Festival City, and home to the Creole Nature Trail Scenic Byway. Shreveport and Bossier City in northwest Louisiana are casino and entertainment centers. Shreveport is renowned for hosting the Louisiana State Fair in the fall. Plus floral centers, art galleries, and museums. Monroe in the northeast also has notable gardens.
Restaurants in Louisiana
1. New Orleans School of Cooking
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 7,515 reviews
We teach the basics of Louisiana Cooking in a way you’ll never forget. Fun is a primary ingredient in our kitchen! Our Cajun / Creole experts teach New Orleans specialties such as Gumbo, Jambalaya and Pralines, seasoning them with history, trivia and tall tales! We offer demonstration classes and hands-on classes daily! DEMONSTRATION CLASS: Watch, learn & eat! Sit back and enjoy watching our skilled, entertaining chefs prepare a classic Cajun / Creole meal for you while learning about the vibrant history of New Orleans cuisine - enjoy all the demonstrated items, as well as local Abita beer with your meal! HANDS ON CLASS: Cook & eat an authentic Louisiana meal! In this highly interactive class, our guests prepare a complete dinner with one of our expert chefs, and afterwards they are able to sit down and enjoy the meal they have just created. Served with red & white wine.
Reviewed By ebeeson - Darwen, United Kingdom
Great class learnt a lot Pat was amazing she has so much knowledge food was great super tasty what fab couple hours
2. Chef John Folse Culinary Institute
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 13 reviews
3. Crescent City Cooks
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 289 reviews
Reviewed By MVBrady
Our group of spouses and guests of attendees of a meeting had a wonderful time learning to make our wonderful New Orleans-style lunch of vegetarian and non-veg jambalaya as well as crawfish étouffée, and bananas foster for dessert! Coordinating our private class with the staff was more than pleasant, as they were always available, helpful, and communicative in the weeks leading up to and during our visit. Would definitely do it again! Thanks for a great experience!
4. Mardi Gras School of Cooking
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 231 reviews
Hands on Cajun and Creole Cooking Class. Right in the French Quarter. Come cook and eat with us. You will do all the cutting, prep work and cooking. You will learn great tips and tricks while learning about the history of cooking in New Orleans.
Reviewed By joy955 - O'Fallon, United States
Chef Conner was awesome. My 15 year old and I had the sauces class and he kept it educational, lively, funny and delicious. Come hungry! Have new techniques to work on, new recipes and new appreciation for southern cuisine.
5. Langlois
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 404 reviews
We're hosting live cooking shows, private events and so much more!! Now we can travel to your airbnb, vrbo or private home. We also host small events for under 10 guests in our space. We are taking the show on the road all over New Orleans. Local restaurants, festivals, street fairs and even private homes. Please email us for more information about our public and private events. Think of Langlois as a traveling food show - we bring the best of New Orleans cuisine and Louisiana cooking to you. Our trained chefs are storytellers, food nerds, Louisiana natives, and culinary historians who make every event memorable, fascinating, and fun. We take guests on a journey through the history and ingredients of Louisiana's unique food culture, and our demonstrations explore all of the influences in Creole and Cajun cooking. Check out our facebook page for information on our public offerings and free demonstrations. Private bookings available upon request.
Reviewed By kayleighbaig2786 - Riverhead, United States
On our Culinary Vacation in New Orleans I booked a private in Home class, although I’d call it more of an experience, with Amy. She was absolutely fantastic. I am personally a chef myself but love to take classes or lessons with other Chefs to gain new ideas, experiences and meet others in the culinary world. I must say that the 3 hours spent together with Amy and my family wasn’t nearly enough to get inside of Amy’s brain and really see all of her talents and attributes in the culinary world. She is super knowledgeable when it comes to New Orleans cuisine and it’s history, she also has a broad view of different ways to prepare different dishes, giving me an immense amount of inspiration and ideas to take back home to my kitchen with me, all while teaching us the basics and variations of New a Orleans Gumbo. If you’re looking for a fun and creative cooking experience Amy is the way to go!
6. Casa Pelican Cooking Classes
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 25 reviews
Reviewed By robinm172
Really loved this cooking class, it was entertaining, educational and fun. I am an experienced cook and I still learned a lot. There are only eight people per class which means you get to participate in all the dishes, Karen makes sure everything is hands on. Usually after four hours in the kitchen I am exhausted but not this time, we cooked, drank wine, chatted, laughed and then sat down to our fabulous meal. Karen is a great hostess and teacher.
7. Casa Pelican B&B and Cooking School
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 24 reviews
Cooking classes at Casa Pelican are casual, relaxed and as 'hands-on' as you feel comfortable with. Limited to a maximum of 6 students, there is plenty of time to ask questions. All classes start at 2pm and last approximately 4 hours. Red and white wine and iced tea are offered throughout the class which concludes with a formal sit-down meal of the recipes prepared.
Reviewed By pattib2019
Scheduled a private class with Chef Karen for myself, my husband, son and his wife. We selected our menu items and Karen was ready for us when we arrived. She gave us ingormation and instructions, then it was all hands on. About four hours of prep and cooking, but it went by so quickly. We all learned more than one kitchen hack and she answered numerous questions about cooking techniques. After the knife work was done, the wine flowed freely. The finale was sitting down to enjoy the dishes we had prepared while our bread pudding dessert baked. Everything was delicious and were all so satisfied we could barely move. Highly recommend this cooking class, but it's a five to six hour event. French Quarter cooking schools are nice, but this is a different experience. Luckily we live in the area and were able to bring lots of leftovers home. Can't wait to enjoy them today.
8. Cooking Classes with Chef Charmaigne
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 1 reviews
Beginners to Advanced cooking classes offered Outdoor kitchen, fully equipped inside kitchen Cooking classes for cajun/creole southern foods which is our specialty Many menus to choose from Japanese, Mexican, Oriental, Indian food, French just to name a few call now to book your New Orleans style cooking classes
9. Robin's Nest Cooking Classes
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 18 reviews
Reviewed By 748geoffreya - New Bern, United States
We had a wonderful time! Chef Robin Midgett’s class doesn’t use an audience viewing format. Instead, she invites her students to do the cooking. She teaches, but you do the prepping, the stirring, the seasoning, the burning-your-darn-fingers-on-the-pot. You do all of it. Trust me. It’s a lot easier to remember how it’s done, when you’ve actually done it. That day, Robin taught Jackie and me how to make a proper roux. How to not rush the process. How to watch the colors slowly change from blonde to brown to dark chocolate. And how to know how each color should taste in a spicy Cajun gumbo or a creole etoueffe. Then the three of us spent the balance of the afternoon drinking wine, listening to zydeco and using our roux to stir up some of the most delicious dishes I’ve ever made, or thought I’d be capable of making. And because a culture’s traditional food and music are the keys to its front door, in a very real way, Robin left us standing in the warm vestibule of New Orleans. Geoff and Jackie
10. Cajun Cooking Experience
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 13 reviews
CAJUN COOKING EXPERIENCE Spuddy will teach you the art of making andouille, gumbo, & jambalaya. This hands-on experience takes you into the kitchen with a Cajun chef to learn how Cajun food was born. You will also learn the history of the German Coast and its connection with andouille. This 3-hour experience culminates with a group meal, savoring all of the Cajun dishes prepared during the class.
Reviewed By lpendl45
We recently attended Spuddy’s Cajun Cooking Experience. As soon as we walked into the restaurant Spuddy made us feel comfortable, like being at home among friends. His expertise in the kitchen allowed him to relate to all levels of cooking talents. Under Spuddy’s guidance, the students did the cooking. Literally a hands-on experience. His explanation of the history of not only the Cajun people but all of the nationalities that settled in the area was captivating and insightful. The stories he related allowed us to appreciate how their recipes were developed. Whether you were helping with the roux, the gumbo, the jambalaya or making the sausage and andouille; Spuddy put you at ease and made you feel like part of the cooking team. His vast knowledge of the history and expertise in the kitchen were only overshadowed by his passion to impart these experiences to his class. This was much more than a cooking class, it was truly an EXPERIENCE!!!
