For The Love of Food

Apparently we’ve been unfair to cooking. You know, the shop, the chop, the prep and then the clean up.
But we keep hearing about Nigella this and Jamie that, so surely we are missing the glamour of it all.

Urban Element, Ottawa’s premier cooking school and event studio is just the place to help you change that mindset. They offer cooking classes for individuals and host events for groups to enjoy the wonders of food. The focus at Urban Element is on appreciating and experiencing the food you prepare. The class options run the full gamut for gourmands from simple pasta to molecular gastronomy. We saw a wine class (not glass) or two on the list as well as a special beer event. They even offer a kids program and summer cooking camp which is already half sold out (for ages 11-14).

It’s clear resident chef Bruce Wood is here because he knows and loves food. And we mean everything about food—where to source it, when to buy it and how to prepare it (and he’s really funny too). A big advocate of trying just about anything with rye (as in the alcohol, not the grain), Bruce has an endless source of tips on the subject of cooking and the laughs he prompts are the perfect garnish to his delicious dishes.

Just like on a cooking show, the stainless steel counters gleam, the knives are sharp and the food processor is not stained orange from all those vegetables you pureed on your baby-food making binge. Our fave—all the ingredients are in those cute little glass bowls the cooking celebs like Emeril use—with the perfect sized bowl for each (fresh, savoury) ingredient.

So if you have “learn to love food” on your to-do list, we have just the place for you. And we don’t mean just the eating part.

The Urban Element
Old Fire Station No.11
424 Parkdale Avenue
(613) 722-0885
www.theurbanelement.ca