Food lovers flock to cooking classes

More Taiwanese than ever are taking cooking lessons at Taipei's five-star hotels in order to improve their cooking skills, Chinese-language media reported yesterday.

Participants, from wives of influential business leaders to office workers, are attending the classes for a wide range of reasons. Some are taking the courses in order to win back their husbands' hearts while others are simply doing it out of personal interest, local media reported.

Of the five-star hotels holding courses, the Taipei Ambassador Hotel, the Howard Plaza Hotel Taipei, the Sherwood Taipei and the Grand Formosa Regent Taipei are the most popular choices.

Located on Chungshan N Road, the "Cuisine Classroom" at the Ambassador has attracted a number of customers with its relatively low costs. Each cooking class at the Ambassador costs NT$120.

The hotel -- the first international five-star hotel established in Taiwan -- now offers cuisine classes every Tuesday afternoon and Saturday noon. All the instructors are award-winning chefs, such as Cheng Yean-gi (鄭衍基), who has been in the business for over 30 years and has received countless awards.

The cooking class at the Howard Plaza is famous for its delicious Chinese desserts. Each class is priced at about NT$500. These classes are only offered every Thursday afternoon at the hotel, located on Taipei's Jenai Rd.

Located on Mingsheng E Road, the "Sherwood Cooking Class" is another place where you can see famous chefs demonstrating delicious dishes.

Since March, 2001, people have gathered at the Sherwood Grill on Saturdays once or twice a month to improve their culinary skills, as well as enjoy nice meals once the demonstrations have finished.

"When there is a promotion, we usually invite our guest chefs to demonstrate authentic dishes to gourmets. Detailed take-home recipes are also provided at the class," the hotel says.

The average price for each cooking class at the Sherwood is between NT$900 and NT$1,200. All participants have to reserve their seats at least three days prior to each course. All prices above are subject to a 10 percent service charge.

The class at the Regent, located on Chungshan N Road, also provides various cooking classes. Most of the classes are held on Saturdays only. The schedule for the hotel's cooking class for this year will be released before the end of this month.