Published by Angie. Last Updated on October 11, 2022.
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Chop, Wok, and Talk is one of the only cooking schools in Pittsburgh that offers classes where you can learn how to cook many different kinds of international cuisines.
With small classes, a hands-on approach, and an instructor who has actually traveled to different countries to learn how to cook many types of cuisines, classes here are fun and informative. And most importantly, the food is delicious.
Going Beyond Just the Recipes
We are fortunate to have traveled around the world and taken many cooking classes along the way. Some of the best classes we've taken have taught us more than just recipes, they've taught us techniques and other basic tips that can be applied to whatever you're cooking.
We've found that the classes at Chop, Wok, and Talk do just that, and the valuable tips and tricks we've learned there are things we carry over into our everyday meal prep.
For example, if you've ever wanted to know the proper way to hold a knife or chop an onion, you can definitely learn that here. Or if you're already familiar with these types of things and are looking to delve into something more complicated like bread making or pasta making, you can learn that here as well.
Or if you just want to learn the basics of cooking a specific style of international cuisine, this is a great place to get started.
What Are the Classes Like?
The cooking classes take place in the second story of a home-like building on Penn Avenue in Garfield. The kitchen space is small, which can make things a bit crowded, but also limits the size of the classes so you can ask questions and get the most out of your time.
The style of the classes is that everyone performs different tasks to help create a meal that's served family style, rather than each person performing all the tasks individually to create his or her own meal.
The only downside to this style is that it's possible to miss how something is being done if you're busy doing a different task. But, as long as you know this going in to it, you can pay better attention to each step.
We've taken several different classes at Chop, Wok, and Talk, including a Thai class, a French class, and a homemade pasta class.
From the Thai class, we learned the basics of making curry and pad Thai, which we combined with things we learned from classes we took while in Thailand to create some of our favorite recipes in our arsenal.
From the French class, we learned how to use puff pastry, how to make pan sauces, and the basics of making crepes.
The pasta making class was one of the most valuable ones to us as we learned how to make pasta dough from scratch (which we have always struggled with at home), and also gnocchi, which were life-changing and infinitely better than the store bought stuff.
Whatever class you choose, you should definitely come hungry as the classes all involve upwards of five courses. The classes are also BYOB, which is another great perk you should definitely keep in mind.
Chop, Wok, and Talk is located at 5404 Penn Avenue in Garfield. Classes book up in advance so reserve yours early!
For more things to do in Garfield, check out the Garfield gallery crawl, get a pizza to go from Spak Brothers, or check out the Center for Post Natural History on Sundays!