Each year, I challenge myself to schedule at least one elegant experience to enjoy each month. These experiences range from classes to events, theater shows and afternoon tea to sight-seeing and museum visits.

By planning these activities in advance, I’m making time to fill my mind and heart with inspiration while discovering new things, learning new skills and creating lasting memories to look back on at the end of the year.

The first experience of 2024 was a knife skills class at Sur la Table! My husband and I made it a “date day” and enjoyed an inspiring afternoon learning how to properly use a knife as well as different techniques used to cut fruit, vegetables and herbs.

While it may sound simple, it’s important to remember that elegance is just that:

SIMPLE and INGENIOUS.

I find that learning how to do the fundamentals correctly instantly elevates everything that comes after and cooking is no exception.

Simply learning how to hold the knife correctly and understanding the different techniques and terminology will help us to create more elegant meals at home. It was also a lot of fun!

The two hour class was presented by a trained chef to an intimate group of 5 students. The class began with an overview of the agenda and foundational knife skills we would learn.

The first (and most important) skill we learned was how to hold the knife properly. Not a single person in the class had the proper grip! Of course, as an etiquette trainer, I naturally held the knife the same way I would a table knife, but chopping vegetables and slicing through a soft fillet mignon are two very different things!

That moment of enlightenment made the class worth it on its own! Holding the knife correctly is not only safer, but makes cutting fruit, vegetables and herbs much more efficient.

We learned a variety of cutting and chopping techniques including:

• Dicing

• Mincing

• Supreme/Portioning Citrus Fruits

• Rondelle

• Julienne

I was also thrilled to learn how to remove the skin of a tomato using boiling water - although I will be honest and share that I have never put more effort into cutting a tomato than I did in this class!

We also learned about knife safety and how to properly care and sharpen our knives at home. Of course, after this class, I’m ready to upgrade our knives completely!

The class was as enjoyable as it was informative and we are both eager to attend more classes at Sur la Table in the future - we’re eyeing the cast iron skillet class next! We are fortunate to have two wonderful locations near us that offer in-person classes. You can search for classes near you or even check out the virtual class offerings.

I would love to know - have you ever taken a knife skills or cooking class before? What type of elegant experiences are you looking forward to this year?