Newport Cooks! Spices Up Cool Fall Nights

A small group of inexperienced cupcake decorators gathered at the Edward King House on September 14 to learn the art of creating a cupcake masterpiece. 

Chef and cake designer Karen Benjamin of The Creative Cakes Company in Newport was on hand to lead, and after two hours of playing with icing bags with different tips, fondant, and other artists' tools, the class members were confident that they could make unique and beautiful cupcakes on their own.

The class was the first in the fall series of cooking classes being offered by Newport Cooks!, which has recently relocated many of its classes to the Edward King House. Co-founder and owner Mary Weaver started Newport Cooks! a few years ago. The classes were being taught then at an inn on Spring Street, but the kitchen they were using was recently incorporated into a new suite at the inn, so she had to find a new home base for her group.

Weaver, who says she is not a "cook," started Newport Cooks! as a way for people to get together and do something fun in a casual setting. She is particularly excited for this season, which will feature two new special series, Sunday Supper and Singles Night.

Sunday Suppers are currently scheduled for October 3 and November 14 and will be held at an architecturally significant private Newport home, where chef Sophie Plowright will coach participants through an easy-to-make meal that they can easily recreate on their own. Everyone will work together in the kitchen and then sit around the table to enjoy the meal together.

Singles Nights will be held at the recently renovated inn Villa One Twenty, located on the Newport and Middletown line. This four-part series will feature hors d'ouvres and sparklers on September 22, Sizzling Starters on October 27, The Main Course & Dessert on November 10, and a dinner party on December 15 in which the group will select some of their favorite recipes from the series to prepare and enjoy as a full meal. Weaver stresses that the Singles Nights come with no pressure and are meant as a way for single people to get out and meet new people and do something fun, regardless of their age, gender or sexual orientation. Classes are offered a la carte, so people are welcome to attend one class or the entire series.

Other classes on the schedule include "Thai Cooking: It's Easy!" with chef Charlie Pichetshote of Thai Cuisine & Lemongrass, and "The Lost Art of Meat Cutting/Butchering" with chef Alexandra Day of Chez Vous. Weaver also has a pumpkin carving class in the works for October 14 in conjunction with the Ballard Park Pumpkin Tour.

Weaver says that one of the nicest things about these classes is that the chefs guide participants, but don't have them following recipes to an exact measurement. They'll let people know which steps need to be done in a certain way and where people can use their own discretion. The classes are informal and hands-on and the chef will step in to demonstrate where necessary.

Newport Cooks! has many more classes in the works and is happy to hear from people as to what types of classes they'd like to take (this is how the butchering class came about).

All of the classes currently listed on the Newport Cooks! schedule are $50 per session and are BYOB. For more information, or to register, you can reach Newport Cooks! at 401-293-0740 or by email at info@newportcooks.com. The schedule is also posted on their Facebook page, www.facebook.com/newportcooks.