The Chopping Block, Chicago's largest recreational cooking school and gourmet retail store, offers demonstration and hands-on cooking classes, as well as wine classes, private cooking parties and corporate team building events. Classes at our two locations cover subjects from cooking basics to intensive Boot Camps as well as seasonal, date nights, healthy and kids classes.
Print Our July Class Calendar Here
Print Our August Class Calendar Here
Our September class calendar will be available on August 9
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360° Location Tours:
Lincoln Square
Merchandise Mart
Click here to receive our Newsletter and get the latest recipes, Class and Event news and great retail specials.
Gift Certificates and Registry
We offer gift certificates in any denomination for classes and merchandise and gift registry for any occasion.
The Chopping Block Cooks only with:
Summer Sales
Our Sizzling Hot Grilling Sale heats things up at the end of the month. You'll enjoy a 20% discount off grilling accessories, ingredients and tools from July 23rd through July 31st. Big Green Eggs and Eggcessories are not included in the sale.
Wooden it be Nice
We're knocking on wood in August! That means all cutting boards from John Boos, Epicurean and Totally Bamboo, as well as wooden utensils such as spoons, serving pieces and salad hands are 20% off. All special order butcher blocks and kitchen islands from John Boos are discounted, as well as knife blocks and wine storage crates. If it's made of wood, it's on sale!
Steak with Friends with Rick Tramanto
Chicago celebrity chef Rick Tramanto focuses on the sizzle and succulence of steak in his new cookbook "Steak with Friends". Join us for a special cooking demonstration and book signing with Rick on Friday, August 20 at 6pm at the Mart. Click here to register now and receive a signed copy of Rick's new book.
Put Your Palate to Work
Tasting wine can be a science. In fact, Sommeliers use a systematic wine-tasting grid to assess different characteristics of wine. Practice tasting like the pros as Wine Goddess Diana Hamann leads you through a fun lesson through that same tasting grid. Click here to sign up.
Does the task of ordering wine at a restaurant leave you wanting to settle for take-out? We'll show you how to navigate even the most confusing of lists to give you confidence in your choice. Make your reservation here.
Want more? Check out all of our August wine classes.
Old School Bartending
We're kicking it old school style with bartender Jason Burrell, owner of Chicago's The Long Room as he stirs up classic cocktails you need to have in your hip pocket. You will sample straight from the shaker in Old School Bartending.
Culinary Boot Camp
Can our Culinary Boot Camp turn you into a master cook in just one week? The Chicago Tribune recently followed a mother and daughter team through our week-long program as they whisked, butchered and tasted their way to culinary enlightenment. They were looking to pick up a few skills, but what they found was that once you learn a few basics, cooking is easy. Read the article here.
Get an inside look into our program and hear from recent graduates. Click here for more information on our curriculum, which boils down professional culinary education to home cook terms.
Young Chefs Get Cooking
Our Lincoln Square kitchen has been filled with bright smiles and young faces all summer, but there’s just one month left of our Kids and Teen Camps. All six camp offerings focus on organization, safety and teamwork in the kitchen. Your child will learn family-friendly recipes and solid cooking skills. Want to see how hands-on our camps are? Check out our newest video.
Get to Know Your Chefs
Our chefs are what set us apart from the rest! With their years of experience at top restaurants in Chicago and around the world, they work hard to bring you an insider's guide to restaurant kitchens. Now, we're getting up close and personal with the chefs at The Chopping Block. Find out what ingredients they can't live without, their favorite band and their top pick for dinner guest. Click here to view new pictures and profiles of all of our chefs!
