The world of food can seem like it’s surrounded by unscalable walls to people who don’t consider themselves “foodies.”
There are hundreds of “genres” of foods, each with their own traditional ingredients. There are names for every cut of beef and pork, every different flick of the chef’s knife, every fish used in sushi-making, and every baking technique.
How do you learn which wine goes with some foods but not others? How do you learn about the more obscure ingredients on a cocktail menu? How do you learn to cook if you didn’t learn while you were growing up?
Luckily, your food education can begin right now, right here in Utah. There are professionals in all areas of food that welcome beginners and are ready to share their expertise. Below, you’ll find workshops and classes that offer education on many food-related topics. Hone your skills in the kitchen or just gain confidence in your own palate, all while learning about everything from macarons to pork chops.
(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) Francis Fecteau, a wine instructor, discusses a wine label with customers during a class on pairing wine with food at Caputo’s Market & Deli in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, March 13, 2024.
Beltex Meats
If you’ve ever wanted to learn about different cuts of pork, dive right in and learn how to butcher an entire pig at Beltex Meats’ whole hog breakdown class, usually taught by the shop’s head butcher, Philip Grubisa.
Beltex Meats, at 511 E. 900 South, Salt Lake City, sources all its meats locally from small ranches and farms in the area, Grubisa told The Salt Lake Tribune. The animals are always pasture raised, and free of antibiotics, steroids and added hormones.
Beltex prides itself on using the entire animal in its butchering, “which is different from your grocery store setting,” Grubisa said. The class begins with a demonstration of half a pig being butchered, and then students are invited to do their own slicing and dicing on the other half.
