Our Mission

image image

Have you ever exclaimed “I just don’t have time to cook?” Are you one of the many people who never learned to cook because your mother (or father) didn’t cook? Is buying prepared food or eating out no longer a viable alternative for you? You’re not alone.

Our mission at Venice Cooking School is to teach you how to make dinner and how to enjoy doing it. Our four unique cooking class series – LEARN TO COOK, RECIPES FOR HEALTH, DINNER PARTY RECIPES, and MEDITERRANEAN CUISINES – will empower you to put delicious food on the table every day. You’ll learn the simple techniques, cooking methods and foods that we love, and build a repertoire of dishes that you’ll be proud to make for your family and friends.

Venice Cooking School is the creation of two prolific, award-winning cookbook authors and cooking teachers, Clifford A. Wright and Martha Rose Shulman. Between them they have published close to fifty cookbooks, and they have taught cooking classes to sold-out crowds all over the United States. Shulman and Wright are emphatically home cooks with years of experience. They test their recipes in their own kitchens and are themselves parents feeding children of different ages. You will learn to cook or cook better in small hands-on classes, in the intimate setting of our own home kitchens.

Back to Top

Who We Are

Biographies of the Chefs
image image

Martha Rose Shulman is the author of more than twenty-five cookbooks, including THE VEGETARIAN FEAST, winner of a 1979 Tastemaker Award of the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP); ENTERTAINING LIGHT, winner of a 1991 IACP Cookbook Award; and PROVENÇAL LIGHT, winner of the IACP 1994 Bertolli Olive Oil Award. Martha’s other cookbooks, such as MEDITERRANEAN LIGHT and MEDITERRANEAN HARVEST: VEGETARIAN RECIPES FROM THE WORLD’S HEALTHIEST CUISINE, are perennial cookbook award nominees. Martha writes a popular daily Recipes for Health column on nytimes.com, and her articles have appeared in Bon Appétit, Food & Wine, Cooking Light, Saveur, the Los Angeles Times, and Health Magazine. She has taught cooking classes around the country and has been featured on GOOD MORNING AMERICA and the FOOD NETWORK. In addition to her own titles, Martha Rose Shulman has co-authored cookbooks by Wolfgang Puck, Dean Ornish, MD, Mark Peel, and award-winning pastry chef Sherry Yard. Learn more about Martha at martha-rose-shulman.com.

image image

Clifford A. Wright won the James Beard/KitchenAid Cookbook of the Year award and the James Beard Award for the Best Writing on Food in 2000 for A MEDITERRANEAN FEAST, which was also a finalist for the IACP Cookbook of the Year award. He is the author of twelve other cookbooks, and wrote all the food entries for Columbia University’s ENCYCLOPEDIA OF THE MODERN MIDDLE EAST. Colman Andrews, former editor of Saveur magazine, called Wright “the reigning English-speaking expert on the cuisines and culinary culture of the Mediterranean.” Wright has appeared on the FOOD NETWORK and has taught cooking classes around the United States and in Italy. He has lectured on food and history at the Culinary Institute of America, Harvard, Georgetown and other universities. His articles have appeared in Saveur, Gourmet, Fine Cooking, Food & Wine, and Bon Appétit. Wright is on the Advisory Board of the journal Alimentum: The Literature of Food and is a Charter Contributor to ZesterDaily.Com. Learn more about Clifford at www.cliffordawright.com and his blog cuisines-mediterranean.blogspot.com.

Back to Top
Our Classes & How to Register Registration & Class Information SPACE IS LIMITED! CHOOSE YOUR CLASSES AND SIGN UP NOW!
  • Unless otherwise noted, class participants must be 18 or older.
  • Most evening classes include wine pairings. Please limit your consumption to items served in class.
  • Reservations are taken on a first-come, first-serve basis through PayPal at this site only. All classes begin promptly.
  • Discounts of 10 percent are available AFTER you purchase 2 or more classes at once in the form of a rebate.
  • Cancellations must be made 7 days in advance. Fees are refunded upon receiving written notice by e-mail only 7 days before a class. There are no refunds after that point.
  • Menus are subject to change without notice.
  • Classes run about 3 hours. Dinner Party Evening classes run about 4 hours.
  • Once we receive payment you will be given directions by e-mail to the home of Clifford Wright in the Santa Monica area or Martha Rose Shulman in the Carthay area (Crescent Heights/Fairfax).
Payment Policy

Register for classes using PayPal by clicking on the Add to Cart buttons. PayPal allows you to use any major credit card for your transactions. You do not need a PayPal account to use PayPal. Please note that PayPal takes 24-48 hours to process into our system. Therefore, if you sign up using PayPal within 48 hours of a class, make sure to e-mail us so we can save a spot for you. Remember, class size is limited. Also, please e-mail us if you experience any problems using PayPal or other features of this website. A minimum of 4 students is required for a class to be held. If a session is cancelled, you will receive a full refund. When checking out at PayPal please provide both your e-mail address and phone number so we can reach you if a problem arises. SIGN UP TODAY!

Back to Top
SimpleViewer requires JavaScript and the Flash Player. Get Flash.
Gift Certificates
Venice Cooking School GIFT CERTIFICATE Any $95 class with Clifford A. Wright and/or Martha Rose Shulman Any Series: 1 session, $95 Date: Expires 1 year after date of gift purchase
The perfect gift for a friend or loved one. Choose from any of our $95 classes subject to availability. Once you've purchased the gift you will receive a printable "Gift Certificate" via e-mail attachment to give to the recipient. Have the recipient email us at venicecookingschool@gmail.com or call us at 323-932-1632 to sign up for a specific class.
Venice Cooking School GIFT CERTIFICATE Any $125 class with Clifford A. Wright and/or Martha Rose Shulman Any Series: 1 session, $125 Date: Expires 1 year after date of gift purchase
The perfect gift for a friend or loved one. Choose from any of our $125 classes subject to availability. Once you've purchased the gift you will receive a printable "Gift Certificate" via e-mail attachment to give to the recipient. Have the recipient email us at venicecookingschool@gmail.com or call us at 323-932-1632 to sign up for a specific class.
Classes forFall2010
MEDITERRANEAN BLOCKBUSTERS with Clifford A. Wright and Martha Rose Shulman Series: Mediterranean Cuisine, 1 session, $95 Date: September 12, 2010, Sunday; Time: 2:00 PM

   

Did you know that many of your favorite dishes come from the Mediterranean? Think hummus, yogurt, spaghetti, pesto, pizza. Learn to make the best hummus you’ll ever taste, real spaghetti carbonara, and more  in this hands-on class.  Class registration closes 3 days before class.

Authentic Hummus; Spaghetti Carbonara; Ratatouille Niçoise; Gazpacho.

   

MEXICAN DINNER PARTY with Clifford A. Wright and Martha Rose Shulman Series: Dinner Party Evenings, 1 session, $125 Date: September 25, 2010, Saturday; Time: 5:00 PM

   

The cuisines of Mexico are as varied as the cuisines of France, notwithstanding the ubiquitous Americanized "combo platter". You’ll never think Tex-Mex again after you experience this sophisticated 3-course Mexican dinner party menu.  This is a hands-on class.  Class registration closes 3 days before class.

Black Bean Tostados; Avocado Soup; Chicken in Green Mole; Mexican Rice; Strawberries in a Sea of Mango.

   

KNIFE SKILLS with Clifford A. Wright and Martha Rose Shulman Series: Learn To Cook: Building a Repertoire, 1 session, $95 Date: October 10, 2010, Sunday; Time: 2:00 PM

   

Chopping like a chef is not a prerequisite for being a good cook. However, basic knife skills will help you enjoy the first steps of any recipe. Learn the basics in this hands-on class so that you won’t think twice about making an appealing recipe.  You’ll learn how to dice and chop, and learn what a batonnet, allumette, julienne, brunoise, battuto, soffritto, and trito are.  You’ll learn how to butterfly a steak and  apply these skills to traditional Mediterranean dishes.  Class registration closes 3 days before class.

Pissaladière (Provençal Onion Pizza); Piperade (Basque Stewed Peppers); Braciolini al Ragù (Stuffed Beef Roll-Ups in Tomato Sauce); Pasta con le Verdure (Pasta with Vegetables).

   

ITALIAN DINNER PARTY with Clifford A. Wright and Martha Rose Shulman Series: Dinner Party Evenings, 1 session, $125 Date: October 30, 2010, Saturday; Time: 5:00 PM

   

In this hands-on dinner menu class you’ll learn some of the basics of Italian cooking and sample tastes from a number of different regions.  As there is no such thing, strictly speaking, as "Italian cuisine" we’ll prepare and taste some of our favorite regional Italian dishes. Class registration closes 3 days before class.

Arancine; Orecchiette with Broccoli Rabe, Maiale in Agrodolce (Sweet and Sour Pork Chops with Spinach Bundles); Stracciatelle Gelato with Almond Biscotti.

 

   

THE BEST SIDE DISHES FOR THANKSGIVING with Clifford A. Wright and Martha Rose Shulman Series: Learn To Cook: Building a Repertoire, 1 session, $95 Date: November 14, 2010, Sunday; Time: 2:00 PM

   

Have you ever been frustrated that all of the side dishes accompanying your Thanksgiving turkey seem dull in comparison to the magnificent bird?  Well, no more.  In this hands-on class you’ll learn to make 5 fabulous side dishes that just may well give the bird a run for its money. Class registration closes 3 days before class.

Wild Rice, Walnut and Green Bean Salad, Gratin of Four Onions; Sweet Potato Apple Purée; Brussels Sprouts, Bacon, and Hazelnuts; Cranberry Orange Relish.

   

FAVORITE HOLIDAY DESSERTS with Clifford A. Wright and Martha Rose Shulman Series: Learn To Cook: Building a Repertoire, 1 session, $95 Date: November 21, 2010, Sunday; Time: 2:00 PM

   

Impress your family this holiday season with desserts they’ll never forget. For Thanksgiving, learn to make the best Pecan Pie you’ll ever eat (both of them!) and master pumpkin pie; and a real winner for Thanksgiving or Christmas is the surprising Apple Cake you’ll learn to make.  Class registration closes 3 days before class.

Martha’s Favorite Pecan Pie; Cliff’s Favorite Pecan Pie; Pumpkin Pie; Apple Cake.

   

TAPAS FOR THE HOLIDAYS with Clifford A. Wright and Martha Rose Shulman Series: Mediterranean Cuisine, 1 session, $95 Date: December 05, 2010, Sunday; Time: 2:00 PM

  The holidays are a traditional time for getting together with friends and family, and parties abound.  Why serve the same old finger food?  Learn to make five traditional tapas that are well suited to holiday appetizers in this hands-on class. Class registration closes 3 days before class.

Buñuelitos de Jamón (Ham Fritters); Setas al Ajillo (Pan-cooked Garlic Mushrooms), Montadito de Pavo, Queso Roquefort y Anchoa (Canape of Duck and Roquefort); Tortilla Española (Thick Potato Frittata). 

Back to Top
Our Cookbooks
Our Store

Come visit the Venice Cooking School store were you can find fun things for cooks in the kitchen.

Contact
Venice Cooking School:
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Venice Cooking School --
(administrative): 323-932-1632
Venice Cooking School --
Day of Classes ONLY: 310-922-0547
Back to Top
Directions

You will be mailed the address of the class after we receive payment.