The Chopping Block Offers Cooking Classes For Date Night

Men's Dating

The Chopping Block Cooking Classes Offer a Great Date Night Experience for Couples

Ashayla Blakely

Written by: Ashayla Blakely

Ashayla Blakely

Ashayla Blakely is an experienced storyteller who has fun writing authentic and relatable content for DatingAdvice.com. As a hopeless romantic, Ashayla has always enjoyed sharing good conversation and advice about dating. She graduated with a bachelor's degree in Telecommunications from the University of Florida. She is currently enrolled in the graduate program at Florida State University's film school. You can often catch her with a script in her hand, calling out the shots in her many directorial roles on set.

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Edited by: Lillian Castro

Lillian Castro

Lillian Guevara-Castro brings more than 30 years of journalism experience to ensure DatingAdvice articles have been edited for overall clarity, accuracy, and reader engagement. She has worked at The Atlanta Journal and Constitution, The Gwinnett Daily News, and The Gainesville Sun covering lifestyle topics.

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The Short Version: Some people say food is the way to someone’s heart. Everyone loves a good meal in front of them. And what’s better than sharing a good meal with the one you love? To help foodies plan their next date night, The Chopping Block offers cooking classes for couples to take together. Couples can shake things up by signing up for a wine class or attending competitive cooking events. The Chopping Block combines the love of food and exploration for the ultimate date experience. 

Good food has a way of bringing people together. It’s a real bonding experience when you get to share your favorite food with your favorite person. Couples soon learn that sometimes the simple things in life truly bring them together. Whether you’re cooking or buying takeout, it’s always a nice gesture to make sure your loved ones are well-fed. 

Picture of The Chopping Block's logo.
The Chopping Block was created in 1997 by Shelley Young.

The Chopping Block knows a thing or two about keeping people gastronomically satisfied and educates people on the true essence of cooking. Owner and Chef Shelley Young created The Chopping Block in Chicago in 1997. When she started her company, Shelley’s agenda then and now is to bring a recreational cooking school to those who are hungry to learn more about food. 

For over 25 years, The Chopping Block team has had a mission to integrate education and entertainment for all customers. It’s about more than getting people to cook. The Chopping Block wants to help people develop their personal touch to cooking, which makes the experience all the better. 

“From the greeting, you receive when you walk in our store, to the music you hear, to the tools and equipment you use, to the menu you create, to the plate you eat on, to the products you shop for, we strive to provide the ultimate experience for our customers,” said The Chopping Block team. 

Cooking & Learning Fine Dining Together

Whether you’ve been dating for two months or for years, learning something new together is always a way for couples to learn something new about each other. In a 2016 study, researchers discovered that marriages that involve shared activities result in a longer and more fulfilling relationship. It’s safe to say that relationships tend to grow when couples do as well. 

The Chopping Block offers an abundance of classes for people to explore. Couples tend to participate in private cooking classes so they can have a more intimate experience. The best part about the classes is that they’re offered in a variety of mediums. Couples can choose to take the class in person or virtually. The Chopping Block also has how-to videos and featured recipes couples can try to challenge themselves. 

Screenshot from website.
Couples can book a fun and private cooking session for their next date night.

“We offer Date Night classes and couples cooking classes for holidays such as Valentine’s Day. But really, any of our classes would work for a fun and educational date night,” said Andrea Miller, The Chopping Block’s Marketing Manager. 

The Culinary Boot Camp helps cooks enhance their skills in the kitchen and spice things up even more. This can be a fun opportunity to not only bring the heat up in the kitchen but in your relationship as well. The boot camp consists of five consecutive days of in-depth lessons from pros. The Chopping Block takes pride in knowing that it is considered one of the few recreational cooking schools that offers a culinary foundation and education without the year-round culinary academy. 

“My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed the Culinary Boot Camp experience. He has never really learned to cook, and my skills were learned from my mom and grandmother, so very basic,” Charlynn, a boot camp graduate, said in a testimonial. “I could not recommend this class more highly than to say you converted me from hating cooking to looking forward to it. And bonus — I think I may get more help in the kitchen from my husband!”

Award-Winning “Chefstructors” Ready to Help

Regardless of your skill set, there’s always something new to learn from The Chopping Block chefs. Andrea told us that classes are designed for home cooks of all levels. Daters don’t have to worry about getting bored because there’s a new class waiting for them nearly every day.

The classes range in technique focus, but Andrea said that they’re all suitable for someone with little to no cooking experience. 

The staff consists of highly skilled Chef Instructors, also known as “chefstructors,” who are just as eager as you are (if not more) about preparing good food. Although each chef has their style and perspective on cooking, they all share a common goal of helping people reach their culinary potential. The staff is known for being interactive throughout the lessons and making it a comfortable and fun experience. 

“Staff interact with customers as they would with their own families: they swap stories, share recipes, and learn together. The Chopping Block modifies what they teach, how they teach, and what products they offer to fit the ever-changing needs of their students,” Andrea told us. 

Picture of Chef David.
Chef David is one of the many talented chefs at The Chopping Block.

You can find the chefs prepared with new interesting recipes and kitchen equipment ready for their students. Building a stronger community over food is among the school’s primary goals.That said, all prospective chefs must embody this same passion. Outside of passion, chefs also have to have at least four years of professional cooking experience under their belt to be a part of the team. 

The chefs are always encouraging and uplifting their customers every chance they get. People find this makes cooking easier because there’s more room to make mistakes. The Chopping Block cooks don’t expect anything from you except to try. Cooking is a learning experience that consists of a lot of trial and error. Whether you make a masterpiece or a blob of nothing, it’s still a win at the end of the day to spend time and learn with your loved one.

“Just because your result is not what you intended doesn’t mean it’s not valid and good. Enjoy what you’ve made! It might take 3 or 4 tries before it looks the way you want it. Find the pleasure in the process,” advised Chopping Block Chef David

The Chopping Block: We’ll Get You Cooking

Have you ever felt tired or just unmotivated to cook? I’ve been there far too many times. The Chopping Block understands this and since its inception has been on a mission to get people cooking. To achieve that, The Chopping Block team members said they must understand why people don’t cook. This approach helps the team come up with more efficient lessons for their customers. 

Whether it’s because of time, your budget, or your energy level, The Chopping Block’s goal is to help you overcome any obstacle so you can enjoy cooking at home. Apart from the perks of eating healthier dishes, cooking at home with your significant other is a rewarding thing to do.

“We did a cooking class at the Chopping Block during our most recent visit to Chicago and it was amazing. The menu was extensive and almost a bit overwhelming, but our chefs were amazing and walked us through every single step of the way,” said Kathryn, a Chopping Block customer in a review. “Totally recommend spending an evening sharpening your culinary skills, learning something new, and enjoying some amazing food.”

The Chopping Block received the 2021 Best of Chicago award for the best online cooking instruction and the best cooking classes. The Chopping Block team will continue to inspire all foodies out there willing to learn and get their hands dirty in the kitchen. Couples can look over the Chopping Block’s class calendar to see what’s coming up so they never miss a class. 

“It’s a fun night out doing something different than just having dinner together in a restaurant. You will learn new cooking techniques that you can use in all of your cooking in the future. Plus, you’ll go home with a solid foundation of skills so you can replicate that meal together for many years to come,” said Andrea.