Classes & Events
Our popular tasting classes offer an opportunity to experience an exquisite selection of our products and recipes. Our mongers choose cheeses that are tasting best at the time and pair them with wine, beer and classic, sometimes surprising, accompaniments. Classes usually run about 1.5-2 hours, and we conduct a short tour of our cheese cave at the end of classes held at our Huron Avenue location.
To purchase a spot, select the class you are interested in from the list below and register online, or call 617-354-4750. Please have your credit card number ready. If you have any questions, please email classes@formaggiokitchen.com. Lastly, please make note of our cancellation policy.
We also regularly welcome artisan producers to our store for tastings and demonstrations. A schedule of those events is included below, and reservations are not necessary. During wine tastings, customers are welcome to a 15% discount on cases of featured wines.
For any classes or events involving tastings of beer or wine, we validate legal age of our participants.
Note: Classes are held at either our Cambridge store, located at 244 Huron Avenue, or at our classroom annex, located at 67 Smith Place, Cambridge. Click here for directions to the classroom annex.
We regularly serve wine, beer, and other non-cheese items at our classes. Please notify us at least 24 hours in advance of the class if you have any dietary restrictions by calling 617-354-4750.
CLASSES
Thursday, February 23, 6:30pm: Cheese 101, $45 per person - SOLD OUT
Our most popular class! Our cheesemongers will help you broaden your knowledge of one of our favorite subjects. We will talk about the history and process of cheesemaking, and how our favorite modern-day cheesemakers (many of whom we have visited) are embracing artisan traditions. Learn the basics of tasting and building your own cheese plate, and sample a few wines and beers for good measure.
Please call 617-354-4750 to be placed on the waiting list.
Sunday, March 4, 4pm: Gluten-Free Comfort Food, $45 per person.
Whether you're wheat-free by choice or necessity, avoiding gluten doesn't mean sacrificing flavor or texture. Elissa, one of the talented chefs at our South End location, will whip up a spread of gluten-free comfort foods in this hands-on cooking class. She'll cover sweet, savory and everything in between, sharing her tricks for creating hearty, full-flavored and well textured dishes that won't leave you wanting. There will be plenty of sampling, as well as a collection of recipes to bring home.
Sunday, March 11, 5pm: Wine + Cheese Pairing Basics, $45 per person.
A superb wine and cheese pairing is greater than the sum of its parts-bring the right ones together and you've got the potential for a truly transcendent experience. Join assistant wine buyer and cheesemonger David as he uncorks some of his favorite bottles and slices into some of our finest cheeses, all in the name of shedding light on basic pairing principles. He'll discuss major styles of wine and cheese, explaining what to consider when bringing the two together in this edible, drinkable lesson.
Thursday, March 15, 6:30pm: Beer + Cheese 101, $45 per person.
With Saint Patrick's Day right around the corner, we thought we'd do as the Irish do and raise a pint (or two) alongside some of our favorite cheeses. Beer and cheese have followed a similar trajectory over the years; one that we'd argue makes them perfectly logical partners. Both had humble beginnings on the farm, made by farm women. More recently, craft brewers and artisan cheesemakers have upped the ante on quality and dedication, much to our delight. Plus, cheese and beer just taste so darn good together. Eric, our Cambridge beer buyer, will bring a variety of beer styles together with some of our best cheeses to provide a tasty lesson on the why and how of creating pairings of your own.
Sunday, March 18, 5:30pm: Cheese 101, $45 per person.
Our most popular class! Our cheesemongers will help you broaden your knowledge of one of our favorite subjects. We will talk about the history and process of cheesemaking, and how our favorite modern-day cheesemakers (many of whom we have visited) are embracing artisan traditions. Learn the basics of tasting and building your own cheese plate, and sample a few wines and beers for good measure.
Saturday, March 24, 4pm: Domestic Bliss - New England Cheese and Beer, $45 per person.
Europe may have gotten a head start on cheese and beer production, but artisans from our own backyard are catching up, keeping pace, and adding distinctly American touches. Eric, Cambridge beer buyer, and Tripp, domestic cheese buyer, are inviting some of their favorite producers for a discussion and sampling of the craft brewing and cheese making renaissance well underway in New England. Expect an enlightening and tasty afternoon, courtesy of the men and women behind these local goodies.
Sunday, March 25, 6pm: Queso Royale V - May the Best Pairing Win, $45 per person.
In this cheesy challenge, we pit monger against monger to determine who reigns as Queso Royale champion. This competition is comprised of four cheese pairing rounds plus a mystery cheese, sprung on the competitors at the last minute. It's a chance for our cheese experts to get creative, showing off their command of flavor pairing principles, and share tips and tricks along the way. Previous editions of Queso Royale have seen impressive and uncommon combinations, plus a healthy dose of culinary creativity (think Calcagno taco shells, Landaff soup, and apple turnovers with Cabot Clothbound Cheddar). Eric, sidewalk BBQ maestro, beer buyer, and reigning champ enters round five on a winning streak. Will his challenger out-pair him? Sit ringside, taste, learn, and vote as our mongers engage in a bit of friendly, delicious rivalry.
IN-STORE TASTINGS + EVENTS
Friday, February 24, 5-7pm: Wine Tasting - Organic Northern Italian Reds
Sunday, March 18, 11am-2pm: On the Edge Knife Sharpening
Bring dull edges of all sorts (knives, scissors, garden tools, and more) to Patti, who'll sharpen them up by hand on the spot.
Sunday, April 15, 11am-2pm: On the Edge Knife Sharpening
Bring dull edges of all sorts (knives, scissors, garden tools, and more) to Patti, who'll sharpen them up by hand on the spot.
Sunday, May 20, 11am-2pm: On the Edge Knife Sharpening
Bring dull edges of all sorts (knives, scissors, garden tools, and more) to Patti, who'll sharpen them up by hand on the spot.
Class Policies
Our schedule of classes is a living, breathing thing and we sometimes add new classes due to customer interest and we sometimes (rarely!) cancel a class due to low enrollment. If we must cancel a class, we will notify those who signed up and we will happily offer you a credit for another class of your choice.
If a class is sold out, you can still be added to a waiting list. If a spot opens up, we will call the people on our wait list in order.
Cancellation PolicyFor individual classes: If you are unable to attend a class, please let us know at least 48 hours before the class is scheduled to take place and we will give you a full refund or a credit for a future class. If you let us know within 48 hours of the class, we will refund the class fee less a $20 charge. For classes $50 and more, the charge is $30. If you don't let us know in advance of the class, you are not entitled to any refund or credit.