The Craft and Co is an incredibly unique venue in Collingwood, that all but ensures everyone leaves with a fully belly and a big smile on their face.
The Craft and Co isn’t just your normal eatery – not only do they have a delicious menu, but they also have a store that stocks a unique range of locally made wine, beer, olive oil, pasta, crockery and much more. As well as an onsite microbrewery, distillery and rooms dedicated to making cured meats and cheese.
And if this isn’t enough to grab your interest, then you should know that they also host a variety of cooking classes, that vary from brewing for beginners, cheese making, pasta making, salami making and introduction to limoncello. Need help using your new Zelite knives? You’ll be a semi-pro after taking these classes.
Now, cooking of all kinds is not my strong point, so I went to the pasta class in hopes that I could finally cook something without burning it – or the crockery (yes Mum, I know I still owe you a new pan or two).
The class was hosted by the talented Angela Villella, co-author of Mangia Mangia. She combined her family’s traditional method to pasta making with contemporary techniques to provide us with an informational and insightful class. The class began with a delicious glass of wine (is there any other way to cook pasta?), and we were treated to an authentic Italian platter of cheeses and cured meats before popping on our aprons and getting our hands dirty.
Throughout the class, we made three different types of pasta: tagliatelle, agnolotti and, gnocchi. Angela also taught us about how to pair pasta with specific sauces, and how to make these sauces at home. At the end of the lesson we all got to sit down for a big class feast, enjoying all the pastas we had cooked along with the sauces. The saying to have ‘eyes bigger than your stomach’ has probably never been more true; there’s nothing I wanted more than to sit there all night and eat every single piece of pasta. However, I got full quickly and was left dreaming about the pasta I so badly wanted to devour.
The Craft and Co classes are incredibly fun, and a great way to improve your skills in the kitchen (especially if you have none, like me). Also, probably don’t invite your mum because she may get the wrong idea about her cooking skills (sorry Mum, your pasta is great).
Head to www.thecraftandco.com.au to see what they’re all about and book yourself in to one of their classes – spaces are limited so get in quick!
