Take a cooking class in Detroit

by Jena Brooker August 1, 2024 6:30 am

Evelyn Stokes teaches people how to cook at Eastern Market’s community kitchen, through Evelyn’s Midtown Kitchen. Credit: Courtesy photo

Detroit teenagers will learn to cook viral TikTok recipes like the “world’s best mac-and-cheese” and “garlic parmesan potato wedges” next week at Eastern Market. 

The three-day “Teen Camp-Viral TikTok Recipes” is taught by Evelyn Stokes, who has led cooking classes for more than a decade, which she regularly offers out of Eastern Market’s community kitchen. Stokes is among the Detroit chefs offering cooking classes across the city, teaching participants how to make everything from dumplings to vegan desserts to pickled vegetables. 

Stokes said she’s worked with a number of youth throughout the years and wanted to offer something they might be interested in, inspiring her first TikTok three-day cooking camp. 

“I don’t usually use those recipes in my classes, but they do look good,” said Stokes about viral TikTok recipes, like the mac-and-cheese with more than 100 million plays and 12.5 million “likes.”  

“I just wanted to give people a practical opportunity to learn how to make some of those recipes, because they look great,” she said. 

During the camp teens will learn how to make garlic chicken nuggets, a copycat recipe of an In-N-Out burger, and “Million Dollar Spaghetti.”

Stokes will also have two guest instructors in the kitchen to help with the classes, “Just to be really inclusive and enjoy some of the richness of what other chefs have to give.” 

Around the corner from Evelyn’s Midtown Kitchen, Erica Pietrzyk of Pietrzyk Pierogi teaches pierogi classes at her shop. 

Valleri Devine, 53, took the class and said it’s important for passing down the cooking knowledge to younger Polish generations. 

“Her (Pietrzyk’s) stories of growing up and her family, and the effortless way that she can explain to you how to make the pierogi and then to actually physically do it at the same time –it’s a deal,” she said.

For $65, each participant learns how to make pierogies in a two-hour class and takes home two dozen that they prepare themselves. When bought directly from Pietrzyk Pierogi, two dozen of the pierogies would cost $32. 

“People would be foolish not to take the class, even if they don’t like pierogies. It’s an excellent 101 for how to make dumplings,” Devine said.

Check out this list of cooking classes offered by a variety of Detroit chefs through the end of summer. 

Evelyn’s Midtown Kitchen 

• What: Viral TikTok recipes for teens, Chinese dumplings, colorful stuffed pasta, brunch, lobster ravioli, dumpling soup, and surf and turf. 

• When: Saturdays at 10 a.m. and weeknights at 6 p.m. 

• Where: Eastern Market Shed 5, 2810 Russell St.

• Cost: $85-$199