Williams-Sonoma Announces More Classes for Spring

A few months back, I told y'all about a series of cooking classes planned by the

. The plan is to allow Nashvilians to learn about new cookbooks from celebrity chefs while actually getting a chance to experience the cooking process led by local chefs.

I was fortunate enough to attend the first class featuring Tyler Florence's new cookbook, (which sharp-eyed readers can probably deduce by looking at the picture of the class instructor, Joella Chudy, at work) and found it to be entertaining and informative. I learned a bunch of new cooking tricks and have already attempted a few of the recipes Chudy presented during the class. The fact that the class included a copy of the cookbook and a full meal made it quite the dining bargain.

So I'm excited to hear Chudy will be presenting another class in April and that Williams-Sonoma will offer two other classes this spring. One will concentrate on baking techniques taught by a former competitive television baker, and the second will feature the new book from chef April Bloomfield that concentrates on her talents cooking vegetables, a novel topic considering her prior book was titled A Girl and Her Pig. In between those two classes, Chef Chudy will teach a "Spring Fling" class based around a primavera menu that would be great for an evening with friends.

Check out the details of all three classes after the jump:

The first class, "Grateful Baking," is set for Saturday, March 28, at 9:00 a.m. and is taught by Effie Sahihi, a former contestant on CBS's "American Baking Competition." In this class, Sahihi will demonstrate how to make a carrot coconut cake with brown butter cream cheese frosting. An attorney, baker and photographer, Sahihi writes the blog lawsofbaking. Grateful Baking is a program that encourages people to express their appreciation or gratitude by baking for others. Each participant will receive a sampling of the featured dessert and a Williams-Sonoma cupcake mix to take home to begin their own Grateful Baking. The class fee is $15.00. April's class "Spring Fling" will be taught by chef Joella Chudy and is scheduled for Wednesday, April 22, at 6:00 p.m. The menu includes asparagus salad with ricotta, prosciutto and lemon vinaigrette, grilled flank steak with chimichurri sauce, garlic roasted baby potatoes and lemon tartlets. The class lasts approximately two hours, and the fee is $50.00 per person.

In May the Williams-Sonoma Cookbook Club class returns and spotlights April Bloomfield's new book "A Girl and Her Greens". Bloomfield, chef at the Manhattan restaurant "The Spotted Pig", is known for her love of pork. Her first cookbook was titled "A Girl and Her Pig". This two-hour cookbook club class is set for Wednesday, May 13 at 6:00 p.m. and will be taught by chef Joella Chudy. The $75.00 class fee includes the featured cookbook, dinner, and discussion about the book and author.

Advanced reservations for the Williams-Sonoma cooking classes are required, and space is limited. Reservations can be made by calling 615-292-5066 or by visiting the Williams-Sonoma store at 2126 Abbott Martin Road at The Mall at Green Hills in Nashville.