Denise Ross of the Red Team opens up the outer layer of her bell pepper and smiles, admiring her handiwork. Minutes earlier, chef Eric Wells taught Ross and others in his cooking class how to properly cut open a bell pepper. Then she tried it herself – and got it right the first time.  

Chef Eric Wells of Skye LaRae’s Culinary Services hosts a themed cooking class every other Friday night at Cornucopia Place, 7201 Kinsman Rd., a community multipurpose space with a focus on cooking and nutrition education. 

“The classes are very casual,” said Wells, “but I always give what is called a ‘teaching moment’ in the class. I’ll stop, I say, ‘I just want to show you guys how to fully dice an onion,’ and then have everyone do it afterwards. So, you know, you’re learning, but you’re having fun in a fun environment.”

Wells has been running the class at Cornucopia since the kitchen there was built in 2012. “We’ve done well over 800 classes in this facility,” he said. 

“The great thing about [the class is] it is so organic,” Wells added. “So when you come in, you meet new people, and by the end of the night, you’re best friends and sharing phone numbers, and people are getting close to each other and say, ‘Hey, I’ll see you at the next class.’” 

Cook, compete and eat

Wells hosts up to 16 attendees for each class, divided into four teams all assigned different recipes. The four teams will cook and compete against each other for “best dish.” Seafood is the theme of this class. Ross and her friend, Keiona Rutledge, were assigned sesame-crusted tuna wonton cups. Stuffed shrimp, risotto, linguine and scallops were also on the menu for tonight.   

Wells, assisted by Chef Jada and Chef Uliesa, looked in on each group as the cooking got underway and helped out or offered advice where needed. Wells laughed along and engaged with his class, encouraged them with regular feedback, and even agreed to confess his former DJ name to the group (it’s a secret – you’ll have to go to his class to find out). 

Once the cooking was done, each group was given a quick lesson in presentation for their dish. All five plates were then brought to the serving table for each class attendee to serve themselves. There’s enough food for everyone to have a full plate.    

“A lot of classes in the area, you just get samples of food,” said Wells. “We give you a full plate … and we serve it family style, so you serve yourself. You get as much as you want.”

The class got more complicated once Chef Wells opened up the voting for “best dish” – attendees are not allowed to vote for their own dish. 

The first vote resulted in a tie between the wonton cups and the crab-stuffed shrimp, so a run-off vote was held. Ross and Rutledge of the Red Team were voted the winners with their sesame-crusted pan-seared tuna and sweet vinaigrette dressing. The two friends celebrated by getting their photos taken with one of Chef Wells’ cleavers by the other attendees.

Love Cleveland? So do we! Explore more things to do in Cleveland.

Meet Chef Eric Wells… 

Wells has been in business for 21 years. He works primarily as a private chef cooking intimate dinners for couples. Wells graduated from the International Culinary Arts and Sciences Institute. He was the first African-American student to graduate from the institute’s Loretta Paganini School of Cooking in 2004. 

Chef Wells’ next class is Friday, July 11, at Cornucopia in Kinsman with the theme, “Greek Classics.” Classes cost $60 to $70 per person. For more information on the Cornucopia classes, visit Skye LaRae’s Culinary Services’ website.