Tucked away in a corner of the Evelyn Rubenstein Jewish Community Center of Houston (JCC), located at 5601 South Braeswood, sits the Cramer-Jacobs Family Culinary Studio, which hosts a variety of affordable and approachable one-off cooking classes.
The set-up isn’t over-the-top with tons of fancy equipment or gimmicks.
(I once went to a class that didn’t state it in the description, but it was clearly sponsored by Traeger Grills).
The layout is comfortable and led by highly personable chefs.
Houston Food Finder was invited to check out a pickling class led by Emily Hersh, a San Antonio native and the JCC’s lead culinary instructor.
Hersh, who grew up involved with the San Antonio JCC says, “I’ve always really loved teaching cooking classes, and so when I found out that they were reopening the Cramer-Jacobs family studio, I was instantly intrigued.
I met up with Olivia, our culinary instructor, and starting in October 2024 we developed this cooking series for adults together, and it’s been really rewarding.
We’re really excited to be expanding it to the greater community, both in the JCC and outside of the JCC.”
Her enthusiasm and experience show; the classes at the JCC are not just approachable but easy to follow.
Different cooking classes happen a few times a week, with upcoming lessons that include Oreo Challah, curry puffs, and meatless smashburgers.
Prices usually range from $40 to $63 for non-members, and members get substantial discounts.
The instructors lead the class from a station at the front of the room with a full kitchen.
Students are split up between half a dozen or so clusters of tables loaded with the exact equipment and ingredients needed for the day’s class.
The curriculum is well-thought-out, as you are not only learning how to make a new dish, but the instructors do a great job of making students of all skill levels feel confident, such as teaching how to properly hold a knife.
Hersh’s résumé includes a stint on Hell’s Kitchen and at a vegan barbecue restaurant in New York City.
But even more so than her work history, her teaching skills were impressive.
In the past, I’ve attended classes where the instructors were just warm bodies or so strict that they made it seem like the sky was falling with minor mistakes.
But with Hersh, that was not the case.
Her approach was realistic, and the recipes for the class were appropriately forgiving, making the class perfect for anyone.
Also, friendliness and appreciation for food translate well; within minutes, my table mate and I were fully invested in everything she had to teach us.
The best part is that when you leave the class, you either eat the meal there, or in the case of the pickling class, take it, as well as the recipes, home with you!
In addition to the various classes designed and taught by Hersh, the Jewish Community Center has several other instructors, each with their own specialties.
“We have Macy Diulus.
She’s a registered dietitian and nutritionist, she teaches a lot of cooking for wellness and health, which is really exciting.
She teaches children and adults,” Hersh explained.
“Hillary Kamin is our challah instructor.
She calls herself the challah fairy and teaches a lot of really cool challah concepts, so that’s really fun.
Stephanie Bishop is the lead culinary instructor for children, and she’s also a pastry chef.
Velma Perez is our cookie-decorating instructor and was featured on Food Network.
She has really cool sugar cookie decorating ideas, such as a Taylor Swift cookie and they also do ‘cookies and cocktails’.
So if you’re an adult and you want to sip on something while also decorating sugar cookies, that’s another really fun class option.”
A cool detail about the culinary studio is that the programs are diligently designed to follow Kosher law.
Hersh explains, “We’re a meatless kitchen and we’re also kosher.
That’s kind of a unique twist, but we don’t want to make people turn away because there are so many ways to cook with other foods.
That’s something that I’m particularly passionate about: showing that we can cook really classic and delicious meals by being meatless and kosher on top of that.”
Hersh emphasized that these opportunities are intended for everyone, not just members of the Jewish community.
My experience reflected that, too, because not once did anyone there ask me about my religious or ethnic background.
It was a truly welcoming place and I will definitely be back!
On a final note, food isn’t the only thing on the menu.
The Evelyn Rubenstein Jewish Community Center of Houston offers programs in fitness, art, theater, gymnastics, and more.
image source from：https://houstonfoodfinder.com/news/jewish-community-center-now-offering-cooking-classes-for-all-in-houston/
