Chef Roy’s Shiso Kitchen adds cooking lessons to menu in foodie neighborhood
Shiso Kitchen is open at 374 Washington St., Somerville, on the Cambridge line near such restaurants as Dali and Bergamot. (Photos: Shiso Kitchen)
Diners inspired by visits to Bergamot, Dali and Kirkland Tap & Trotter, clustered in the Washington/Kirkland foodie paradise on the Cambridge/Somerville line, now have a local outlet for that inspiration: Shiso Kitchen, the recreational cooking school founded by Cambridge’s Jessica Roy, is open just blocks away.
Jessica Roy
“I’m so excited to be part of this community,” Roy said.
French, Italian, vegetarian and New England cuisine – and a primer on kitchen knife-handling skills – are the first subjects on the calendar at Shiso, even though many may know Roy as not just a personal chef, food blogger and Cordon Bleu instructor in Kendall Square, but as the left-handed roller behind Shiso Sushi Catering. (Yet others may know Roy as a competitive snowboarder for a couple of years out west.)
A sushi lesson or two is likely to show up at Shiso Kitchen, as Roy said she plans to roll out new classes each month and offer group lessons on “virtually all genres of cuisine,” baking and pastry classes, tastings and excursions. Shiso Kitchen is advertised as a great way to get out and meet people or as “a fresh twist on date night,” and can be reserved for private parties, events and corporate team-building with custom tailored menus and activities, Roy said.
“Shiso has already hosted a late-season company ‘holiday’ party, a birthday party, an upcoming bachelorette party this weekend, as well as a requested sushi party,” Roy said Tuesday.
Roy designed her shop to be non-intimidating and give off “a warm and welcoming vibe begging for you to come in and take a class,” she said.
Classes range from $59 (for the knife skills course) to $99 specialty classes (including a planned sushi course), but $89 per person is the average price.
Shiso Kitchen, which has been open officially since Jan. 22, is at 374 Washington St., Somerville. Call (617) 999-9971 or visit the website or Facebook page.
