Ever wondered how to rock miso in your everyday repertoire? Dared to dig your own clams on the Oregon coast, and eat them too?

We’ve compiled a list of our favorite cooking classes, featuring some of Portland’s top chefs, foragers, and masa merchants for your epicurean edification this summer.  

◊ Italian Summer Hands On, June 15
Join market-fresh diva Abby Fammartino as she transforms Portland’s summertime bounty into an Italian feast. Learn to roll new potato gnocchi (get our exclusive recipe), bake a tomato, zucchini and lemon “ricotta” lasagna, and chip strawberry granita.
How much: $50

◊ The Tart Institute, June 27
The confectionary wizards at Two Tarts pass on their pie and butter-crust knowledge to seven lucky students. It’s a delicious solution to your summer berry surplus.
How much: $35

◊ Northwest Seafood 101, June 29th
Once a month, the affable Lyf Gildersleeve takes a break from fish mongering to teach basic seafood cookery behind his tiny shed on SE Hawthorne and 23rd. June’s nautical lineup includes rockfish, manila clams, and Chinook salmon, all freshly caught from Oregon’s waterways.
How much: $30 (call 971-258-5212 to reserve)

◊ Tortilla, Sope & Gordita Making, July 14
Learn tortilla making straight from the source. The masa-touting team at Three Sisters will show you how to press tortillas like a seasoned abuelita. Get the lowdown on their favorite corn-fueled Mexican recipes and take home your own bag of freshly ground nixtamal masa.
How much: $25

◊ Foraging in the Pacific Northwest: The City. The Mountain. The Beach
Get your hands dirty with plant and foraging expert Sara Pool. Her wild, three-part sojourn through city, mountain, and beach will have you digging horseneck clams and unearthing hedgehog mushrooms like a pro.
The Beach: September 7
The City: October 12
The Mountain: November 2
How much: $235 for the series of 3 classes, or $85 per class

◊ Fermented Foods of Japan with Gabe Rosen, September 22nd
This year’s FEAST cooking class lineup is so jam-packed with awesome chef talent that it’s hard to pick just one. For my money, I’m headed to the fermented food class with Biwa’s Gabe Rosen. Expect miso, natto (fermented soybeans), and katsuobushi (dried, cured tuna) to play starring roles in this funky seminar.
How much: $65, or FREE! 

We're giving away one ticket to Gabe Rosen's Fermented Foods of Japan during Feast Portland this September. Click here to enter to win! This contest will be open until Wednesday, June 19th. Contest is now closed.