By Nancy Brumback, Contributing Writer
Business name: Culinary Underground
Address: 21 Turnpike Rd. (Route 9), Southborough
Owner: Lori Leinbach
Contact Information: 508-904-6589 or www.culinaryunderground.com
What's changed with the new location?
“We'se been here just over a year in October,” said Lori Leinbach, founder and director of Culinary Underground, of the cooking school's new space in the Brickyard Plaza on Route 9 westbound. “This location allows us to have slightly bigger classes. We keep our classes small, but we can get a dozen people in here for a hands-on class. We can do more birthday parties, more kids” camps during the summer. We'se doing corporate events such as team-building efforts.
“We also have a wine and beer license now, so we can have wine tastings and wine dinners. We'se doing a lot of couples” nights along with those events.”
What are you doing for the holidays?
“First, we have gift certificates available for classes to help with your holiday shopping,” Leinbach said.
“We'se offering holiday appetizer and cookie workshops, and, for kids, a gingerbread workshop. We'se doing our Italian Feast of the Seven Fishes workshop.
“During the school vacation week between Christmas and New Year's, we concentrate on kids” and teens” classes, including a candy science class and pasta from scratch for kids and cake decorating and planning a New Year's Eve party for teens.”
What new courses are you offering in 2012?
“We added parent-child classes this fall for children 8 and older, and we are going to have more of those,” she said. “We did a daddy-daughter class for girls 8 to 12, and a teen-parent pasta class.
“Our Beyond Basics, an intermediate series, is coming back. Our Super Bowl appetizer workshop is always a blowout. And there will be more couples” workshops because people enjoy having something to do when the holidays are over.”
And the staff has expanded?
“With more classes, we'se taken on some new instructors. Suzanne Johnson has been with us a while, and she does soups, appetizers and the parent-child classes. Heather Tolmie teaches the Very Basics, knife skills and pasta workshops. Diane Richmond does birthday parties, global cuisine workshops and our off-site events. Liz Della Paolera is our pastry chef instructor, everything from cupcakes to Viennese pastries. I teach the Beyond Basics classes and yeast bread,” Leinbach said.
