Bounty returns in the spring, and we are getting fired up in the kitchen. Oregon is the heart of Northwest cuisine, and now Bend has a new artery.  If you love to create good food as much as you love to eat it, step into the kitchen at the Cascade Culinary Institute (CCI).

Opening its state of the art facility last year, CCI trains the ranks of aspiring chefs and also offers classes for civilian cooks who want instruction from the professionals. You can learn to cook with spirits, make fresh pasta and even brew your own beer.

If you’d prefer to leave the chopping and sautéing to someone else, check out the fine dining at Elevation, the student-operated restaurant at CCI, and experience the culinary work of chefs-in-training. Your feedback just might help nurture Oregon’s next James Beard award nominee.

Cooking classes around the state make a great family activity, couples weekend or girlfriends’ getaway. Get cooking in other delicious Oregon spots like the Culinary Center in Lincoln City, EVOO in Cannon Beach, Oregon Coast Culinary Institute in Coos Bay, Portland’s Sur La Table and McKenzie Orchards Cooking School in the Willamette Valley.