A Night in Spain: A Review of CourseHorse and Dabble Studio

Disclosure: We received complementary tickets for this cooking class from CourseHorse. However, I was not required to write a positive review and was not compensated in any other way. The thoughts expressed below are entirely my own. Thanks to CourseHorse and Dabble Studio for a great date night!

Recently Ben and I had one of the BEST dates we’ve ever been on. It’s hard to judge and rank dates, so my verdict might be influenced by the fact that date nights have been in short supply since a cute little baby entered our lives last May. Haha. But anyways, recently, we were able to check out a local cooking class at Dabble Studio, located near the Sounds Stadium in Nashville.

You guys, we had SO MUCH fun! I’ve never been that interested in cooking classes, to be honest, because I like to think I know how to cook pretty well. #truth But I had a little change of heart when I was contacted by CourseHorse, a website to help you find and compare a variety of classes, workshops, and tours in cities across the country. Helllloooooo date night! Now, I’m hooked and want to take so many more cooking classes!

CourseHorse’s official launch in Nashville is later this year, and it was fun to try their service a little early. They offer everything from food tours to cooking classes in Nashville, and I expect will eventually expand to other workshops and fun stuff too. Ben and I chose to attend A Night in Spain – Paella and Sangria, and you guys… it was SO DELICIOUS.

Jamie was our host/instructor. She owns Dabble Studio with her parents, and their story is so fun. Jamie went to cooking school in NYC as a career change move from her corporate job, then convinced her parents to open a business to allow people to “dabble” in all sorts of fun! Coincidentally… or not, this fun aligns with the family’s passions–and each area allows someone to shine! From food tours to painting classes to cooking classes, Dabble does it all. We loved how friendly and accommodating Jamie was. She did a great job at making everyone in our class feel comfortable and confident in the kitchen.  I also loved the cooking tips she peppered in throughout the evening–how to cut an onion, seasoning tips, how to use a mandoline cutter, etc. as well as restaurant recommendations for Nashville.

Even though it was an interactive event with a large group of strangers, it still was a fun date night. Maybe not a fun first date though, haha. There was a good mix of couples and groups of friends of all ages, including a few repeat customers. So grab some gal pals for a night like this–it’ll be a blast!

Our menu for the evening included: a fabulous cheese and charcuterie plate, a delicious salad made by Jamie that included Spanish Anchovy, Fennel and Preserved Lemon, Spanish Potato Omelet, Spanish Paella, and Red Sangria. So much good stuff!! Everything was so fresh and flavorful. The portions were also huge and Jamie was thoughtful enough to provide boxes for leftovers so nothing went to waste.

We cooked the omelet and paella ourselves, and were even given copies of the recipes to take home to make again. Despite the fact that we all initially found these recipes complicated to make, the step by step instructions and demos made these dishes accessible for even the newest cooks. I think we’re on the market for our own mandoline so we can make this amazing omelet (above) sometime soon! But it will be sad to have to do all the clean up ourselves afterwards, haha.

So, to sum it up… if you’re looking for a fun date night/girls’ night, do check out a cooking class (especially at Dabble Studio in Nashville, or with a trusted partner of CourseHorse elsewhere in the country)… even if you already know how to cook. You’ll have fun, I guarantee it! 🙂

You can find Dabble Studio on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook,  Trip Advisor, and Yelp. Connect with CourseHorse on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook too.