Thanks to Viking Cooking School, students don’t have to go home to enjoy their moms’ gumbo anymore — they can make it themselves. The school will host a gumbo cooking workshop Thursday in downtown Baton Rouge.
Viking Cooking School regularly holds a range of cooking workshops following the corporate curriculum and using Viking products, but the Louisiana location is the only one attempting gumbo, said sales and marketing assistant Nikki Tanner.
Out of the 13 Viking Cooking School locations in the U.S., the only location in Louisiana opened in Oct. 2011 in the Hilton Baton Rouge Capitol Center. Located on the third floor pool deck with a view overlooking the river, this location specializes in outdoor cooking.
According to Tanner, these workshops, of 16 to 36 people, are frequented by “a wide range of participants” from many age groups. She said college students regularly sign up for sushi workshops, while couples young and old seek a fun night out to supplement cooking skills they already have.
“The great thing about taking a class is you can come and hang out and we’ll teach you the things your momma does without the pressure of her looking over your shoulder,” said Matt Brewton, resident chef at Viking Cooking School.
Lake Charles native Brewton, who has been cooking for 17 years, said he and the other resident chef, Raine Bayyan, will be covering six gumbo varieties at the workshop. He said they will teach the participants some Cajun and Creole history and show the difference between each culture’s gumbo recipes.
Brewton said participants will not have to clean or weigh, and the experience will be fun and relaxed, with two hours of cooking and one hour of eating.
The school has its share of regulars, who Brewton said “know their way around the place.”  He said the chefs work to make new customers comfortable when they could easily be overwhelmed by the Viking cooking equipment.
Viking Cooking School’s gumbo workshop is going from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday, on the third floor pool deck of the Hilton Capitol Center.  A seat costs $89.

When: Jan. 31; 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.;
How Much: $89;
Where: third floor pool deck of the Hilton Baton Rouge Capitol Center, 201 Lafayette Street