DIY Pizza & Donuts at Montclair Bread Co.
Friday, January 4, 6pm
At least as of this writing, the wildly popular DIY Pizza & Donuts night hosted by Montclair Bread Company isn’t sold out for Saturday evening. And what better way to tell your New Year’s Resolution to bugger off than with a BYO pizza dough class that ends with a box of donuts, toppings and unfettered creative license? Click here to purchase a $50 ticket. Montclair Bread Company, 16 Label Street, Montclair; 973-509-2525
Sunday Gravy and Pasta Class at The Grape Escape Winery
Sunday, January 6, noon–3pm
Whether Sunday gravy is a familiar phrase from your childhood or something you’ve only heard of in Jersey Italian-American lore, check out this easy way to spend a Sunday afternoon. The Grape Escape in Dayton is hosting a class dedicated to the Nonna of all comfort foods: pasta and gravy. The Grape Escape Winery is actually a winemaking school based out of Dayton that allows customers to experience the winemaking process firsthand, from grape selection to first press to ageing and bottling. But this Sunday they’re turning their attention to homemade pasta and gravy, which you’ll prep in between bites of antipasto. Tickets are $80 per person, and go fast. The Grape Escape, 12 Stults Road, Dayton; 609-409-9463
Chef’s Knife Skills at the Ryland Inn
Thursday, January 17, 7pm
If your New Year’s resolutions involve some legitimate culinary ambitions, you couldn’t ask for a better cooking instructor than chef Chris Albrecht. The Ryland Inn chef will be conducting cooking classes twice a month out of the restaurant in White House Station, and as any chef will tell you, one of the foundations of a good cook is his or her knife skills. Bonus points, you’ll probably look pretty cool when chopping an onion from now on. Tickets are $50; call to make a reservation. (Other events throughout the year include other basics like “Stocks and Sauces,” “Grilling,” and “Chocolate,” as well as regional focuses like “New Orleans” and “Tuscany.”) The Ryland Inn, 115 Old Highway 28, Whitehouse Station; 908-543-4011
Hoboken “Mutzfest” 2019
Sunday, January 27, 2–6pm
There’s nothing a little bit of fresh mozzarella can’t fix in the middle of winter. Whatever the weather by the end of the month, you can get your fill of house-made mozzarella from some of Hoboken’s top-ranking mutz experts. Tasting starts for everyone at 2pm, but there’s also a Cannoli Eating Contest and, because it’s Hoboken, a Sinatra Sing-a-Long. Tickets are $25 for General Admission and $50 for VIP tickets, which allow early entry and access to an open bar. Proceeds from the event go to benefit the Hoboken Family Alliance. Mutzfest, The Elk’s Club, 1005 Washington Street, Hoboken; 201-656-9602