Home Schooled

Being taught by a professional chef is a gratifying experience for any would-be cook. But at Eatz' cooking classes, you're not just the student--you're the dinner guest as well.

Every week, Niki Tehranchi, a private chef who jumped from law to culinary school, offers intimate classes ($85) in her West Hollywood cottage, where guests prepare and dine on a five-course meal in three hours.

The large dining table becomes a cooking station big enough for 14 people to prep every meat, vegetable, fruit and herb. Tehranchi plays equal parts instructor and hostess, while the group chats, sips wine and sautés simultaneously. When all the work is done, everyone--now resembling a family that just cooked a meal together--moves to the patio to eat under the stars.

Eatz has zipped halfway around the world with classes on Moroccan, Caribbean and Indian dishes, but the Fall Harvest classes (on October 26 and November 9) are some of the most popular. The menu features cozy autumnal comfort foods like pumpkin risotto with mushrooms, pear tarts and Cornish game hens with sweet pomegranate glaze (click here for the recipe).

The best part? Your only homework is finishing the leftovers.