STEPH DEROSA: URBAN GOURMET CLASS >>>

At least six times a month Urban Gourmet & Garden opens its back kitchen for normal people like you and me who like to pretend they can cook. Local chefs from all areas of culinary expertise don the white apron, roll up their sleeves, and pound out some recipes for basic instruction that anyone on any cooking level can follow. Themes such as “Handmade Ice Cream,” “Grillin’ Lite,” and “Italian Seafood Dinner” are just a few among their wide selection of creative cooking classes.

This Saturday Urban Gourmet hosts a hands-on “Handmade Pasta” class with Chef Traci Garrett for an all-inclusive fee of $65. The classes have a history of feeding you more food than Michael Phelps’ daily diet and more wine than a bored housewives’ book club meeting; so don’t go thinking the $65 isn’t worth every penny. Bring your mom or bring a date, but you better hurry in to Urban Gourmet and reserve a spot for one of their upcoming classes â€" there are only 12 spots per class, and they fill up quicker than lager turns to piss.

[Urban Gourmet, 2602 B Sixth Ave., Tacoma, 253.272.3111]