Roundup
The Perfect Recipe
Learn to cook or refine your skills
WRITTEN BY MICHAEL LAMENDOLA
T
50
MARCH 2016 (201) GOLD COAST
HudsonTable
It took Allen Bari attendance at a string of cooking classes to realize two things: he loves cooking
and the Gold Coast needed a spectacular cooking studio.
“I didn’t realize how fun taking a cooking class was until I took my first one six years ago and fell
in love with the experience. My wife, Allie, and I started taking more and more classes, learning
about the different approaches each took to the art,” says Bari, a former poker pro turned graduate
of the International Culinary Institute. “We knew that Hoboken and the surrounding area needed
something different in terms of the nightly food experience, as it is mainly composed of sports bars,
so after a few years of finalizing the details on what exactly we wanted it to be, we finally took the
plunge.”
Bari and is brother, Tapash, opened Hudson Table in November 2014 on Clinton Street, seeking to
provide a cooking studio that caters to every taste and every skill level. Today, Allen and Allie run the
business and have a rotation of seven accomplished chefs on staff leading classes in everything from
surf and turf and handmade pasta to Chinese take-out and an evening on Sicily’s coast.
“I think we provide an experience that is different from going out to dinner,” Bari says. “We
provide a night of being able to meet new people and enjoy time with friends and loved ones all
while being taught how to implement skills that trained professionals are teaching you at home.
We are trying to make cooking less intimidating and teach people how to make some dishes that
seem complicated more simple.”
Hudson Table offers three types of classes – hands-on, demonstration and a one-dish workshop,
but it’s certainly more than a “cooking school.” Bari says he is trying to create a “culinary epicenter”
of Hoboken, offering chef’s table events, cocktail parties, team-building corporate events, demo
classes and catered events.
Hudson Table
1403 Clinton St., Hoboken, (201) 420-0707, hudsontable.com
Classes: A choice of hands-on, demonstration or one-dish workshops with a variety of menu