The Gourmandise School’s October 31 class turns short rib ragu, beet salad and chocolate cake into an evening for two. The short rib ragu has a graveyard name. The beet salad supplies the blood-red color. At The Gourmandise School in Santa Monica, Halloween dinner begins with guests putting on aprons and making the meal themselves.
The school’s Halloween Harvest Date Night takes place October 31 from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., offering a three-hour cooking session for pairs. Costumes are encouraged, but the central activity is a fall menu with enough substance to carry the evening beyond its holiday names.
Participants prepare short rib ragu over creamy polenta, beet salad and molten lava cake, with a witches brew cocktail included in the announced menu. The dishes move from a savory main course to a chocolate finish, giving the class a clear dinner structure.
The hands-on format changes the rhythm of a date. There is something to do together, decisions to make and a shared result at the end. It also gives friends a way to spend Halloween together without needing to build the night around a party.
Chef May Hennemann is listed for the session, which costs $290 per couple. The school’s date-night guidance welcomes friends and family as cooking partners, and says participants receive recipes afterward—useful when the meal deserves another attempt at home.
The price is for the pair, a detail worth checking before comparing it with other dinner plans. Menus can change with seasonal availability, and reservations are handled through the school’s class calendar.
Located on the third floor of Santa Monica Place, the kitchen puts a practical spin on the holiday: learn something, eat together and go home with a recipe worth keeping. The costume can go back in the closet; the dinner need not be a one-night event.
For more information about the event and to get tickets, visit cookingschoolsofamerica.com
Location: The Gourmandise School, 395 Santa Monica Place, third floor, Suite 323, Santa Monica
Hours and Dates: Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026, 6:30–9:30 p.m. $290 per couple. Advance class registration required; menu subject to seasonal changes.
Photo credits: Photo courtesy of business/venue.
