Nourish Your Soul with Traditional Cooking
Transformative Cooking Experiences for the Everyday Cook.
Celebrating the Good Old Days
Long before Uber Eats; before the breakfast bar doubled as a workstation; and before fridges were ever considered smart, cooking up a storm in the kitchen was part and parcel of family life.
Growing up, there was no such thing as bland, processed food in our house. Saturday was ‘Baking Day’ in my family, where the laminated kitchen table doubled as the workbench. Sprawled across it was homemade pastry ready for pies and tarts. Bowls of batter later became biscuits and slices. The entire week was sorted with enough lunches and afternoon snacks for all of us; the neighbours included!
On the countertop sat a dog-eared The Margaret Fulton Cookbook and Woman’s Weekly magazines, and we’d find hand-written recipes from friends and neighbours sprawled through the pages.
Yes, times were simpler. Still, the food was tasty, and it brought people together.
My mission is to keep that legacy alive for the next generation.
Traditional Cooking for Today’s Kitchen
Home delivery, portable streaming, and microwave dinners are all pushing traditional cookbooks to the back of the cupboard; with thousands of time-honoured recipes going with them.
Everyone I speak with tells me they’re hungry for time to slow down. They want to centre themselves and laugh and make memories again at the dinner table. They want connection.
And I tell them that’s entirely possible.
We can’t stop the world around us from buzzing and whirring by, but we can stop our own world from spinning out of control. By simply firing up the stovetop and getting our hands dirty, we can rekindle that connection with what - and who - matters to us most.
“Grow Cook Store paves the way for a new generation of home cooks to experience the wonders of traditional cooking. No bland food or slaving over a hot stove all day on my watch! Just good old-fashioned cooking that will bring the family together!”
Kaye Cramond, Grow Cook Store Founder
Discover the Joy of Growing, Preserving, and Cooking Your Food
Grow Cook Store offers traditional cooking classes chock-full of back-to-basic goodness to help you escape the frenzy of modern living and fast-food convenience that may have upset the tranquillity of your home.
From baking the perfect classic sponge cake to creating jaw-dropping lunchbox-friendly snacks using fruits and vegetables, learning the art of traditional cooking will save you money at the supermarket and save you the empty calories of packaged food at the same time.
My classes aren’t just about learning recipes and techniques. They’re about lifting the lid on good old-fashioned values like sustainability, creativity, and lifelong learning and putting you back in control of what you and your family eat.
My Love of Cooking Started 50 Years Ago
When I was eight years old, Mum would give me 50 cents to walk down to the butcher and buy some mince. When I got home, I would shape meat patties before building my own timber-fueled fire using a couple of bricks and a mesh to grill them on. I was set!
Kneading the mince - then building a fire to cook the burgers - was a moment I’ve never forgotten. It was the first time I could recall when I truly appreciated the role of food in our lives. It wasn’t a commodity anymore. It was an experience.
Over the years that followed, I developed a greater appreciation for the whole cooking process, and the hunger to learn became apparent. I realised quickly that cooking isn’t just about ingredients. It’s about the equipment, process, and technique, too. It’s about balancing rules with intuition. And it’s about being in the moment.
More Than a Cooking School
Grow Cook Store is my hand-crafted recipe blending quality ingredients and tried and tested techniques, all seasoned with the love and gut instinct I’ve developed throughout my lifetime.
Now in my 60s, I’ve got decades of knowledge to share with the young and young-at-heart who crave an opportunity to discover the joy of traditional cooking.
“Good food shared with friends and family will always be remembered.”
Kaye Cramond, Grow Cook Store Founder
Find a Class To Devour
Your journey into the world of traditional cooking begins here. Reclaim your kitchen, reconnect with your loved ones, and make healthier food choices with one (or more!) of these value-packed classes.
All classes are based in Melbourne, and online instruction is on the horizon.
Live outside of Melbourne and don’t want to miss out? Email me your event details, preferred class type, and contact details to chat more.
Classic Sponge
Cake Baking
Learn the tried and true secrets to creating the perfect light and fluffy sponge cake.
Think Ginger Sponge using freshly powdered ginger, served with a pot of tea and generous lashings of cream, or a Victoria sponge that effortlessly balances the sweetness of the raspberry jam with the accompanying vanilla bean-enriched double whipping cream.
‘Heat and Eat’
Meals Without the Freezer
Master the techniques of water bath and pressure canning to ensure your pantry is always stocked with delicious goodness you’ve preserved yourself.
These meals or staple bases can be stored on the shelf, saving you time without the need to defrost! Perfect for unexpected guests (or when you can’t be bothered cooking!).
Hold off purchasing any equipment until you’ve visited the class, as I’ll show you the best equipment to get you preserving like a pro!
Delicious
Dried Snacks
Discover the lost art of dehydrating foods to preserve their goodness! Turn wholesome fruits and vegetables into snacks your whole family will enjoy at home, work, or on the go.
We’re talking healthy fruit roll-ups, toffee-dipped apples, crunchy, savoury kale chips, seeded crackers, sweet potato crisps, and so much more.
Perfect to pop in the kids’ school lunches or work desk or take on your next outdoor adventure, dehydrating your own produce guarantees you know exactly what you’re putting into your body when it’s time to snack.
Tailored
Cooking/Baking Instruction
Not sure how to serve up perfectly cooked crispy salmon? Or maybe you always burn the caramel?
Get one-on-one guidance tailored to your specific interests and needs so you can master your signature dish every time.
Have a request? Ask me!
Pantry-Stacked
Meal Hacks
Learn how to create quick meals at your fingertips without the added nasties that many convenience foods contain.
We’ll open your eyes to the possibility of homemade meal bases you can store in the pantry for years - saving you time and money.
Leave the class fully equipped to make soups, stocks, baby food, casseroles… even apple pie filling, ready for the crust!
Fire Cooking
Learn the art of cooking over an open flame. Connect not just with your food, but with nature, too, for the ultimate sensory experience.
Like Mexican? Think freshly made tacos grilled over the coals, filled with fire-charred protein and fresh salsa.
Craving Indian? No curry night is complete without rice and naan bread grilled over the coals.
And if you can’t go past a good ol’ BBQ, you’ll love taking your meals up a notch with juicy, flame-cooked meats and fresh salads served with homemade condiments.
My Melbourne classes make a great gift idea and are a fantastic experience for:
- Bridal showers and hens gatherings
- Home cooks from novice to moderate and advanced
- Couples cooking
- Birthday gifting
- Family cooking
- Corporate and team bonding
Join The Comeback Community
Do you have a burning cooking or baking question? Ask me anything! Email me at kaye@growcookstore.com with your question.
Ready to Get Started? Book a class today.