You could go out to eat. You could order in. Or, you could get together with a table full of your friends – or strangers — to make a meal, learn something new along the way and share the joys of prepping, cooking and dining together.

This is where The Social Table, located in Lincoln Park, comes in: why not try something new for the new year?

This North Side culinary space offers public classes for intimate groups of eight to 12 as well as private events for up to 24 people per kitchen.  The chef-instructors are knowledgeable, fun, and they have a passion for teaching groups how to expand their culinary repertoire and bring people together in the process. With three to five days a week set aside for public classes and a flexible private event schedule, bonding with new people while making homemade pasta can certainly help you make good on that New Year’s resolution to cook more and expand your social circle.

“In this day and age, people are setting more personal life goals, like learning a skill and spending more time with friends,” says Rebecca Goldfarb, creator and owner of The Social Table. “We are really trying to tap into this.”

The Social Table’s classes are unique because they build camaraderie in the kitchen. And, private parties – bachelorette brunches, couples nights, office outings, and family dinners – are fast becoming popular and booking up weeks in advance.

Menu options span a range of cuisines, introducing groups to fun and new ingredients, and recipes that offer learning experiences for both the novice and the seasoned home cook.  The Winter Italian menu, featuring Italian stuffed flank steaks and handmade gnudi, and the Taste of Spain menu, featuring a chicken, chorizo & mussel paella, are favorites this time of year.  With expanding menu options that rotate every five to six weeks, The Social Table team offers guests the opportunity to come back regularly and experience something new every time. Because the student-to-instructor ratio is kept small, participants can really get their hands dirty, bond with their classmates and walk away with a meaningful experience.

“Many people are often surprised by how amazing the dinner was, even though they made it,” Goldfarb says. “The whole experience shows that an impressive dinner isn’t out of their reach.”

Goldfarb adds that The Social Table experience is about more than just cooking. It’s about connecting with other people through food.

“We try to bridge that gap between people who say, ‘I can’t cook. I can’t ever have people over, I have to go out and eat,’ to this idea that cooking is something you can do,” she says. “It’s fun and something you can do with other people to challenge yourself and to socialize with your friends.”

Interested in joining a class or scheduling a private event  at The Social Table? Visit the website for more information.

By Adrienne Samuels Gibbs, DNAinfo Creative