I met the brothers last Tuesday night at their cooking demo at The Chopping Block in Merchandise Mart. I sat at a table in the demo room that had a kitchen with the copper pans and granite countertops suitable for any given Food Network production with four wealthy, middle aged friends who made some obligatory shots at including me in the demonstration. The designer-labelled gentleman asked about my cooking classes experience. Mr. Gucci-glasses then took it upon himself to brag about his.

Long story short, Prada-pants has done everything The Chopping Block offers. This kitchenware store/cooking lesson site has everything from hands-on sushi making and a cupcake boot camp to a knife skills class. Though single classes cost between $40 – $125, it is worth the splurge. Not only will a class make you feel absurdly fancy, it will inspire you to attempt something beyond corn flakes and Ramen. It might even give you the motivation to wow your roomies with a meal (that is, if they agree to vacuum in return.) I attribute my newfound enthusiasm to our duo: the quirky, anecdotal Eli an the admittedly better chef, Max.

The title of Eli and Max’s cooking demo shares that of their cookbook, “Freshman in The Kitchen: From Clueless Cook to Creative Chef.” It is targeted at my exact demographic: the lazy college kid who breaks her grilled cheese routine for the once monthly Rice-a-Roni night. Max said that the book’s goal “is to convince people that cooking can be easy and economical.” While both are vital to the college crowd, me being the only college student in the room made it obvious that this demo and book can benefit any age, budget and skill level.

The majority of the demo involved the brothers working the stove and cutting boards as they explained, told stories and jokes and answered questions. My favorite part, however, was the sampling. If easy instruction from two cute, 20-something year old teachers and delicious food doesn’t make you want to sauté an onion on a skillet, I don’t know what would.

Eli admitted that he didn’t exactly grill sesame-soy salmon in college but strongly encourages us to cook “as much as you can within your comfort zone, but try to push yourself.” And by citing PB&J as his late night craving, it makes me feel even less guilty about considering popcorn as a sufficient lunch.

Regardless, The Chopping Block, with extraordinary help from Eli and Max Sussman, has instilled in me an excitement I cannot shake. New (autographed!) cookbook in hand, I’m ready to hit the aisles of Dominick’s and leave the Lunchables behind.

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