What's cookin', good looking?

It's about more than upgrading your dinner from mac 'n' cheese and frozen entrees.

It's about stepping up your game.

Suburban couples and singles are flocking to local cooking classes for good reason: Kitchen savvy is just one more way to impress the opposite sex.

Almost half of the students who attend cooking classes with Mary Rose Hoover, a chef with Cucina Della Rosa in Barrington, are couples, she says.

Hoover says the classes -- which always end with a meal -- are a creative spin on the run-of-the-mill date night at a restaurant.

"Being in a cooking environment puts a lot of people on a level playing field," Hoover says. "That's why the popularity is probably so strong. If the wife is always the one who cooks at home, sometimes the husbands are wiping their brow and saying 'Gosh, this is hard' and having more appreciation."

Spots have already sold-out for Hoover's Valentine's Day class, but couples looking to make their holiday an intimate night at home might want to check out the Feb. 10 class at Le Titi de Paris in Arlington Heights and learn some new recipes for the big day.

Chef Susan Maddox says novices always leave happy because they can actually re-create the dishes in their own kitchens.

"You and I could talk about a recipe for 10 days, but until you do it and saute it, you won't really learn," says Maddox, of Le Titi de Paris.

Amorous pairs aren't the only ones trying to brush up on their culinary creations, though.

Both chefs say their classes are always a mixed bag of students, and plenty of singles are showing up to mingle. Or they show up with other single friends to make sauces or desserts that will sweeten future date nights.

They know, Hoover says, that cooking a fabulous meal is a good way to upgrade the typical dinner date.

"You often see a young lady or young gentleman who wants to wow someone and is not very good in the kitchen, and they're excited to come out and meet other people and have a good time," Maddox says.

Hands-on Cooking

When: 1 p.m. Feb. 10

Where: Le Titi de Paris, 1015 W. Dundee Road, Arlington Heights

Cost: $78 per person

Web site: www.letitideparis.com

Phone: (847) 506-0222

Couples Night Out

When: 7 to 9 p.m. March 14

Where: Cucina Della Rosa, inside McCauley Design, 211 Park Ave., Barrington

Cost: $150 per couple

Web site: www.maryrosecooks.com

Phone: ( 847) 650-9463