Neighborhood deals: Free classes at Pottery Barn and Williams-Sonoma

I’ve never attended any of the free culinary demonstrations at Williams-Sonoma or decorating classes at Pottery Barn, but I’ve always wanted to. I guess I’m hesitant because I feel like it will be more of a sales pitch for their products than beneficial instruction.

The culinary demonstrations sound interesting, though — and yummy. Coming up this week are perfect piña coladas and simple summer desserts. The store is also offering technique classes, which I couldn’t find online, but an e-mail I received says that the classes coming up are “Extreme Ice Cream” on Sunday, June 29, and “Pizza” on Sunday, July 13. In Pottery Barn, this week’s decorating class topic is outdoor entertaining, and next week’s is mixing patterns and colors.

You can attend any of these classes at either the Knox-Henderson, NorthPark Center or Galleria locations — schedules are the same at each store. You simply need to RSVP because class sizes are limited.