10 Unforgettable Food Experiences to Give Dad for Father’s Day

A bottle of craft whiskey makes a perfectly thoughtful gift, but to really spoil your dad, set him up with everything he needs to make his own batch. SILO Distillery in Vermont hosts Distillery Days, giving participants a hands-on whiskey-making tutorial, from mashing the grain to appraising barrel samples and tasting already-finished products. (From $250, silodistillery.com)At the brand-new Still Austin Whiskey Co.—the city’s first distillery since Prohibition—he can gather a group of friends and, led by Still’s master distiller, craft a customized barrel. Once the whiskey is ready, the group returns for a bottling party, each bringing home a bottle they helped create. ($5000, stillaustin.com)

For the bacon-loving, DIY-obsessed dad, find a butchering class like the one at Philadelphia’s Kensington Quarters. The New American restaurant, which focuses on whole-animal butchery, hosts an on-site tutorial of basic techniques using a woodlot-raised pig, highlighting various cuts and cooking methods. Guests leave with sample cuts of pork to cook at home. The restaurant also offers a popular charcuterie class, which teaches grinding, mixing and stuffing techniques. ($100, kensingtonquarters.com)

Treat dad to an ice cream cone or, even better, an ice cream experience. Sample offbeat flavors at the beloved Portland-based shop Salt & Straw with a tasting class led by ice cream "sommeliers.” During June, they’re featuring their rescued foods series, with flavors like Spent Grains & Bacon S'mores. ($9 for a tasting, saltandstraw.com) Brooklyn’s Ample Hills Creamery hosts classes like Ice Cream 101 and Kindred Spirits, which focuses on boozy frozen confections. New York-based folks can take dad out for Daddy’s Sundae, a concoction made with vanilla-bean-bourbon ice cream, brownies and salty fudge caramel swirls — only available on Father’s Day at the city’s Ample Hills locations. ($95 for a class, amplehills.com)

Gift a lifelong skill he can grasp in the span of three hours. NYC’s Institute of Culinary Education (ICE) offers a knife skills class that teaches students the bedrock of cooking; he’ll be slicing, dicing and mincing like a pro in no time. ($105, ice.edu) If he’s already adept at wielding a knife, he can learn to keep his tools razor-sharp with a sharpening workshop like the one taught by Galen Garretson, the owner of San Francisco’s premiere knife shop, Town Cutler. The self-professed knife nerd teaches the basic chemistry of steel, edge geometry and knife anatomy before guiding the class through the process using Japanese water stones, which attendees can take with them. ($100, sfcooking.com)

Restaurants like New York City’s Speedy Romeo offer that rare combination of excellent food in a laid-back (read: family-friendly) setting. Come for the "Fight for Your Right to Pizza Party" Father’s Day brunch or dinner, which includes their signature wood-fired pizzas, wings, unlimited Prosecco and pitchers of beer, large-format mocktails for the kids and fun desserts like the sparkler-bedecked “Banana Split Sundae Extravaganza.” ($25 for kids, $50 for adults, speedyromeo.com)

Coffee lovers will appreciate this firsthand look at its source. Located in the lush forests of Maui, O’o Farms grows a host of produce from strawberries to coffee beans. The single-origin Aina gourmet coffee is the focus of their Seed to Cup coffee and breakfast tour, where guests start with a fresh-pressed cup of coffee, pick and taste coffee berries, learn about the roasting process and enjoy an al fresco breakfast of frittata with farm-sourced ingredients, housemade focaccia and jam and, of course, plenty of super-fresh coffee. ($58, oofarm.com)

Mother’s Day doesn’t have the market cornered on tea! London’s Milestone Hotel is hosting the “Gentlemanly Afternoon Tea” throughout the month of June to celebrate Father’s Day. The hotel’s traditional afternoon tea is infused with touches like mini homemade pork pies and beef Wellington, maple-cured bacon scones and the option to add flights of ale or whiskey. (£72/$93 with a flight of selected whiskeys, milestonehotel.com)

Upgrade a ball game with eats that easily beat a sad hot dog and watery beer. Perched over right field at First Tennessee Park, the Band Box is an expansive outdoor bar and restaurant with local craft beers, an inspired menu and added entertainment in the form of cornhole, shuffleboard and more. This Father’s Day, take in a Nashville Sounds game (the city’s minor league baseball team) and sample snacks from Josh Habiger’s pop-up—the former Food & Wine Best New Chef of Bastion will be serving fun twists on classic stadium bites. (Game tickets from $10, thebandboxnashville.com)

If your dad loves fresh seafood (and showing off a little), book him an oyster-shucking class like the one at GT Fish & Oyster in Chicago. During the two-hour, chef-led class, get step-by-step shucking instructions, plus a dozen oysters with wine pairings to celebrate his new skill. ($65, gtoyster.com)

If his two favorite food groups are pizza and pasta, set him up to make his own, and where better to learn than in Italy? During the Cook & Conversation program at the Grand Hotel Tremezzo, guests can get a lesson from the on-site restaurant’s resident chef while picking up a little Italian language along the way. As an added bonus, he can borrow the property's vintage red Alfa Romeo Duetto Spider for a joy ride along the shores of Lake Como. ($195, grandhoteltremezzo.com)