Learn How To Be a ‘Modern Man’

The Boston Center for Adult Education wants to help you brush up on your guy skills.

Whether it’s the nuances of cigars, or how to dress like a gentlemen,  the Boston Center For Adult Education is rolling out a new series of classes for the first time to teach people in the Boston-area how to tap into their inner “modern man.”

“We are the place to come in Boston [for classes], and I think that as a community organization, our goal is to help the Boston community improve themselves,” said Andrew Castronovo, program manager at the BCAE, and the brains behind the latest series of classes being offered by the non-profit organization.

Castronovo said after noticing a lack of male interest in some of the courses that the facility hosts each year, they decided to add some interesting new options to their schedule, after an introductory pilot program about how to understand and engage in a Fantasy Football league proved successful. “It did very well…[it] had a laid back atmosphere. It was half men and half women, but that’s more men than we usually have,” he said.

The class, hosted by 98.5  The Sports Hub’s Mike Lockhart, launched the September through October agenda, called “The Man Code Series,” which features activities like “Basic Kitchen and Knife Skills,” “Stogies: Learning the Basics of Cigars,” “Best of Oktoberfest: German Beers,” and “Boston Men’s Style Clinic,” a course that will bring men to Newbury Street to learn how to dress better for work, and when out in the city. “I racked my brain about things that I would want to learn… and I think for people my age, there is a larger emphasis on self improvement that there has been in the past,” said Castronovo.

Castronovo acknowledged that the classes are catered towards some stereotypical men’s interests, but said they are in no way exclusive to the male population. “We offer a breadth of classes. We want women to take the classes as well,” he said, adding that there are group outings such as rock climbing lessons that offer good opportunities for mingling. “We aren’t pigeonholing ourselves…all we are doing is adding…classes [for] a certain demographic of people we thought we were missing from our catalogue.”

He hopes that as people become interested, and try out the courses, the BCAE will be able to keep these types of activities as part of a regular rotation of offerings. “This is the first time we will be offering the group of men’s classes, and we will be continuing to roll this out in the coming months and galvanize everything together so they become a staple of the center that anyone would be interested in,” he said.

Below is a sample, along with descriptions, of some of the classes at the BCAE. For more information, visit their website:

Stogies: Learning the Basics of Cigars
Aching to be an aficionado? Cigar Masters’ resident expert will give a brief history of tobacco, discuss the basics of growing and aging, cover all cigar types, demonstrate the art of cutting and lighting, and a brief discussion of flavor profiles.

Best of Oktoberfest: German Beers
Learn how to raise a pint right with Craft Beer Cellar’s Adam Mackie and Tony Porreca. The duo will lead a class that highlights some of the best German brews.

A Man, A Pan, & A Plan
Is it a struggle to boil water? Are friends and family beginning to tire of always having the cooking responsibility? Fearing a future of sad, frozen dinners? Get some cooking tips.