Blue Ribbon Cooking and Sanders Estate made our daughter's wedding and reception a spectacular day to remember for us and our guests. From our first meetings touring the venue and meeting with our event planner, Elizabeth, I instantly knew we were in great hands, with options abounding from which we could select to tailor our event. The food options were all supreme, and the service of the event staff throughout the wedding and reception flawless. Elizabeth seamlessly guided us through myriad details of options and alternatives as we planned the wedding and reception. The DIY options alone allowed us flexibility on costs. Among the many other venues we considered, the volume of options and one-stop-shopping were little to none elsewhere. Blue Ribbon Cooking offers the conveniences we wanted for this big day. And, Elizabeth's attention to detail in the setups of florals and table décor were spot on, every detail exactly as our daughter wanted. The bartender made the signature cocktails perfectly for our guests, and our guests were served without delay. She was also super engaging with our guests. The mansion itself as an option for the bridal party to stay the night before the wedding was a huge draw to selecting this venue. The aesthetics of the home and property provided a beautiful and inspiring atmosphere, making the wedding and reception feel like a fairytale and we were blown away. If you are looking for a venue and catering experience to make your event super special, particularly a wedding, this is the venue and caterer to choose. read more

Blue Ribbon Cooking Culinary Center - Cooking Schools Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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Came here for a team event. After a heavy day of fiery debate and hacking, I wasn't sure if I was in the mood for more feverish competitive activity with the same people but I was quite wrong and a good time was had! Just make sure you save some patience for figuring out the parking, especially in the summer days when you have to dodge kids in swimsuits. The event we did was essentially an Iron Chef-style competition, but we first had a happy hour of charcuterie cheese and fruit and an open bar (although the line for cocktails was a bit backlogged). We were divided into two groups with an assigned chef each to coach us through a 90 minute cooking session to come up with a meal plan consisting of our designated protein (my team got Salmon and the other team got chicken), 2 vegetarian sides, and a dessert. We had nearly access to a seemingly infinite amount ingredients to work with, but not all! Some ingredients even came from the garden outside but mostly the pantry is well stocked with so many different herbs, spices, cheeses, sauces, etc. Not to mention all kinds of kitchen equipment. We feared 90 minutes wouldn't be enough but it seemed to be just enough time without feeling too harried to brainstorm and come up with a plan, split up and prepare various dishes, plate for the judge as well as each other (to eat buffet style after the presentation). Each group selected a presenter to talk through the dishes and then we went to the main dining area to partake in each others' creations - with more drinks! The staff who judged the dishes had a lot of goodness to say about all the creations and the winning team got bragging rights and a blue mug. We dined right on Lake Union by huge windows such that it felt like the event turned into a fancy dinner cruise from there. All in all it was a great event and a great opportunity to connect. read more

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My 13 year old daughter did a week of summer camp here and LOVED IT. She's pretty shy and tends to get anxious about trying new things, so I was worried that she wouldn't like the cooking camp but I was blown away at 1) the fun she had every single day, 2) the skills and concepts that were taught to her in a way that kids could comprehend, and 3) the dishes she made. The summer camps are a little pricey but I think was worth it, because the kids not only get to cook and eat good food but they also went home with their own apron, knife, and digital recipe book! My daughter now has more passion and confidence to cook independently. Highly recommend! read more

Wonderful experience working with Blue Ribbon Cooking. They catered my wedding and every step of the process was exceptional. Everyone we dealt with there was friendly and kind. They were very understanding of any of our concerns and requests. We originally went to an open house they were holding so between that and the tasting we had with our contract, we got to try a variety of their food and it was far better than the food we had at other caterers we were considering. They also took all our guests' food allergies and restrictions seriously (unlike another caterer we visited who offered us a "vegan caesar salad" that was made with anchovies...). Also we chose the option to hire our day-of coordinator through Blue Ribbon and working with David Short was a dream. He got our unconventional wedding concept from the beginning and was excited about it and happy to collaborate with us on it or talk through ideas. He was very supportive at every turn and such a kind and calming presence on the actual wedding day. He tried wherever possible to take stress off of us. He let us drop off decor and things to him in the days before the wedding so we wouldn't have to worry about how to get it there. When I realized we hadn't put any thought into the decorations for the ceremony itself he came up with a lovely design repurposing lanterns and greenery we we had gotten for the tables later in the evening. And he brought us a variety of appetizers for me and my spouse so we'd have something to eat after the ceremony while we were signing the paperwork. I would highly recommend Blue Ribbon Cooking for any event. We will definitely be reaching out if we're planning future big events. read more

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The experience I had with Blue Ribbon Cooking's bartending services was beyond disappointing--frustrating, unacceptable, and honestly, one of the worst I've encountered at a wedding. As a wedding host, your biggest hope is for your guests to have a great time without unnecessary inconveniences. But instead of celebrating freely, guests were forced to endure unbelievably slow service, waiting upwards of 25+ minutes for a single drink. This is absolutely not the fault of the wedding couple--they deserved better, and so did their guests. The wedding took place on a hot day in Seattle, and after the ceremony, everyone was eager for a cold drink to cool off and enjoy the celebration. Unfortunately, that simple expectation turned into a frustrating ordeal. When I arrived at the downstairs bar during cocktail hour, I noticed the line wasn't moving... at all. Despite being only fifth in line, I waited at least 15 minutes--which meant that even the two people in line hadn't been served yet. Sensing disaster, I tried my luck at the upstairs bar, only to find an even slower-moving line. Thirsty and disappointed, I returned downstairs and braced myself for the wait. Finally, after what felt like forever, I reached the front and ordered the wedding's signature cocktail--only to be handed a sad cup of yellow liquid that tasted like nothing more than bitter water with two melting ice cubes. It was completely undrinkable. Frustrated but hoping for better service later in the night, I returned to the bar during a less busy time at dinner. The result? The same bitter yellow water, the same disinterested bartender, and the same terrible experience. And despite tipping well on the first round in hopes of a better pour, we were met with zero improvement--just a bartender who seemed irritated by the mere act of serving drinks. For the rest of the evening, I had to rely on lukewarm water with no ice at the dinner table just to keep from feeling dizzy in the heat. That's how bad the service was. I have attended many weddings over the past three years--including my own--in Seattle, LA, Arizona, Hawaii, Hong Kong, Seoul, and Bali. Each one had bartending services that were fast, professional, and generous--especially when guests were happily tipping. It shouldn't matter whether the wedding is in Seattle or anywhere else; good service is good service, and this company failed spectacularly. If you're considering Blue Ribbon Cooking for bartending services, save yourself the frustration and look elsewhere. This was not just bad bartending service--it was a disgrace. read more

It pains us to have to write a poor review, but it would do us, our guests, and future couples a disservice if we don't let everyone know what happened. This review is only about the myriad of problems the two bartenders they had on staff caused for our guests, and ultimately for us as the bride and groom who have to deal with the aftermath. For weeks after our wedding, many of our guests brought up all the problems they faced at the bar. The initial complaints were: many people felt like one of the bartenders was high on drugs, they weren't pouring drinks, they took their time, they wasted time, they were very slow, they were extremely unprofessional, they didn't know how to make our signature drinks (Manhattan and Moscow Mule), the drinks were inconsistent, they didn't seem qualified to be bartenders, guests felt like they had to tip to get bigger pours (i.e. getting hustled), etc. Other complaints we received: One guest was told they couldn't be served anymore because they "have the Asian glow", even after being served only one drink. This was witnessed by several close family members. Our wedding comprised mostly of people from Asian descent. Many Asians turn red even after one sip of alcohol; it is no indication of how much we drank. This crossed the line of poor service and into racial discrimination. Many guests waited in line for over 10 minutes just for the line to never move. People asked for double shots and multiple drinks because their previous experience of waiting in line forced them to want to be more efficient with their time. [Bride] was at the bar and asked one of the bartenders to make 5 of the same drinks. The bartender took far too long to make those drinks with coke and just a splash of whiskey. Everyone was watching the bartender, thinking about why he was purposely taking his time. When [Bride] asked for more alcohol to be poured for each drink, the bartender said "I can't, it's against the rules to pour more and I don't want to get in trouble". That is ridiculous when we pre-purchased the alcohol and he barely poured any. No one was drunk or being unruly - but a couple of guests were told that they were "cut off", even though we paid up front to extend bartending services for an extra hour. That was the moment [Bride] spoke up about something being off with the bartenders but by then, the party was nearly over. One of our groomsmen recounted a moment when one bartender stacked glasses on top of each other to make it look "fancy" before he poured alcohol. He witnessed a conversation between the two bartenders where the other bartender asked him what he was doing, then he put his hand on his forehead and shook his head. [Groom] also had to wait 5+ minutes to get his drink for table greetings when there was only one person in front of him. There was no sense of urgency to serve. He was also asked to "tip" him when we were packing up the drinks at the end of the night by giving him a handle of whiskey. After hearing about the racial discrimination complaint, we asked for our full bartending services payment back, but we were denied and our feelings essentially dismissed. It is entirely possible this could have happened to more than just this one guest. BRC is responsible for their staff and need to be held accountable for how disgusting their bartenders behaved. read more

This has got to be the worst company to book for a wedding. Their bartenders could not make any drinks that people requested. The drinks they claimed they could make, they made wrong. The cocktails were either 90% mixer or 90% alcohol, nothing in between. I had to ask the bartender to make me a moscow mule with Gosling's ginger beer and vodka. He told me he had never made a moscow mule with Gosling's ginger beer before, need I say more? DO NOT USE BLUE RIBBON COOKING FOR YOUR WEDDING OR ANY OTHER CATERING NEEDS. If I could give them 0 stars I would read more

This is a review for the kids cooking summer camp. I sent both of my sons to the cooking summer camp here. It was expensive, but it's worth the money. The kids do learn basic cooking skills from the camp, and they have their own space to work independently, unlike in some places where kids "share" and it normally ends up someone capable takes all the work. A bonus is that I don't have to worry about their lunch as they cook their own lunch on the camp! My kids didn't want to attend this camp at the beginning, but at the end of camp, they loved the camp so much and started to cook at home. They pretty much took over my dinner duties for the rest of summer. They are now so interested in cooking and finding new recipes. They have developed very good knife skills and they know how to handle many ingredients correctly. Before Covid, there's a dinner presentation where families are invited to try their work. During Covid, they bring back dinner from the camp to enjoy at home. I have attached the photos from the dinner before COVID here. If you're looking for a cooking camp for your kids to learn the fundamentals, this is the best place! read more

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This is an honest review for a wedding I attended last year where Blue Ribbon Cooking handled the catering and bartending. Being close to the bride and groom, I knew the catering was a packaged deal with venue and bartender. That sounded typical for wedding coordination and I guess suppose to alleviate the stress involved with the planning... but the last few days leading up to the wedding were fraught with last minute changes, changes that could easily have been avoided with better planning or just downright dishonest - Changing the initial venue agreement to double the costs of parking per guest less than a week before the wedding - Telling the bride two days before the wedding they did not have the previously selected linen napkins and that she would have to select new ones - Completely disregarding the planned table layout during the reception flip and skewing the tables haphazardly to one side - Breaching contract and halting alcohol service for guests before the allotted time and instead using that as an underhanded tactic to try to extract more tips from guests In addition to the bartenders not doing their job, they were disrespectful to everyone they were serving. I witnessed them insinuating some guests were too inebriated to serve because they were flushed. Further, one of the bartender's assistant himself was very likely intoxicated while serving (blood shot eyes, slow drink mixing). It was very likely his first time as he attempted to show off an unsolicited "fancy pour" by stacking our drink glasses in a pyramid ...for 3 old fashion ...with 20 guests waiting behind me. It was embarrassing holding up the line for an already slow service. And the cherry on top was when he had the nerve to ask us to tip him with one of the unused alcohol bottles when it was time to clean up. I would recommend anyone considering Blue Ribbon Cooking for their event to reconsider other caterer for the sake of their own sanity. Or at least ensure they are protected by their contract for the inevitable breach and 100% hire their own bartender! read more

We went to a friend's wedding in May. The bartender was not friendly! We only wanted a soda since I was pregnant and he rolled his eyes and seemed unpleased. He looked like he hasn't slept in days. The line was super long for drinks since he was sooo slow. It was a short interaction but he did not have any customer service skills. A hi what can I get you would have been fine but nope he didn't even do that much. Further more, he even had a mason jar for tips and he had the audacity to point to it for a tips!!!! For what!!! Pouring me a soda!!?!? When my friends already pay god knows how much for this dude who can't even comb his hair to work? I don't recommend this wedding catering! read more

Absolutely excellent service the entire time. Planning with Blue Ribbon was so easy, as soon as we told them the themes of our wedding and what we were going for, they immedeatly knew how to bring our dream vision to life. Our macabe elegant black and gold themed wedding was perfect, and the food was amazing. Our guests said it was the best wedding food they'd had. All my guests with dietary needs were met and they could fill up and no one left hungry! And the cake was so beautiful, the strawberry cream filling a mix of tart with a beautiful sweetness to it! Just excellent! read more

We love cooking camps at Blue Ribbon ! The kids come home happy, and proud to show off their creations. And it's all delicious too! The staff is organized, and thoughtful. See you next year :) read more

My son had an amazing time! He's been in many cooking camps before, but the summer baking camp at Blue Ribbon was his favorite!

Blue Ribbon was our first choice for wedding planning, venue location, and catering. David Short went above and beyond the call of service. Even when he experienced family circumstances, he stayed in touch and ensured that we were taken care of through the professionalism of Lilly and his team. Venue was unique, food was superb (all allergies and preferences were taken care of), floral was exquisite. The whole event was more than expected and absolutely lovely. read more

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My team did an Iron Chef competition at Blue Ribbon and we had a great time! The setup seemed to have a somewhat flexible start time (which helped since we were all wrapping up meetings at different times). Those of us who were able to make it early were able to enjoy some nice drinks and snacks while we waited for everyone to arrive. The competition itself was perfect and our team coach was really helpful - sourcing other ingredients and providing helpful guidance (without being too overbearing). The view of the Lake Union was so nice and we had an enjoyable time eating everything afterwards. I would definitely recommend this for a fun team event! read more

I attended a week-long full-day cooking school at the Blue Ribbon Cooking Culinary Center one summer while I was in high school. This was before I had my driver's license, so my parents would drop me off and pick me up each day. We learned to cook Italian food and spent the whole day cooking, yes we got to eat what we cooked :)! At lunch time we would to go to a nearby park to get some time outside. Some of the highlights of the cooking school activities for me included learning how to deseed a bell pepper efficiently, how to make my own pizza dough, and making my first Margherita Pizza (think Margaret not Margarita). We made our own pasta and had a lesson on making risotto. Us chefs in training also debated our favorite chefs, I was in the minority with Anthony Bourdain as mine, far more people liked Alton Brown from the TV show 'Good Eats'. The culmination of our training ended with us being divided into small groups and executing an Iron Chef-style competition. That was fun and a good exercise in cooking under short time constraints in a competitive environment. From my time at Blue Ribbon Cooking I took away lessons in making good food, a diploma of my graduation/completion of the course, an official Blue Ribbon Cooking chef's jacket/coat with my name embroidered on it, and a chef's knife. Happy memories all around! read more

Blue Ribbon Cooking Culinary Center - My chef's jacket/coat from cooking school. It even has a pocket sleeve! - Cooking Schools Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Our delegation of 40 Japanese and American leaders enjoyed another "best meal of the week" and an unforgettable experience with Blue Ribbon a few weeks ago and we could not be more grateful for this partnership that we have been able to continue to have for 10 years now! Thanks so much to the events team (Amy, Seppo, Vanessa) and all Blue Ribbon chefs for bringing so much fun and joy to so many, including our group. read more

I came here for a company morale event. It was a super fun event and I had a blast. If you're looking for unique and different ideas for a morale event I highly recommend coming here for an iron chef competition. When I walked in I got my blue ribbon and a piece of paper with the team I was going to be on. We split into different teams and each team had their own head chef. We had Chef Julie and also got help from Jake who were both amazing and really helpful. The competition was to make one main entrée with a base protein, two vegetarian sides, and a dessert. For our team we had chicken thighs and the team came up with ideas on what to make and our chefs had suggestions if needed. After we decided on our dishes we split into different groups to make them. They had all the ingredients you could want or use in a dish ready for us to use. Veggies, fruits, spices, everything. It got really wild when everyone was grabbing what they needed for their dishes. If you need help chefs are there for guidance but they give a lot of freedom and empower you to think about what goes well with what and allow you to make your own decisions. It was high pressure and everyone was going crazy with all the moving parts but I was able to see everyone working together and the dish coming together. The judges judged on multiple factors including but not limited to flavor, presentation, creativity, the menus we wrote, and even the cleanliness of our work stations. They ranked the winners and they got mugs as prizes. At the end you get to eat what everyone made. It was really fun to make something that everything will eat and enjoy and you get to try what your colleagues made as well. Sadly my team didn't win but I still had a great time! read more

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My husband had a Microsoft event a couple of weeks ago and I was able to join in on the fun! They delivered the cupcakes and ingredients the day of the event, they were all very neatly packaged too! The event started off with the chef introducing himself and explaining how the event will flow, he first guided us into making our own cupcakes and then we tried it on our own! This was a very fun zoom event! My husband and I had lots of fun decorating the cupcakes with all the ingredients they provided too! Such a fun event! It's such a great idea also to destress! Would highly recommend this company if you want to learn how to bake and Cook with friends! A must try! read more

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I've been here twice now for private cooking classes/experiences and it is such a blast! They have different types of events from competition style to more collaborative ones. They also offer public classes in non-COVID times. The space is lovely with a few large wooden tables to serve as chopping/working areas and upfront is the large area for grills, burners, ovens etc. The team at Blue Ribbon is very friendly and informative and absolutely want to make sure you enjoy yourself but still learn! They also certainly want to make sure the food is done properly so no one gets sick and dies ;) I would highly recommend this place for a team building event or a fun family event. Lastly they offer catering as well. I have not used them for this but I've heard good things from colleagues! read more

Technically, Blue Ribbon was just responsible for catering and florals for our 40-person wedding. But in reality, they did so much more. They helped us think through our overall timeline, counseled us through difficult decisions, and helped us stick to our budget. They handled little things that came up on the wedding day without batting an eye. And of course, their food was absolutely spectacular. Also, major shout-out to David, who evidently was STUNG BY MULTIPLE BEES at our venue but who waited on us hand and foot like we were royalty. He was so professional, we had no idea until we asked about it afterwards. Many thanks to you and the whole staff for making our wedding so beautiful! read more

I can't say enough positive things about my wife's, and I experience with Blue Ribbon Catering. We were introduced to Blue Ribbon at the Seattle Wedding Expo and was instantly blown away by the services they offer, the professionalism in which they run their company by and the standards and friendliness in which everyone in the company holds themselves to. From the tasting (which was a very fun experience we were able to do with ourselves, parents and friends) to working with us on food selection, everything went smoothly. Our coordinator took detailed notes of everything we talked about during the tasting and months later after we had solidified our guest counts and food options, she was able to bring all the notes on appetizers, entrees and desserts to help us make a decision on what we wanted. The food at our wedding was delicious and the portions were huge! Nearly everyone came up to us at one point during the night and told us their steak was some of the most tender meat they've eaten in a long time and the salmon was cooked to perfection. (I would highly suggest the Steak with Cab Sav sauce and the Salmon with Dijon Cream sauce) They also supplied a bartender who was masterful at her job and kept the line running quickly! No one waited for a drink longer than two minutes. I know people always balk at prices, but Blue Ribbon's costs are extremely reasonable to the value, quality of food, and experience they offer. Overall, our experience with Blue Ribbon was exceptional! Special thank you to Charles, Dave and our catering coordinator Kelsey! Anyone who gets to work with these individuals won't be disappointed. I will gladly use this company and recommend this company for any future catering needs. (Not just weddings!) read more

Absolutely some of the most delicious food I have ever had. The venue was classy, entertaining, and functional. Working with David was a joy and I would do it again any day! Full stars and I would recommend Blue Ribbon to anyone. read more

Our almost 5-year old daughter just loved Blue Ribbon cooking camp! The instructors seemed to have balanced just the right balance between fun/play and instructional cooking. At the end of every camp day, the kids got to bring home what they made and also got a "treat." I'm definitely signing her up for camp there next year. Thanks Blue Ribbon team! read more

We had our work holiday party at Blue Ribbon and we participated in an Iron Chef like competition. It was amazing fun. The staff was super friendly and felt like family. It was so nice to work in a large kitchen with all the equipment and ingredients at hand. The food turned out great and we all had an amazing time. I plan to get a group of friend together and do a similar event with them or even just take some of Blue Ribbon's cooking classes. Highly recommend this venue for large group events. read more

The fact that Blue Ribbon bills itself as a Cooking Culinary Center is mind-blowing considering the food is god-awful. They catered my brother's wedding in August and it was exceedingly terrible. My brother is a huge foodie and loves to cook, so we all had high expectations that he would choose a caterer with bomb ass food. Dinner was served buffet style and underwhelming to say the least. When the salad is the best part of dinner, you know there's an issue. The steak was cold, dry and under-seasoned, the sad salmon was dry and baked with a sprinkle of salt and pepper (no sauce) and the truffle mac and cheese was so dry we almost choked, with barely any cheese and zero truffle flavor. Blue Ribbon also provided the wedding cake. While it looked nice, you weren't really quite sure what you were eating flavor-wise. I gave up after one bite of the dry, dense and crumbly cake. There was so much food leftover, it was ridiculous. Just goes to show you how inedible it was. I literally felt so bad that my brother and his wife actually paid for this. If it were my wedding, I would've raised hell. Avoid this place at all costs unless you hate your guests. What you'll get on your big day won't look or taste anything like the day of your tasting. read more

Blue Ribbon catered our wedding in August and we couldn't be more disappointed overall. We had a beautiful venue and based on our tasting, were expecting the food to match. Unfortunately, we were tremendously disappointed. When we first found Blue Ribbon we were excited about their all inclusive offering, food, cake, bar service, decor all included. Less vendors to deal with sounded great to us. The planning with them went fine overall and besides a last minute cancelled planning session, we were happy with the lead up. We were also super excited after the tasting as the food and cake we tasted were fantastic! We were also able to make tweaks to customize our menu and stay within the package cost. We also decided to pay the upcharge for the wild salmon. That all leads us to the wedding day...the food was a total disappointment. The salmon we paid extra for was missing the sauce and was basically plain grilled salmon. When I asked about this, I was told the sauce had been used for something else...how does that happen?? We were also advised by some guests that the steak served was cold...not ok. The truffle mac and cheese had no truffle flavor period and was bland and watery compared to what we had at our tasting. The worst part of the food provided was the cake. It looked great but was inedible. The cake was dried out, dense and crumbly. It was absolutely terrible. We took the top home to give it a second chance, nope, still terrible. We threw it away immediately. We were truly disappointed with the food at out wedding. If we could go back in time and pick a different caterer, we would without a doubt. Blue Ribbon did partially compensate us for the total disappointment but still doesn't make up for the sub par food and absolutely terrible cake. If good food is an important part of your wedding and you want an edible cake...look elsewhere, BRC is not for you. read more

I had my wedding with Blue Ribbon and my experience working with them, and the aftermath, was so terrible that I feel compelled to say something publicly to help save future couples the time, expense, and frustration. We booked Blue Ribbon's Culinary Center for our wedding in October 2023 and hired one of their staff as our day-of coordinator (which is NOT included as part of the booking). We were assured that the coordinator would make sure the day ran smoothly and would help Blue Ribbon provide a full service wedding. However, our coordinator and primary contact was a source of constant miscommunication and planning issues throughout the process. And as we found out, the wedding package did not include basing arrangements like a seating chart or table numbers, which we had to DIY ourselves in the run-up. Among a variety of issues, the most egregious was spacing the ceremony aisle so narrowly that my husband had to walk BEHIND me as we came down the aisle together. The aisle was also lined with candles and most of our guests were watching whether my train would catch fire rather than enjoying the ceremony. This all happened despite us asking our coordinator explicitly to widen the aisle when we saw the setup during rehearsal. She ignored our request entirely and left things as they were. When we later raised this issue with the vendor, the owner blamed us for not proactively raising the issue on the day of (we had raised it BEFORE the day of, but Blue Ribbon's owner and director still blamed us). It is clear that the venue does not believe their coordinator or their staff are responsible for setting the venue up as required. We also provided multiple cases of wine and a lot of glassware for the event, and a lot of bottles of wine were left over by the end. After more than a month, we have still not gotten them returned. We have called multiple times, sent multiple emails, and showed up at the venue in person, but Blue Ribbon has still not returned anything to us. At each attempt, they inform us that the employee who can help us is not around, or outright said they don't know but will call us back later. Either they lack the organization to have kept track of our belongings and are now lying to us, or they are giving us the run-around. Either way, it is clear that the venue is not reliable. If you are looking for potential wedding venues, I highly recommend you find a venue with a more professional staff that will not take advantage of you. read more

Blue Ribbon is fantastic! This is a review for a group event where we split folks into two teams and battled it out Iron Chef style. Each team had a chef assigned to them by the cooking school to help them out, with a protein assigned as well, and then they had to come up with an entree with 2 sides and a dessert to be judged. The judge was the sales rep that coordinated the event with me ahead of time and then as well when I arrived. We started out before the cooking competition with a happy hour, then the teams went to work. The chefs were friendly, patient and informative. The judge announced the winners while we all sat down and ate our hard work together at a long table in the dining area after cleaning up after ourselves. One of the chefs brought out mugs for the winning team, along with trophies I had ordered and paid for myself ahead of time. She was happy to put them on a tray and deliver them as well. Then one of the staff stepped in and offered to take a group photo of everyone together. My team had such a blast doing this event. We spent several hours together. I received high praise from putting this together, and the majority of the credit goes towards the chefs and staff who made it happen. Thank you so much for a memorable evening. The price was right for what we planned on doing, and coordination of the contract and terms was a breeze. A huge thank you to everyone. read more

It was an outstanding experience working with Kelsey and Blue Ribbon over the weekend at a mutual client's wedding. With her expert help, calm demeanor, and positive attitude in coordination, she made my job as the DJ go so smoothly and I believe we exceeded the clients expectations. Everyone was complimenting how the entire formal ceremony and reception went efficiently. I look forward to working with Kelsey and Blue Ribbon in the future. God bless. DJ David @ Groove On Hyde Street DJ read more

On paper, this class seems like the perfect introduction to the culinary arts advertising that "Camp mornings will be spent learning to craft a fresh and nutritious full meal, including sauce making, working with different proteins, homemade pasta, sushi rolling and so much more. The afternoons will be focused on traditional baking techniques...including homemade bread, farmer's market quiches, cookies, cakes and so much more." It really seemed like it would be the perfect class for a child interested in cooking and trying something new. We had such high hopes for this course and ended up extremely disappointed. We enrolled two of my nieces (ages 15 and 16) for their Classic Camp that began July 19th and pulled them out after 1 day due to multiple issues. 1) The FAQ and covid guidelines were emailed to us on 7/16 advising of how the class size would not exceed 16 students and 4 teachers due to social distancing and that masks would be required. Upon arrival on 7/19, there were more than 30 kids enrolled in the course and masks were no longer required. Although Washington state mandates changed as of 7/1/21, Blue Ribbon provided no updates on their covid regulations sent 7/16/21. When we asked about why no one was notified, the only reasoning provided was that the Washington state mandate had been lifted. 2) There was no discussion on the importance of hand washing and basic food safety even though the kids were working with raw chicken. Although they stated in their handbook that "frequent handwashing and sanitizing will be required for all campers and their instructor", this was not enforced or discussed why sanitation is important. 3) With the sushi making portion of the class, it was understandable that they provided no raw fish due to health concerns. But in order to make up of the lack of sinks, the station had small bowls of water to share to rinse their fingers. When rotating to a different work station, those same water bowls at the sushi station were not replaced as there were rice pieces floating in the water. There were no utensils readily available so many students opted to use their hand to pick up ingredients from shared bowls. 4) Kids were signed in by an adult upon arrival but there was no accountability on when the students left for the day. In an attempt to be flexible with parents, the program listed an option of early pick up and normal pick up times. The largest issue with this was that the actual teachers and staff had no idea on which child left early. There was no sign out process and kids left without anyone's knowledge. Much of the actual class time was independent and hands off which defeats the purpose of having chefs as teachers. It is one thing to encourage students to take charge and another thing to have no actual teaching. This course costs almost $800 per student and yet somehow there was a shortage of basic tools, lacked actual instructions or basic food safety. This course has the potential to be highly educational and to engage our next generation but the course fell short of their promises. I really do wish that for future programs they reevaluate how they market this class. This summer class as it currently stands is not a cooking class. read more

Blue Ribbon provided a great experience catering our wedding. From our initial tasting, to the day of the wedding, we were treated to amazing service. Our coordinator Dave exceeded our expectations, meeting with us until 10PM at times to get everything perfect. My wife and I would not hesitate to recommend Blue Ribbon to anyone looking for catering. read more

I cannot say enough about blue ribbon!! I have been using their services since 2019 for everything from birthday parties for myself and kids at their namesake event space, catering parties at our house and even catering food for my daughters' private school. in every single instance, I have been impressed; whether it is the constant creativity as we are planning the event and food menu, how thoughtful they are about the children when things are for me to share with my daughters' school (always fun ideas!!), the fact that every dish is always incredible, and importantly, the most critical ingredient of a very prompt and friendly staff who will do anything to make your event effortless for you, your guests and execute your vision...flawlessly!! So many of my friends have commented on many occasions how beautiful the events are and how delicious the food is. I could not more highly recommend their services!! read more

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The Blue Ribbon team made our event an amazing experience. There passion for food, and their guests shines through in every detail. We hosted an event for seasoned event professionals, and everyone was blown away by this experience. The team at Blue Ribbon is top notch. Highly recommend! read more

I love love love working with Vanessa, Adam, and everyone at Blue Ribbon Cooking School. As local Wedding Planning company, we have worked with many different catering companies. What stands out with Blue Ribbon is their custom menus, passion for food and a great event, and can do attitude! I LOVE how they try to find new and unique ways of making a menu tailored to the couple. Not just a "choose option A or B" type of catering company. . . they truly care about the whole experience for our clients throughout the planning process, as well as the experience of all of the wedding guests on the actual wedding day! Their menu tastings are hands down a favorite, and such a great event for our clients! We leave SO full, with so much great info, and amazing options for their menu. They also offer many other services, which can be so nice to make things easier on the couple and logistics (instead of booking outside rentals, flowers, cake, etc!). I've worked with Vanessa for years and years and am still so impressed with her, and the whole company. They handle even the toughest, most logistically-challenging events with grace and a smile. One of my top go to's for any event, I would HIGHLY recommend them to anyone and everyone! LOVE working with them! read more

Blue Ribbon Cooking Culinary Center - From one of our weddings! - Cooking Schools Near Me - Seattle, Washington

August 19,2021 The short story - run the other way! This is in no way a good experience. 12 members of an industry roundtable met in Seattle. Our roundtable facilitators administrator, who always does an excellent job, booked Aqua Restaurant for the first night and Blue Ribbon for the second night. It turns out both venues were a similar cost, but on a scale of 1 to 10, Aqua was a 9 and Blue Ribbon was 1. Our Blue Ribbon bill was $3,881.29. Here is the bill 12 Dinners with 20% service charge $1,656.00 Wine and Beer package with Bartender and 20% service charge $2,018.40 Sales tax $206.89 The wine was cheap grocer store wine, totally unremarkable. When we entered the restaurant there was no one to greet us and walked around the venue until we found the "cooking school" room. The only staff working that night was our cooking instructor and her helper. They left after they served dessert and didn't say good by. We received no bill that night. When we showed ourselves out, we saw another person working - there was a man 10' from the front door washing kitchen matts. Blue Ribbon's venue is unattractive - it has old worn furnishings, a dated grandmas look, it was not clean and was not prepared for guests. Including no toilet paper in the ladies room. Although it was obvious that the staff changed used it to change into their work clothes. Our dinning table was very small for 12 guests, We sat elbow to elbow on white folding chairs. We did have white cloths napkins, but there was nothing special about the table setting. Our cooking instructor was pleasant, we divided into 2 teams and we prepped the food and she cooked it. Although the demonstration kitchen had duel stovetops, we each team was given an electric burner to reduce a liquid. Our instructor prepped our tenderloin first. When she stated its cooking time and temperature, there was protest from the home cooks that it would be well done. She overruled them and overcooked the tenderloin. Each team prepped the few other dishes and jokingly competed with each other. The chef cooked our creations, but did not keep our food separated by teams, so there could be no comparison. read more

My team did an Iron Chef competition w/Pike Place shopping event with Blue Ribbon Cooking and it was amazing! The team had a great time and was still raving about it days later. I've been setting up events for Google for 6+ years and this is the best reaction I've ever had at any of my events. The staff was so kind, organized and fun to work with. Everyone loved the aprons Blue Ribbon had embroidered for us and I can say from start to finish, we had a great time. read more

Loved the whole experience..Came here with my tram for a team building activity and it was so much fun. We were welcomed with lavender lemonade, strawberry lemonade and cheese crackers fruit dates. We then were taken to our own Kitchens. We chose happy hour menu so we made 2 appetizers 1 dessert and a cocktail. The chefs were super helpful and helped us innovate our dishes. We came to a tie and the judge said it was one of the most thoughest competition to judge. We were all given coffee mugs as awards. This is an amazing Place for team building read more

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My husband and I got married in late September and had our lovely ceremony and reception at Blue Ribbon. With 3 months to plan a wedding, it is doable with the help of this team! All the wedding details can get a bit overwhelming however our wedding coordinator Erika was so gracious, flexible and organized. She never rushed us into committing on certain details and offered such great guidance. One instance being, my husband and I decided on different themes for the bridal bouquet arrangement and table arrangements. Erika suggested we incorporate a central flower into both arrangements to satisfy both themes while making the entire feel feel streamlined. We had a series of 4 meetings: decor, food, day of events and final run through. We trusted Erika and knew that when she said she'd do something, she did. So each time we left a meeting, my husband and I felt so relieved with all the things we got to check off our list! Day of execution was flawless and again, with the trust, we felt so at ease and calm during our wedding day. The bridal bouquet was more beautiful than I could imagine (props to the florist). the food was plentiful and delicious and the staff was kind. Each mouth was stuffed! My only small qualm is that the speaker system does not weave through the entire building, so the volume of music at the front is louder than the back. We hired a guitarist and he used a microphone/speakers but it only projected so far...but not a big deal. Many thanks Blue Ribbon for one of the happiest days I can remember. :) read more

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Our work had a group activity here called the Food Truck Wars. There weren't actually food trucks present when we were there, but the food we cooked was based off the quick and dirty version of creating food for a food truck. We started the evening with some appetizers and drinks. Apps included an interesting take on nachos, Asian style BBQ pork and some other small bites. We were then divided into three groups/themes: sushi, Southern and tacos. Quite the variety of food, I'd say! They were all fun themes too. I was on the sushi team, we also got to name our food truck... sadly, I can't rememberthe name, but we were assigned a professional chef to each team who guided us and taught us what to do. The sushi rice and salmon and eel were already prepared for us so we basically cut the veggies, made them into tempura, and made the rolls. It was definitely a fun and exciting environment! We were a little pressed for time so some of our rolls were crazy, but each team ultimately had to plate one chef's dish so they could judge. In the end, all teams made really tasty dishes, but the Southern team broke out and won with their amazing Bourbon chicken and tasty, creamy dessert. They got mugs as the prize. Overall, I'd recommend this for a corporate activity because it's fun, interactive and delicious! read more