Had the pleasure of working with Maria for my daughter's Sweet Sixteen birthday party. Introduce to…read moreMaria through 904 Picnic Co who was providing the luxe picnic set up for the party. Maria provided strawberry lemonade, water, sandwiches, and meat/cheese boards for the party. Everything was delicious and fresh! It looked beautiful with the 904 Picnic Co set up. Reviewing her website she does have many catering options. If you have a special event from date night to a large event definitely consider Maria!

Maria was fantastic from start to finish. Planning a surprise dinner for my family while on…read morevacation couldn't have been easier. Maria was great in creating a menu(around dietary needs), cooking with two young kids and letting them help, and pleasant to speak to. Not to mention the food was unbelievable. Look no further, you've found the chef you need.

My husband and I recently hired Chef Walter Busconi as our personal part-time Chef. He has been…read moreoutstanding in every regard. He is an excellent chef, with all the credentials, including expertise in nutrition. Chef Walter has an extensive collection of tried and true recipes and has self-published several cookbooks. He is creative and knowledgeable when it comes to food prep, pleasant to be around, eager to please and focused on the job at hand. We like him a lot. His meals have great eye appeal, contain healthy ingredients and have been delicious. Best of all, Chef Walter suggests a meal plan, does the shopping, prepares three meals that are easy for me to reheat and get on the table with minimal fuss, and leaves my kitchen spotless. I highly recommend Chef Walter Busconi. Kathleen Cort

For Valentine's Day this year, I decided to mix things up a bit and hire a private chef to cook…read moredinner for me and my wife. After some back-and-forth with several prospects, I decided to go with Chef Walter Busconi Lage or "Chef of the World" as he bills himself. He created a few different menus based on our preferred cuisines and we worked together to mix and match some of the elements of each to come to a three-course meal I knew we'd both enjoy. Arriving promptly at 4pm for a 6pm service, he was very friendly and accommodating. Chef Walter brought all of the necessary equipment to perform his craft, and right around 6pm we sat down to our first course of a goat cheese souffle. Impossibly light and rich at the same time, it was a fantastic starter. It came with some mixed greens on the side that were dressed with a flavorful vinaigrette. Our entree was surf and turf: bison ribeye with lobster, served with potatoes dauphinoise and asparagus in an orange zest hollandaise. The bison was cooked to perfection, with a delicious compound butter that helped with the natural leanness of bison. The potatoes were rich and yielding, and the asparagus was tender but still with a nice snap and the creamy hollandaise made it a joy to eat. The one miss on this course was the lobster, which was overly soft and didn't add much to the plate. For dessert we were served a cognac creme brulee with whipped topping. This was the best creme brulee I've ever eaten; the hint of cognac really set off the other flavors and it was not overly sweet. While not inexpensive, Chef Walter is a man who knows his craft. He was friendly, hospitable, punctual, and I wouldn't hesitate for a second to work with him again in the future.

This is an amazing experience and if you get the opportunity I highly recommend. We did the pasta…read moremaking class and could not have loved it more. My husband and I love to cook so this was perfect to help build our skills and learn something new. The set was perfect and the food turned out fantastic. Thank you chef for answering all our questions and being patient with us.

From the owner: Cozymeal is an award-winning provider of cooking classes, private chef services, food tours and…read moreteam building activities with local chefs and food tour guides in Jacksonville. Consumers as well as small and large companies use us regularly for all their culinary needs, from couples cooking classes to team building activities to bachelorette parties to private dinners.

We got reservations for the Burgandy Date Night experience. This was a phenomenal experience. It…read morewas a cooking class and dinner rolled into 1. A room full of couples that didn't know each other bonded over cooking a meal and dining together. Each part of the meal was amazing. Chef Janette is an excellent professional. Very patient with everyone and an amazing chef. Highly recommend coming for the experience and food!!

We took the Shrimp spring roll class and it was fantastic. We started with our choice of champagne…read moreor a mimosa. Our instructor was Janice who is Little Miss Ha. The kitchen area is bright and inviting. There is a table where we sat and had our own work boards and areas. All of the ingredients for the shrimp spring rolls had been prepped. Janice walked everyone through their first roll and then we were off doing our own. She had prepared lemon grass beef so we could add those to the rolls. She also made a Vietnamese cabbage salad with poached chicken and several sauces. Our extra shrimp rolls were wrapped up to have at home. Vietnamese food is so light and fresh but I had plenty to eat. We learned a lot about sauces and seasonings. It was a wonderful experience and I look forward to taking other classes.

Yesterday I had the opportunity to volunteer at The Kitchen House & my experience was such a…read moredelight. At first I felt excited and nervous, just because it's a new experience for me.However, Nicole, Blake, Megan & even Ms. Ivann made me feel so welcome! I joined in on a culinary class based on sauces, stocks and soups and the guests did an amazing job. The concept of the volunteer is to guide the guests & just be a kind person in their culinary journey This venue is breathtaking, the kitchen is awesome and the knowledge you gain is so worth the experience. I will definitely be back to volunteer again! The guests made: mac and cheese, green bean casserole, kale soup & an awesome salad with the veggies sourced from their own garden Please take a class! I know i definitely want to!

This is a fun garden space and non-profit that promotes healthy eating habits and hosts cooking…read moreevents. I went with my classmates for medical school and we made 2 different types of spaghetti- one had meat (very good, picture 1) and the other was vegetarian (wasn't terrible, picture 2). The garden is beautiful and the employees are friendly and gave us a tour of the spot.

My kids had a great time at Jax Cooking Studio. The class was informative, fun, and kid-friendly…read more The facility was clean and it's always nice to support a local small business. It's a bit pricey, but the experience was enjoyable and memorable for the kids. Great place for any and everyone! Date night, solo time, family outings, girls day, whatever... it's a solid experience.

Chef Carl, along with his sous chef and dishwasher were professional, experienced and patient as he…read moredemonstrated techniques and offered handy tips while preparing courses and kept all the cook stations tidy. A misunderstanding about attendance was quickly resolved and we began our evening. This meal was a requested duplicate from a few months back using bourbon and it was very very good. Demonstrations have live feed camera and you can watch screen, if you cannot get up to the counter! Would highly recommend. A great experience with group or date night too!

Sur La Table is a whole experience!…read more Sur La Table was such a vibe! This class ended up being one of the absolute highlights of my trip to Jacksonville. My friend and I had the time of our lives, and it honestly felt like the perfect mix of learning, laughing, and connecting. One thing I loved most was how inclusive the whole experience is. Everyone gets a role, everyone gets involved, and you naturally end up chatting with new people. We met the sweetest couple and clicked instantly--it felt like we'd known them forever. Such a great way to build community while doing something fun. Quick note for anyone with dietary restrictions: I don't eat meat, and this particular class featured steak. They let me know that if I had called ahead, they would've happily made accommodations. So if you have allergies or restrictions, give them a heads‑up! They're extremely accommodating, which I really appreciated. We booked the Chef's Table date night class, and the menu was incredible. We made homemade gnocchi, a fresh salad, and a strawberry‑thyme sorbet that was a 10/10. The whole meal was simple, approachable, and taught in a way that made even "fancy" dishes feel doable at home. I left feeling inspired and ready to recreate everything in my own kitchen. Huge shoutout to our chef--he was from South Florida, and although I can't remember his name, he deserves all the praise. He explained everything clearly, shared a bit about himself, made everyone feel comfortable, and kept the energy fun and collaborative. His team and the store staff were just as amazing--kind, helpful, and genuinely excited to be there. From the safety walkthrough to the hands‑on techniques, everything was thoughtful and well‑organized. I'm already looking forward to coming back and doing it all over again. Thank you, Sur La Table, for such an unforgettable experience!

I am extremely disappointed with the way my 16-year-old daughter was treated at the Sur La Table…read morecooking camp. My daughter has Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), a disabling condition that prevents her from standing for long periods. During the first two days of camp, my husband explained her condition to the staff, and they provided a chair so she could fully participate without unnecessary pain. On June 24, however, Chef Josh Sziranko handled the situation very differently. When my daughter politely asked for a chair, he questioned why she needed one. After she explained that she had a medical condition, he dismissed her request, threw up his hands in frustration, and refused to provide the accommodation that had already been given the previous two days. As a result, my daughter was forced to stand far longer than she could physically tolerate, causing a severe CRPS flare-up. Weeks later, she was still experiencing increased pain because of what happened. She was even unable to finish the remainder of the camp because of the pain. What disappointed me just as much was the lack of response from management. I contacted the store immediately after the incident and spoke with Casey, who said General Manager Kathleen would call me. Kathleen called the following day and said she would handle the complaint. Still, after that, despite another follow-up call from me, we never received an update, an apology, or any indication that the matter was taken seriously. A business that welcomes children should also know how to treat children with disabilities. A simple chair had already been approved and provided by staff on previous days, yet my daughter's request was dismissed, causing her unnecessary pain. I hope Sur La Table takes this experience seriously, provides disability awareness and ADA accommodation training to its staff, and ensures that no other child or customer with a disability is treated this way. I cannot recommend this location based on our experience.

Blue Bamboo has been on our radar for years but somehow with all our time in Jacksonville we still…read morehadn't been.. That was till last weekend went we made a reservation a week out and locked in. We came in for dinner and were quickly seated. We started off with checking out the drink menu and I had to try the Asian Whiskey Smash which sounded very refreshing. Once ordered I have never seen a drink come out faster which made me think it might have been premade but it was still good. Of course course also had to get an appetizer and when with a classic for us that being the Crab Rangoon's which are made with actual Lump-Crab and not Krab....I was also a big fan of the sauce it came with since I'm not a huge fan of the radioactive Sweet & Sour Sauce that many come with. I ordered another drink and this time went with Sake. I got the Sakari Demon Slayer which came in a "Juice Box" which was fun. Not the best Sake for sure but fun and cheap. For my entree I went with the Red Curry Shrimp & Grits. Being such a Curry and Shrimp & Grits fan it's just the best of both worlds. Ashley got the General's Chicken and we also ordered the Chow Fun with Beef for a noodle dish to share. The Red Curry Shrimp & Grits was very good and for sure a must try. It was rich and loaded with shrimp, veggies, and those tasty grit cakes. I have only had a Curried Shrimp & Grits once before and this one was for sure better and that one was good too. Now as if I couldn't speak more on thr Red Curry Shrimp & Grits that wasn't even the best dish of the night. That has to go to the Chow Fun with Beef! This was the best Chow Fun I have ever had by far. This is a must get every time you visit Blue Bamboo. The beef was so tender and the Chow Fun was cooked perfectly and so flavorful. We will for sure be coming to Blue Bamboo again!

Trying to be fair here..... we lived in the far east and NYC Montreal San Fran China towns…read more Ambience? Very nice. A five Star. Service? Same. We had curry noodles off the regular menu a four star. However when it came to the dim sum? Does not compare to other Jacksonville dim sum restaurants.....Not many choices. Ribs were terrible we ordered four different dim sums. The sauces with them were blah as were the dim sums A lot more work needed here