Chef Ben provided a fun, educational and adventurous experience. We made Tikka Masala at Carruth Winery. He was very welcoming and kept pulse of everyone's needs throughout the evening. The way he course corrected how he prepped the naan dough was great! Cooking is all about improvising where and when needed. The meal was delicious and paired well with the Carruth Syrah. We made friends, had fun and look forward to our next event. Keep rocking it Chef Ben and enjoy the process. It's not about perfection, rather the process of the real cooking experience. Thank you!! read more

Chef Ben Mastracco - Tikka Masala, Jasmine Rice & Garlic Naan - Personal Chefs Near Me

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Had such a fun girls' night out cooking with Chef Ben at Carruth Cellers in Solana Beach! We made Pad Thai and it was delicious! Loved hanging out with our table mates and learning a dish I'd usually never try at home--pretty confident I can actually make it now! read more

Chef Ben Mastracco - Personal Chefs Near Me

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The food class was spot on in terms of the taste and ease of recipe. His tips were helpful and clear. We had a great time and the wine didn't hurt either! read more

Chef Ben Mastracco - Wine and fun! - Personal Chefs Near Me

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Chef Ben's Tamale and Salsa cooking class was well organized with full of time saving tips. Everything turned out delicious! read more

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My wife and I recently took Ben's Neapolitan pizza making class, and it was fantastic! We've been making pizza at home for years now, but always felt that our results were not as good as they could be. This class taught us "real" pizza making: making the dough and sauce from scratch - Italian style, of course, and how to cook it. It was a fully hands on class. We used his outdoor pizza ovens, but after the class, he emailed the recipes which also included instructions on how to do it in a normal home oven. The pizza we made in the class was amazing - if I was served it at a restaurant, I would have been totally happy with it. (Okay, it maybe wasn't as beautiful as it could have been, but that was just my lack of skill - I'm working on it!) Because the dough takes a couple of days to ferment, we used dough made by Ben to make the pizza in class, and got to bring home the dough we ourselves made in the class. We made our first Neapolitan pizza at home, and were very happy with the results. Ben's a great teacher and the class was a lot of fun. Highly recommended! read more

Ben is super thorough on all of those details to make something great and amplify! His class was fun and delish!

Really fun pizza making class!! I highly recommend it for a family or group of friends! Ben makes it enjoyable and approachable!

My friend and I were fortunate to have Ben as our Carlsbad food tour guide in September. We were so impressed that we booked him for a private birthday luncheon at our house. We had several menu options to choose from and we chose Mediterranean. It was a 4 course meal (didn't do dessert). Ben came to the house and used our kitchen to prep but he brought all the food, dishes and pans with him. He served each course explaining the ingredients. We had an appetizer, soup, salad and main course. Wow!!! The food was amazing and more than we could eat. He also has a great personality which helped enhance the experience. The kitchen was spotless when he finished. I highly recommend him as a personal chef and tour guide. We hope to use him again for cooking class. If you want a great meal and to be waited on, this is for you. read more

So much fun. Chef Ben really teaches a great class on pasta making .. covers every detail to making pasta. He has a great personality and gives attention to each person in the class. I took a ravioli class with him and I can now make my own ravioli. read more

Ben is a gift. His high quality, organic food offerings are diverse. He creates something for every pallet. The service is seamless. I am feeding one. Ben allows me to have high quality organic meals with variety and portions that suit my requirements without a lot of food waste. Ben's service makes for a great, culinary experience at a practical price point. Contact Ben! read more

With two of the three of us being vegetarians, but also having different palettes, I'd grown tired of cooking something different for everyone. I happened upon Ben while on Yelp looking for meal services, and the food he prepared looked exactly like the sorts of things we would enjoy. We have not been disappointed since we started using his meal service in September. I am always excited when I know my new menu options are about to arrive and we can choose our meals for the week. I can pull from the new menu or previous recipes we have enjoyed and ask him to customize however we like. It's been life changing--no joke. I barely go to the grocery store anymore, so I think price wise, it is very reasonable. We eat a variety of healthy, delicious food. And I don't need to cook any more! Highly recommend! read more

I was referred to Ben by my nutritionist. I am a life-long vegetarian with very sensitive palette. It has always been a real challenge finding nutritious recipes that I enjoy eating. I sat down with Ben before starting his program and explained the challenges I was facing. Cooking is not my thing. I've never enjoyed doing it. So I rely far too much on take-out food. I told Ben this up-front. I explained that I needed recipes that were as simple as possible. What I appreciate about Ben is that he doesn't expect you to completely re-vamp your kitchen or make drastic changes to your diet. I have found that some food coaches are really hard-core, have very strict rules or regimes you have to follow, and expect you to have a perfectly clean diet by time you've completed their program. Ben's approach is much more relaxed. He makes sure to ask you what types of foods and flavors you like so he can tweak his recipes or make suggestions. In the beginning, I was a bit overwhelmed since I am not someone who cooks regularly. So I did have to buy a fair amount of ingredients to stock my pantry. As I was reading through his recipes online, I would always ask "can I do this? Am I allowed to make this modification"? I appreciate that Ben doesn't pressure you to make sure every single ingredient you bought was 100% organic or that you had to make every part of the meal from scratch. Yes, you are allowed to take some shortcuts and buy some pre-packaged items. He would give guidance on what to took for (and avoid) on product labels so you can get the healthiest versions possible. It's really about taking small steps that you can gradually implement over time. There is an overwhelming amount of information out there on what is considered "healthy" and this can make changing your diet seem incredibly difficult. Ben helped keep me focused on what really matters most rather than pressuring me to change everything about my diet. Between classes, Ben and I would have one-on-one meetings where I could discuss where I was succeeding, and where I was struggling. I had lots of questions about kitchen equipment, cooking tips, and recipe ideas. Ben always had super helpful information, and he wasn't sure about something, he would do some research and come back with some resources. The classes were always easy-going and fun, and I really enjoyed hanging out and chatting after we cooked. There was no Gordon Ramsay-like pressure to do everything perfectly - each person could go at their own pace. The food was delicious, and if I knew ahead of time that there was dish I wouldn't like, I was free to modify the recipe or something else entirely. The goal is to make healthy food that you enjoy eating - otherwise there's no way you'll stick to it. Being in class really helped me just get into the kitchen. Before I knew it, I was cooking more often, and with more confidence so I didn't always feel the need to follow a recipe word for word - and I didn't feel like I did something "wrong" by making changes. This was a big change for me. Before, I often felt that I had somehow failed if I didn't follow a recipe exactly. This is really the essence of Ben's coaching. He gives you guidance on what is healthy, but wants you to have the confidence to experiment with cooking on your own. I still can't say I love cooking, and I probably never will. I still eat more take-out food than I should. But the important thing is I am cooking for myself more often and creating healthier meals than I was before, and it's not so overwhelming. Cooking with a group of people in a casual, relaxed environment gave me a kitchen experience I could actually look forward to and held me accountable for getting some much-needed practice in the kitchen. Thanks so much Ben for creating such a relaxed fun atmosphere to learn in! I now have a solid foundation to build on. I am certainly looking forward to taking more of your classes! read more

Cookbook cooking was never my thing. So, I stuck to the few things I could cook, dined out and mostly ate processed food. Recently I learned I have a digestive issue possibly caused by eating processed foods. I knew I had to try something different. Right about that time I met Ben through an online cooking class at my company. Next, I decided to try his Plant Based Class Series. Through six weeks of online classes, one on one's, video tutorials and Q&A sessions I started to get the picture. I couldn't believe the healthy delicious food I was making and the flavors I had been missing my whole life. The concept of meal planning was new to me, but it fit perfectly with my busy lifestyle. Best of all I was having FUN! I now have more confidence in the kitchen and knowledge to follow through on a healthier lifestyle. I learned a lot in such a short period of time. I'm excited to be taking another Class Series with Ben soon. His approach is easy going, supportive and judgement free. He has a genuine interest in helping people reach their health goals. My life is forever changed. I encourage anyone ready to make a positive change in their life to connect with Ben. read more

Before I met Ben my food choices were abysmal and affecting every area of my life. I was eating out nearly every night, feeling beyond lethargic, and trying to figure out my next meal after I was already ravenous. My husband and I were fighting about food on a daily basis and grocery shopping every day. Living that way wasn't sustainable and was putting unneeded stress on both of us and our relationship. My food choices were also severely affecting my chronic health issues. I was eating food that promoted inflammation despite thinking that I was eating relatively healthy foods. I needed help and help fast. Now that Ben helped both me and my husband learn how to make better food choices, how to meal plan for the week, and taught me some basic cooking skills (while being understanding that it's embarrassing to be a 38-year-old who never learned to cook)- I'm finally finding joy in food versus stress. My husband I spend our Sundays together at the local farmer's market, then make a quick trip to the grocery store and then come home to cook together to prepare our food for the week. This method has not only made our lives much easier, helped me deal with my chronic health issues, but has also brought us closer to each other and strengthened our relationship. We now look forward to our Sunday food prep days. We don't fight about food nor scramble to get a meal together at the last minute. We don't spend extra money nor buy food that we're not going to eat. Investing in food coaching with Ben has actually been a money saver in the long run for us and also a relationship saver. Ben brought humor, kindness, understanding, and skills into our household. He was nonjudgmental from the beginning and didn't move faster than I was comfortable with. He let me progress at my own rate, while also gently pushing me forward. He was able to hold space for my mixed emotions when discussing food and the fact that my husband was already a seasoned cook (no pun intended). Even our dog has changed her eating habits. She now demands that we give her some of our delicious homemade vegan food. Our lives are much easier, we both feel healthier and more connected to each other thanks to Ben. I highly recommend hiring Ben. Hiring Ben is an investment, but it's been a very worthwhile investment for me and my husband. read more

My wife an I have taken several classes and it's not only fun, we're learning to use new ingredients. Can't wait for the Greek class this Friday. keep it up Ben! read more

My neighbor introduced me to Ben and his Friday Night Cooking Classes. What a great idea, even more so now that we've been on lock down. In a very informal, sociable atmosphere, Ben puts together three course plant based dishes that are not difficult, very tasty and provide a nice variety from my standard fare. Ben's style is engaging, laid back and encourages camaraderie and eliminates fear for the not-so-experienced chefs. I have signed up for Thai, Indian and Italian and love that he sends out recipes and an ingredient list prior to classes, including tips for where to find special ingredients or what to substitute. Sign up for these well-priced fun classes. It's a lovely way to kick off the weekend! read more

Discovering Ben Mastracco was a COVID-19 silver lining for me and my family. In January we had decided to be mostly plant-based (after watching The Game Changers). But by March, I was so TIRED of salads!!! (you guessed it, I'm not much of a cook!). So here I am, bored with meals, and in LOCKDOWN mode....I had heard that one way to deal with sheltering-in-place was to make sure the family had something to look forward to. The virtual cooking courses absolutely changed our lives. Not only did we have something to look forward to each week, we ended up with AMAZING 5-star deluxe meals (seriously, every time we sat down we were so impressed with ourselves!), BONUS: we got to meet people from all over (and now look forward to seeing them each week) AND the virtual cooking courses double as date night (true confessions - we didn't even have one before COVID-19!). Other perks: I learn useful stuff - like how to hold a knife, get more juice out of a lime (handy for not only carrot tacos but my margaritas), cut an onion....and I actual like being in the kitchen trying out bits and pieces of what I learn throughout the week. read more

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I have been attending Ben Mastracco's classes and it has literally opened my eyes to how easy and delicious plant based recipes can be. Ben has a unique talent for combining ingredients to pull together a recipe that will knock your socks off. His nutrition education and job experience in the food industry really pays off! Before taking Ben's classes, I thought plant based would be boring and not-so-tasty. My whole perception has certainly changed because of Ben. I am looking forward to every class and also to getting healthier every week. It is great because each class offers you a chance to prepare 3 recipes in the class. At the end of the cooking session you have a delightful meal. I would recommend his cooking classes to anyone who wants to be healthy and is open to discovering some outstanding plant based recipes. read more

Looked for some fun and productive experiences during our stay-at-home recommendations. Finding Ben and his cooking classes was one of the highlights! We chose a plant based lifestyle months ago but his recipes, classes, suggestions and encouragement definitely raised the bar! Choose Ben! read more

Ben's cooking classes were recommended by someone in my WW (weight watchers) group so what better time to try a virtual cooking class than a shelter in place! I signed up for the vegetarian Indian Fusion class the same day and Ben promptly emailed me the instructions and ingredient list. It was a reasonable about of ingredients and many of them were to be used in multiple dishes which I liked. The class was super informative and easy to follow and Ben was very casual yet knowledgeable and professional. At the end of the 2 hour class I had made a naan pizza and cauliflower spring salad - I am honest by saying it was some of the best food I've had in a long time, I've shared the recipes with several people who can't wait to try it! The meal was flavorful, colorful, healthy and so delicious! Highly recommend Ben's classes/instruction! read more

Chef Ben Mastracco - Cauliflower spring salad with fried garbanzo beans - Personal Chefs Near Me

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Before working with Ben, I had a very up and down relationship with food. There was "good" and there was "bad". It was all about control and consumed so much of my energy. It was a roller coaster and it was exhausting. Working with Ben has taught me how to live in the grey area and has brought me so much peace and joy around food. He has taught me how to do easy meal prep that is so much easier then cooking and everyday and taking the guesswork out of it. All that Ben teaches you is actionable, tailored to your needs, and so easy to put into practice. Working with Ben is so helpful when it comes to recipe development and meal prep, but even more so Ben makes the process fun! read more