Chef John was great! He led us through all of the steps of cooking each item on the menu. I…read moreenjoyed the extra tips on cutting the different items needed in the preparation.

My friends gifted me a sushi cooking class with Sur la Table on a Saturday night. It was a really…read morefun time. They call it Date Night but they should say Have fun with your friends either way two amazing teachers John and Jonas. We made chicken Yakatori skewers, a spicy salmon roll, and vegetable tempura. The class was lively, engaging, and because we like to cook, we threw curve ball questions to the teachers - they loved it and had a good laugh. The next table over were also having fun, and everyone bonded and the whole experience was amazing. Two thumbs up - beginner to intermediate - everyone will have a great time. Great night out! Give it a try! We enjoyed the class and the food! Highly recommended

Chef Tina's classes are wonderful! I took her class on sugar free spreads and came home with…read moreseveral jars of deliciousness. It was fantastic!

From the owner: Tina is a Certified Natural Chef. She is committed to helping people (especially parents) learn to…read morecook delicious, nutritious food with whole, seasonal ingredients. She teaches hands-on, whole foods cooking classes in Sebastopol, CA. Topics include: Family-friendly meals, meal planning, allergy-free cooking, seasonal vegetables and food preservation. Students learn cooking techniques as well as nutritional highlights, and they take home a booklet of recipes and articles. Chef Tina can also be your personal chef. She is specifically trained in therapeutic cooking, and she will customize weekly menus to support her clients' individual health needs.

I stop in here fairly often, but just realized I had forgotten to show some love for this local…read morebakery. I stop in for the savory pastries as snacks often, but most recently I dropped in for a couple of sweet treats to take to a friend's house for dinner. We had Strawberry and Rhubarb tart and a couple of mini-bundt chocolate cakes. Both were a hit! Great bakery! Give them a shot!

I have been a big fan of Criminal Baking for several years now. They have stayed very consistent in…read moremaking great food and supporting the community in Santa Rosa. It has a kind of odd location in a warehouse building north of Railroad Square. I actually miss their old location near Julliard Park, but this location probably works better for their business. One of the main reasons I come here is their abundance of gluten free pastries. I try to avoid eating a lot of gluten as I don't feel great after eating it. They even make a few vegan gluten free options if you can't have dairy as well. They also have great savory bowls and breakfast burritos. On my most recent visit we ordered a breakfast veggie burrito and it was delicious! Lots of fresh cooked veggies! I recommend grabbing a packet of cholula hot sauce and putting it on the burrito! I also want to add a shout out to the Warrior Bowl! Delicious and healthy, although I don't get it at this last visit. I typically grab a gluten free muffin or scone. It's really hard to fine good gluten free pastries, but these are really good. On my last visit, I got a non-gluten free pastry and tried their cinnamon roll and an Ube Kite, which was a limited time special. The cinnamon roll was a bit dry, but these Ube kite was very good! Another thing I really like to get at Criminal is their pie. You can order whole ones or just get slices. They are excellent! The service is typically really great here! The only thing I don't love is the indoor dining area, which just feels a bit weird. Get a table outside or walk to a bench in the nearby park.

I attended a Summer cooking class with my husband and we were blown away by how much fun it was…read more Kay led a group of six of us through the steps of making a fresh tomato soup from scratch, pesto for topping the soup, charentais melon (french melon) and prosciutto, a quick salmon frittata to tide us over while we prepared dinner, greens, scones and cookies. We succeeded in all of the above, while Kay peppered us with tips about how to prepare, store and where to buy some of the more uncommon ingredients. At the end of the preparation we all sat down at a beautifully set table in the back yard grotto (yes, really!) and ate together under twinkly lights and candles. And let me not forget the drinks. Kay's husband is a vintner so we were treated to wonderful wine with dinner. It was so much more than just a class, it was an invite to a wonderful dinner party!

My wife recently took her first class with Kay and is already eager to go back for more! Next…read moretime, I'm going with! The leftovers my wife brought home were amazing (no surprise since I've been lucky enough to enjoy Kay's cooking before), and my wife gives everything about the class rave reviews. She left with some wonderful recipes and new techniques. She also reports Kay is a talented teacher as well, and made the whole experience seem less like a class and more like spending an afternoon in the kitchen with friends - highly recommended!

I hired Maria to cook for 15 of my pals for my 40th birthday. She was fantastic! Maria was fun to…read morework with on the menu, has a ton of creative and tasty dishes, and was generally just a joy to be around. Everyone loved the food, and Maria even gave us some background on the preparation of each before she served each dish. It was a blast. Highly recommend!

Maria was the chef for my small wedding of 20 people at a house that we rented in St. Helena. I…read morecan't describe how perfect everything was. Maria is extremely easy to work with and was able to customize a menu that suited our taste and what we were looking for. Her food is amazing and she only cooks with the freshest and highest quality ingredients. Not only was the whole dinner delicious, her staff is also extremely accommodating and did everything from the set up to food prep to clean up after everything was over. Maria is now my go-to chef for Sonoma County-I would hire her again in a heartbeat!

Having sampled Shivie & Cemaaji's "RAW": 1. Key Lime Pie…read more2. Kale Chips 3. Strawberry Cheesecake 4. Macadamian, Banana, and Green Vegetable, Smoothies 5. Tacos 6. Pizzas 7. Granola 8. Chocolate 9. Crackers I can definitely say "Team Raw is as good as it gets!" So, yes, you can go to Whole Foods & spend your whole paycheck. Or you can go to Cafe Gratitude and pay approximately $14.00 for a shredded carrot. OR you can empower yourself and learn the art of cooking great tasting food "hands on" with Team Raw. Whether you want to start a "healthy cleanse" but don't know where to begin; don't have the time (because of your hectic work schedule) to prepare "heathy food;" want to become part of a healthy community; or just want toexperience something new - Shivie & Cemaaji will put you on the road to success & empower you with simple recipes you can create on your own ... I highly suggest signing up for one of their ongoing worshops - great people, great compassion, great knowledge. Team Raw is a great addition to the San Francisco Community. Check them out at: http://teamraw.com Wishing the best of all possible worlds, Iyengar Yoga Teacher, tony eason

So I have known Shivie and Cemaaj for years now and I can tell you that no one in the city makes…read morebetter raw food. They are not some new agers from Marin trying to make a buck off of a trend, they are loving kind peeps who really care about what goes in your body. Shivie is my inspiration: she lost pretty much a whole person in weight and by choice gave up a successful career that was slowly killing her. She turned her devotion to health and wholeness in the direction of food a few years ago, and I couldn't be happier ( though I miss my Kundalini classes). Her and Cemaaj's raw food is exceptional. Kale chips are light and spicy. Wraps taste like everything in them (not just one mushed up flavor). gRAWnola is wonderful with yogurt in the morning or just as a snack. Crackers, pizza...each is a mouthful of wonderful combinations of flavors. Even though I am quite versed in raw cuisine, I think I will take one of their classes in the new year. Next time you see them at the Farmers Market...go for it! Your stomach and body will be so proud of you.

I've been buying my baking and pasta flour from Keith Giusto Bakery Supply/ for a while now and…read morelove having the opportunity to get quality ingredients so close to home. When I learned of an opportunity to attend a hand rolled pasta class at the Artisan Baking Center, I couldn't resist. I was not disappointed! The ABC combined an excellent learning environment with knowledgeable instructors and I enjoyed an incredible learning experience. The facilities were modern and efficient and I can't wait till they get their wood fired pizza ovens built! Craig Ponsford was the lead and he did a great job explaining every step of the process. Pablo Giet assisted and clearly knows his craft as well. Best of all, was the fact the class walked us through prepping an entire meal. While the focus was on hand rolled pasta, we made pasta and sampled three different sauces with what we made! The included wine was a bonus! I left with enough confidence, along with the pasta dough I made, to make my own meal the very next night! I can't wait to take another class at such an outstanding school!

June 16th Intermediate Sourdough Class with Michael Kalanty. Best class ever! This place and…read morepeople are phenomenal! imagine top tier master bakers/chefs and a top tier flour distributor opening up their professional kitchen, skills and materials to the home baker(me). A home bakers dream! There were 10 of us in this 6 hour class. Lots of hands on and questions answered. Michael is a brilliant teacher, able to communicate and teach complex concepts easily. Very friendly and approachable too. The class was very reasonably priced too. Thank you Central Milling for making this opportunity available to the home baker!!

This review is for their stall at the Sunday, San Rafael Farmers Market…read more I can't take credit for the discovery of Bay Laurel - that was the partners doing. But I can say that I've been a willing participant in visits since. I hate to admit it, but we really haven't ventured as deep into their offerings as we might since the partner is crazy for their chicken pot pies - which are mighty good by the way. What I can say is that everything we have sampled has been excellent. Portion size is good. Many of their entrees serve two healthy appetites. Our most recent discovery has been their cookies. (I'm not telling which are my favorites.) The woman who runs the booth is really friendly and always makes us feel welcome - even when we can't decide what we want. Perhaps a bit spendy, but the quality well makes up for the cost.

Remember frozen chicken pot pie? Well forget everything you thought you knew. Then call or email…read moreBay Laurel Culinary, order their version, take it home, and revel in your new knowledge and appreciation of this comfort food classic. The BLC Chicken Pot Pie is frozen when you get it. That's where the similarity to its predecessors ends. Perfect crust. Moist, tender, incredibly flavorful chicken, white and dark meat. Peas and carrots that actually taste like peas and carrots. All enrobed in a sauce with incredible flavor, texture, and balance. We heated ours in our toaster oven (don't judge!) for about an hour at 325 degrees Fahrenheit, a bit under the 350 BLC recommends. We made sure not to ignore the recommended egg wash, and to cover ours with foil after the top crusts were golden brown, to avoid burning them while the pies came completely up to eating temperature. They were flawless. Feel free to add seasonings -- but taste first. You may find further adornment unnecessary, as we did. We've had and loved the stellar, refined version of this dish at The Big 4 in San Francisco. The Bay Laurel Culinary team has brought that level of quality and flavor to a chicken pot pie you can enjoy at home in your lounging regalia of choice. Life rarely if ever gets better. Enjoy.