I lived in Italy for 18 mos and can attest that the private cooking class with Renato this week in…read morePortland was fantastico! The dishes we made were simple but full of flavors, just like how I remember them in Italy. My son and his gf had a wonderful time and I am so thankful to have things worked out and Renato was available. Renato was fun, knowledgeable and passionate about cooking. He shared with us where to get the freshest and highest quality ingredients. He was so attentive to my son and his gf and engaged them in the process the whole time. With his bubbly personality and in-depth knowledge about cooking Italian food, he kept us entertained the whole time. My sisters are so jealous of me when they saw the pictures I post here. Of course the final dishes were really yummy.

I have a wonderful dinner catered for my birthday. The food was fantastic Renalto did all the work…read moreand friends and family enjoyed all the food

I've taken several classes here after being introduced through a Yelp Elite event. They had me at…read morestreet tacos! Chef Valentine is so nice and patient, the classes are fun, and at the end, you realize it's surprisingly easy to make good, healthy, affordable food that is delicious! I've taken the pork ramen class, which was my favorite. The broth, cooks in 30 minutes in an Instapot, and it was so rich and flavorful. I went out an Instapot the next day! We also made the noodles from scratch. It took a lot of kneeding to get the texture where it needed to be, but it was worth it! I haven't made the noodles at home yet because it took two of us to manage the pasta sheets and pasta machine, which I don't have. But someday! Also enjoyed the class where we learned how to make Saag Paneer, one of my favorite Indian dishes. Once you learn the technique, you can substitute chicken or lamb for the paneer. Quick, delicious, and far less money than if buying out. What makes these cooking classes so enjoyable is the ease and comfort of the atmosphere, created by Chef Valentine, and the ability to get to know the other people in the class. You all prep and cook together and then share the meal as a community. You can bring beer, wine or hard cider - and if you forget, go downstairs and buy some! People tend to share what they bring which adds to the sense of community. Chef Valentine has taught me knife skills, which I thought I had! Wrong. I was doing all the work and not letting the knife do it's job. It's all about the tools and using them properly. These classes have also taught me patience. Cutting all the veggies for the ramen takes time, skill and patience to get uniformed cuts. Prepping and measuring first makes the actual cooking process go smoother. I've always been a cook, but never much of a baker because baking is about being precise with measurements, which requires patience. After taking several cooking classes at Feed the Mass, I've learned how patience pays off. This Christmas, I baked about a dozen varieties of cookies, including baklava. They all turned out wonderful, according to my friends who gobbled them up and I owe it to Chef Valentine! Classes are located on the second floor of Whole Foods in the Pearl. You can park on the street or in Whole Foods garage. If you spent $10 on groceries, parking is free. Love taking classes here! I bought a book of 5 passes so classes end up being $25 per class, a bargain since you also eat a meal! What I really like is the mission of a Feed the Mass, which is to educate and provide classes to those who can't afford to pay for classes, to teach them how to make a healthy and affordable meals for their family. A meal that costs less than fast food and is far more delicious. And healthier. Taking classes supports this Non-Profit's mission. There are classes for kids, date nights, family classes and even classes where you learn how to prep a few meals that stretch out for a week. So take some classes and learn new skills, have fun and pay it forward! It's a great experience and a fun way to spend an evening with friends, family or as a single...once you walk in the door, you are part of the community.

I took the ramen class taught by Chef Jacobsen Valentine at a private event. As a casual home cook,…read moreI thought it was awesome. No matter your skill level (unless, maybe, if you're already a professional chef), you'll learn something new. We made ramen noodles from scratch (!), which were an amazing consistency and soaked up the flavor of the broth well. We also learned proper knife techniques. Chef Valentine has a real passion for cooking and teaching others this important life skill as a means to a healthier lifestyle. A portion of class fees goes towards scholarships for classes for those in need. On the down side, this may have ruined me for instant and non-housemade restaurant ramen, as ours was so good! Now I'll really be saying, I could/should have made this at home!

I stumbled across pictures of the beautiful platters online and had been looking for a place that…read moremight provide small bites for my little wedding party. Clarinda was amazing and easy to work with. She was able to provide me options for a vegetarian menu and naturally I couldn't resist adding two beautiful platters to the mix. I asked if we could add tamales to our menu and she was happy to create some for us and they were so good. The burrata platter was amazing and the setup of everything really added to the ambience and beauty of the party. I would highly recommend looking to the Perfect Platter Company if you find yourself needing something beautiful, unique and tasty!

From the owner: We specialize in farm-to-dinners, private dinner parties, corporate lunches and events, locally…read morefeatured boutique wine dinners. We also create custom charcuterie, grazing, mezze and crudité platters for purchase.

I recently attended a tasting and thoroughly enjoyed the food. The owner, Christine is very…read morepassionate about food and it shows.....It is also refreshing to learn that she works with local farmers and tries to incorporate local produce into her dishes. The food presentation was excellent and we enjoyed every course....Christine and her staff were very professional and accommodating. I would highly recommend Chanterelle for a catering event!!!

From the owner: Chanterelle Fine Foods specializes in creating seasonal menus with beautiful presentation and…read moresuperior service. This coming season we will be growing the bulk of our produce for catering events ourselves (organically of course), and the rest will come from local growers and producers. We work to construct custom menus with individual details for your various events, such as: weddings, wine-paired tasting dinners, cooking classes and accompanying dinners, cocktail parties, and corporate in-house special events. We also have detailed knowledge of cooking for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, and any other dietary restrictions you request.

We have our second child starting Kristina's Mandarin class, our son took one year of Mandarin and…read morenow our daughter has started. We really appreciate her methodology, fluency, engagement with the children, and ability to transcend ages and learning abilities and levels, as well as her enthusiasm and involvement even during the summer months. Kristina is an excellent language teacher, embracing the culture and social mores of language also, which is very important. And she makes learning fun!

We love the instructor. She makes learning Mandarin so much fun.read more

Take Home Chef Experience with Bay Area native: Joseph Hodgkinson…read more Last October 2006, our director organized a cooking event with Joseph and our department. This gave me the opportunity and encouragement to get back in to cooking through this one on one experience. Although, the food was delicious, I couldn't believe that I cooked it. Thanks Joseph for helping me. For some time now, I've ran out of dinner selections for my personal gatherings at home. Now being single, I have much more confidence to experiment with new dishes and ingredients when i invite guests for dinner. Highilights: Joseph introduces Vegan dishes. Gougere (cheese appetizer), Nicoise Salad (Mediterranean salad), Potato Gratin, and Peach Creme Brulee. Note: I served the Peach Creme Brulee last Thanksgiving and my family enjoyed it very very much! And my father is very selective with his desserts.

The best meal I ever had…read more Joseph was the chef for our proposal celebration and both Vivian and myself have been watering over the food. It was so good it nearly overshadowed the proposal.. He is stellar- just.. stellar.. You *have* to try his new style sashimi but everything was fantastic- from salad, to thai duck noodle soup to rib eye (omg- a basic rib eye should not taste that good-- it felt aged but wasn't) to Mango Ice Cream to Cardamon tea with cinnamon. And besides meal- the service.. everything was set up, put down, whole kitchen was cleaned, even better then when he arrived, the food was served on time, was hot, but not too hot, he kept refilling our glasses, stayed out of conversation, but then would join in if asked or at the right time.. It was.. amazing.. if i could afford him, I would hire him every day. We have already agreed to hire him at least once a year. And he made a menu for us to keep as a momento.... Pictures: https://plus.google.com/photos/104649177688789340653/albums/5928460446955723873 Proposal Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdDHwscnzLI

Creative Kids has been an incredible place for our daughter to develop solid friendships, learn in…read morea safe, pressure-free environment, and grow overall as a little person in the world! Valerie is kind, patient, communicative, and gracious. We are so fortunate to have our daughter enrolled here, and feel so lucky to have found such quality, affordable care.

My daughter is high energy and gets overwhelmed, I was surprised to see Valerie tell us on the…read morefirst day it wouldn't work. Not even trying to find a way, maybe having Viviane start 2hr a day for the first week or something so she would get more used to. We work with early intervention and was working on getting an aid for her. I guess she is great if your kid doesn't have any issues. She seems to want to work on a smaller class and that called my attention. I'm just disappointed as I builder so much expectations.

Rafi to the rescue! I had 10 dinner guests with varying food allergies and preferences, and too…read moremuch going on to make it happen on my own. Rafi stepped in and worked his magic. We had an exquisite meal, all of which was absolutely delicious. And he is delightful to work with. I will call him again soon.

From the owner: Tired of staring at the fridge asking "What's for dinner?" Let's get you on the right track to…read moreeating healthy restaurant style meals in the comfort of your own home.