What a fabulous experience. I would definitely recommend making a reservation here for a special…read moreoccasion. The price is so fair and the students were so professional and friendly. Their courses were booming with flavor and so balanced too. Their was clear intention with their combination of flavors. I hope to be back here soon!

The Culinary Institute is awesome. The main building where the classes take place is beautiful,…read moreinside and out. There is an adjacent, smaller building where you can go for dinner. The ambiance is fairly nice. The current culinary students are both the chefs and the servers. The food is very good, with recipes that change from time to time. It's a choice of a three-course or a four-course meal, with an optional wine pairing. You will have multiple choices for each course. Everyone in our party said that their food was very good. If you do want to have dinner at the CIA, be sure to make your reservations asap. They are usually booked up solid, pretty far in advance.

The reviews here may seem a little different, as some reviewers are former students rating their…read moreexperiences at Napa Valley Cooking School and some happen to be diners at the school's seasonal restaurant. I happen to be in the latter group, and I have to say that I am impressed by the students on campus, the education they're receiving, and the quality of food they're putting out! I came in today for a lunch, expecting a fancy, multiple course meal; which is precisely what I got! What made the experience more rewarding was getting to learn a bit about the cooking school's seasonal restaurant. The recipes are created by the students, or at least partially so, and the servers working within the school's restaurant are also students as well. As a former college student that worked in food service during my undergrad years, it was great to see the level of professionalism and dedication the students brought to the table (literally!), and I was impressed by the seamless ability of the students to work both in front and in the back of the house. Usually within the industry, it's one of the other. To have a student chef who happened to develop your recipes also serve you is a treat in itself. The food, of course, was the other treat. I could go on about the meal's decadence: the juxtaposition of the light, flaky crust and the thick, hearty mushroom gravy in the mini pot pie appetizer, or the tenderness of the pork belly that literally melted in my mouth. Words wouldn't do the meal justice. But I will leave a few short words for the dessert: the single best carrot dish I've ever had. And this is coming from someone who will 95% of the time choose savory over sweet. (I'm saying 95% because I would have been content with four courses of the carrot ginger pana cotta today and I'm not ashamed to admit it). To the students and instructors of the cooking school: well done! I look forward to visiting your spring menu when the time comes.

We are eagerly anticipating our NVCS lunch. We have been coming for several years now and have…read moreenjoyed every meal we have had. Delicious lemon grass coconut soups, bread rolls, halibut, smoked chicken, cream pies.... Is your stomach growling yet? Reservations go fast so you have to be on it to get a seat at the table.

The good: Food was excellent, server was polite & knowledgeable. Facility grounds were lovely…read more The bad: Timing of food service. 6 adults - took approximately 10 minutes from first person served to last - etiquette suggests that all wait until all served, so first served food was cold. Check included 23% "surcharge", with gratuity expected in addition. Why not just add 23% to menu prices?

Not sure why I didn't know this existed but so happy it does. The 'CIA' is walking distance from…read moreOxbow Market so me and my daughter just decided to walk in. The outside area was so nice we agreed that we'll have to return in Spring to enjoy it. Inside there's a CIA store with so many kitchen items. I spoke with the employee there and she shared her knowledge of the two CIA facilities, there in Napa and the other in St Helena. She was super friendly and it was nice to meet her. We ventured into the museum which for me, someone who enjoys and appreciates food and cooking, I loved. This culinary collection was amazing. We also got to view the long wall of viticulturist which was interesting. Take a look at my photos to view CIA's testing kitchens. Very cool. This facility also has a restaurant, The Grove and an open area to rent for special occasions. Since the restaurant was closed, when I'm in Napa again, I'm definitely going to try it.

I already cook at home, so, chopping/peeling carrots and frying up small pieces of appetizers was…read morelike being at home. But I came for a team building function and connected with the folks I work with. Together in sweet harmony, we cooked up a plate of potato, beets, & carrot pancakes. We had other teams making different dishes and when we all finished, we had a presentation throw down. Prettiest plate wins a prize. I thought our team had the prettiest plate but another team took the prize - boo hoo. Instructors were very helpful and nice. The working kitchen was amazing, wish I could have a similar scaled down setup for my own home! I know I can make this dish again but it was a lot of ingridients and too much prep work. So, I probably won't make it again. They provide you with endless wine and water. And you get a glass of bubbly at the beginning of the class. Good experience. Nice place. Beautiful area. Wonderful staff! Plenty of parking. Good place to host a special event like a wedding/birthday/anniversary.

Fabulous experience here today with our little family of 7 on Easter Sunday for brunch!…read more We brought all four kids (from 11 to 22) and the mom-in-law for an Easter "station" buffet brunch. We arrived about 10 minutes before the doors opened for our seating at 12:30. We only had to wait about 5-10 minutes before we were ushered into the big dining area - and the four adults were greeted with nice mimosas. Our table was comfortable and within 90 seconds, all the kids and adults scattered - going to the various stations for omelettes, waffles, bagels and lox, seafood, quiche/biscuits & gravy, and prime rib and pork loin carving stations. The food was lovely and nicely presented. The cute bunnies in the centerpieces and the festive nature of the decor, made it very charming. Coffee was very good and the bar (& the food stations) never got overly-crowded. The kids loved getting their own plates of food of their choosing - I mean who doesn't love having a hundred+ delicious-looking choices laid out before you. (My favorite of the day was the homemade potato hash with peas and the delicious pork loin which I loved dipping in the prime rib's creamy horseradish sauce.) The desert and the fruit tables were a hit too... We saw many plates of watermelon and jellybeans coming back to our table (our junior high schoolers) and we had to laugh, because our kids were just totally having the best time. Cheers to the staff at Ramekins for killing it today - great job!!! Fab event! We will totally be back!

So sometimes they have meetings at this branch of the Yolo County Library in Davis. They have…read morecooking workshops, as well as some lectures (which are usually accompanied by a bite to eat) and field trips to a local Asian market- 99 Ranch in South Sac. Also available are lectures on tea and last night I sat through a presentation titled "Chinese Flavors--Dining in China: Etiquette and Beyond." Having grown up one half Chinese, some of the teachings of stereotypes of the Chinese were confirmations of what actually happens. For instance, the part of dining out when the bill comes was almost verbatim what comes out of the mouths where I've eaten. The lectures are informative enough that I'm going to continue to attend them. At one workshop I was taught about steamed bao, including the tasty parts where I assembled and ate them. I look forward to sitting in on a tea lecture, as that's been (and still is) a huge part of dining out. My grandparents have been desensitized to my American methods of eating Chinese food, but I learned that even though quite effective, one should not stab his/her food with chopsticks in order to obtain it. And resting your chopsticks on the plate is a no-no as well. They go where a fork would go, on a rest if available. Overall, I find these lectures to be more interesting than anything else because I learn a fair amount about why I've done what I've done for the last 36 years as well as some of the reasons behind those actions. Next up: tea.

We had a great time at our Burmese cooking class with Chef Sara. The Kitchen was a wonderfully…read moreorganized and open space. She was a great chef and engaged all 11 of us in the cooking action. We felt like we learned a lot, can make the dishes at home. We enjoyed the cooking and the feast afterwards. Highly recommend!

Terrible customer service. I came down with a bad flu and they refused to let me reschedule. She…read moretold me to show up sick if I couldn't find someone to take my spot. Really terrible customer service. Will never book through them again.

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!

We had a great time at the annual 'gingerbread house' event at Relish…read more Our 11 and 18 year old grandsons decorated a gingerbread house from the supplied kit and decorated it with the supplied candy. We'll be back next year for sure!

I did the foraging experience at Merriam Vineyards in Healdsburg. It was a really fantastic…read moreexperience overall, despite the downpour we found ourselves in. It was held at a beautiful winery and Healdsburg, and we were greeted with a glass of rosé. Donna was very communicative about the event, details and weather conditions before the event and engaging during the event. While she obviously couldn't control the weather, she was very effective at accommodating different comfort levels for walking in the rain. About half the group went back to the tasting room early. I stayed out with the group. Our guide David was extremely knowledgeable and fantastic at answering any and all questions. The lunch was both beautiful and tasty, and accommodated for both vegan and vegetarian needs. Overall a great day. I've already recommended it to several of my friends!

I have NEVER had such a terrible experience with a business before. Absolute garbage program. This…read moreclass cost $177 a month (for 3 classes) and my kid has learned diddly squat and the portions of food he makes and comes home with is laughable. My kid has made pancakes (didn't pour them or cook them), no-bake cookie bites and "moose crunch". The pancakes he came back with were two cookie cutter size pancakes. There was 4 small No-Bake cookie bites. The moose crunch was literally Cheerios and a little bit of marshmallows and m&m candies in a snack size bag. There was no cooking whatsoever, he's done nothing but assemble ingredients and wash dishes. So he's come back home with $0.60 worth of ingredients. A $177 class! There is ZERO communication from this person. I got ONE email from her the entire time we were registered and it states they're going to charge parents for being late and will charge parents for takeaway boxes. This lady is LATE EVERY CLASS and she always ends the class early! Today was the ONE class my kids were to attend because SHE cancelled 2 of the 3 classes for the month so we got there at 10:00, as it says in the ONE email I got, and the lady at reception told me the class was moved to 9:30! This lady didn't bother emailing or calling or texting that there was a time change! I paid $352 for my two kids to NOT ATTEND EVEN ONE CLASS, and you better believe she doesn't bother reimbursing! I really wanted to love this program, my son absolutely loves cooking but WOW, I have never encountered such an unprofessional business ever. Don't waste your money, don't waste your time, you will be disappointed and what's worse, your kids will be disappointed.

My seven-year-old daughter did the spring break camp in Davis, and she had a great time. She is…read moreoften hesitant to do camps when she doesn't have any friends joining, but she came home each day super happy (and with a lot of baked goods).

I have been using my wood fired Mugnaini Oven for about four years and absolutely love it. I use…read moreit for pizza but also have been baking sour dough bread in the oven as well as roasting Chicken and Vegetables. It is such a beautiful way of cooking. And the company Mugnaini did a wonderful job making the oven and installing it for us. One of my neighbors builds restaurants and he had tried a few different ovens for his home before getting a Mugnaini oven. He said it is night and day using Mugnaini over some of the other options. The oven bricks come from Italy and bring the magic to our home.

I truly regret having to write a poor review for this company and oven. I will say that the oven…read moreitself is pretty good. What is so disappointing is the poor service and complete lack of willingness by Mugnaini to stand behind their product and mistake. When I ordered my oven I explained to the salesperson that it would be several months before I would be able to assemble it. I was told that the refractory mortar included with the oven had an expiration date but would be good for at least a year. Approximately four months after receiving my oven I began assembly. Upon opening the mortar we found it already dried and unusable. The mortar had a expiration date on the container. The product had in fact expired 4 months BEFORE it had even been SHIPPED. Whether by mistake or a disregard for the date I was shipped mortar that was no good MONTHS before it even left Mugnaini. I figured that mistakes happen and contacted Mugnaini and explained the issue. I even included a photo of the long expired product. I was completely shocked when the Mugnaini representative informed me that they would not stand behind their product and obvious mistake. I was told that I would have to buy more mortar at an exorbitant price from Mugnaini. Further I was told that I could not use mortar from any other supplier so I ordered more from them. This company is in the business of shipping ovens and related items. One would think that they would know how to ship them. Not so! They ship the very expensive mortar only to find a month later that their method does not allow mortar. At that point with my project months delayed soley due to Mugnaini's many mistakes they then informed me that I could easily buy replacement mortar from several sources on Amazon for a fraction of their overpriced product. In short, Mugnaini shipped defective and unusable products then tried to gouge me on a replacement for their mistake and lied about its availability elsewhere. I strongly suggest that anyone considering this oven do a lot of investigation before purchasing. There are lots of alternatives available from companies that stand behind their products and provide quality customer service. I would be happy to provide photo documentation of every fact represented in this review.