I recently attended Emily Baron's bagel making class with my wife and we both had the best time!…read moreI'm a NY/NJ native and love great bagels and was eager to see if the bagels we made in class could rival the ones my family grew up loving. It soon became apparent that Emily's love of baking and her many years living in NYC made her the best teacher for this bagel aficionado! From the moment we arrived the entire class was well prepared, organized and meticulously planned. She's a natural teacher who kept the class moving, patiently answering questions while guiding us through the entire bagel making process with plenty of hands on experience. Catherine, who assisted the class, is also an experienced baker who worked tirelessly to help make the class run smoothly and shared her wisdom. We loved every minute of the class; from making the dough to shaping the bagels to boiling to adding toppings to baking and then making our schmears. We had the choice of sesame, poppyseed and everything toppings and I was eager to load them up! We made two schmears: scallion, and honey with chopped pecan cream cheese. It was so satisfying to eat the mouth watering bagels with fixings at the end of class. We were given very detailed and clear instructions to take home with us along with bagels to boil and bake at home. I'm so glad we took this class. I recommend the Asheville Kitchen and look forward to coming back for more foodie adventures. It's a local treasure. Keep up the great work!

Emily did a great job introducing us to some Mediterranean dishes…read more She gave great step by step instructions and explained some variations that could be done to the recipes. I am definitely going to make several of the dishes at home. Thanks!!!

This was phenomenal…read more What a great class to share with my family. La Cuisine creates such a relaxing and professional experience. I would highly recommend signing up for a class. ​​

Learning and cooking with Kimberly and Madeline was such a pleasure, and I definitely recommend…read morechecking out there cooking classes!! I appreciated the freedom to prepare/cook the dish I chose and the comfort in asking questions as needed. They created a very welcoming and easeful space for preparing, cooking and socializing. I loved learning a new dish (Chinese Congee) that I'd never heard of before...and it was yummmmy. I cook most of my meals by myself, so this was a really lovely experience to cook and dine with other incredible humans!

I was at a class last night it was a special experience engaging funny and educational i met lots…read moreof interesting people and the food was great. ofri and her son jonathan did a great job

A wonderful journey... finding this offering online...traveling to a beautiful home and bountiful…read morekitchen.....meeting, Ofri, a wonderful cook/instructor/hostess...being joined by 4 other students from as far away as VT and MD....getting an introduction to Thai cooking....enjoying the creation of a 4 course meal (Ofri provided the first course - a delicious rice paper wrap (mango w/ blackened chicken and veggies upon arrival)... and finally enjoying our food creations outdoors on her porch which is perched within the surrounding canopy. Green papaya salad, chicken pad thai, beef and eggplant with basil and ginger, and a sweet glutinous rice dessert with mango. There clearly is a lot more to learn about Thai cooking and sauces but this was a wonderful introduction, creation and meal shared with pleasant friendly company.

We were in Asheville to celebrate my sister in laws birthday and had Michelle prepare dinner for us…read moreone of the nights. She prepped, cooked , served and cleaned up everything. The food was delicious and we enjoyed chatting with Michelle! We had several appetizers so it was hard to chose a favorite:) Our entrees were lamb chops or filets- both were wonderfully prepared! The filets were mouth watering and tender! We definitely enjoyed the whole experience and would absolutely do it again. What more could you ask for? An amazing meal served without leaving your cabin or getting dressed up!

In Ashville for a girls weekend & decided to have Crackerjack Chef come in for our first night . …read more . best decision. Michelle came in and cooked an amazing dinner for us! Would highly recommend her for any dinner party, especially for foodies!

Jess's incorporation of local and seasonal ingredients combined with a creative and tasty dishes…read moremakes your dining experience one to remember! If Jess is planning a pop up or collaborating with another Asheville chef, make sure you attend!

Jess' recent supper club pop-up was so unique and delicious. Thoughtful flavors with locally…read moresourced food...yum! Look forward to the next one!

I hired chef Mark weeks in advance of a very special dinner party for 9, knowing that my work…read moreschedule that week would not allow me to plan, shop and cook. It was wonderful to not have to worry about the meal details leading up to our big evening, and the chosen menu was not complicated, and at the $85/pp price point, I expected something elevated, which is what I would have served for my special friends. Our chosen menu was charcuterie board, bruschetta, caesar salad, sauteed scallops with risotto and asparagus, and dark chocolate mousse for dessert. During a phone call a week in advance, I instructed Mark that my guests would be arriving at 6, with dinner served at around 7, and that I wanted the dinners plated. I also requested that dessert be dark chocolate mousse, to which he responded "you got it". He said that he would arrive at 5, and depart right after dinner was served. Mark arrived promptly at 5 as we had agreed. I provided platters for the appetizers, and Mark's assistant then put out pre sliced cheese slices and deli meats, the kind you would purchase at Sam's club. Cheese slices, salami type meats and crackers. Not my idea of a charcuterie platter. His home mode bruschetta of olives and sun dried tomatoes served on crostini was delicious and a big hit. Mark asked me if dinner would be served buffet style or family style. I reminded him that I wanted the dinners plated.The caesar salad was made with bagged chopped romaine, store bought croutons and too much bottled dressing; Mark added shaved parmesan to jazz it up. After plating, the salad dishes were put on the table, off to the side. I moved them to the center of each place setting, indicating that we would have salad first, ahead of the entree. At around about 6:30PM, Mark told me that the entrees were ready. I reminded him that we would be sitting down at 7. He then asked if I wanted him to hang around until then. That would be correct. Risotto was good, the roasted asparagus was perfectly cooked, but the scallops were not at all what I had envisioned - 5 scallops, the size of nickels, some as big as quarters, were served to each guest. The mousse was good, and freshly made on site, but definitely not dark chocolate. My guests did not leave hungry, much good wine was consumed, and the conversation flowed. But it was not the elevated dining experience that I expected, and that I typically serve to my friends who themselves are stellar cooks. Reading the other glowing reviews, I wonder if Mark was having an off night, especially in view of the several miscommunications regarding serving style and timing. I nonetheless tipped generously as I appreciate the time and labor involved. I just wish it was all better.

We hired Chef Mark Dragon for a graduation dinner party of 9, 12/14/2024. We were unhappy with the…read morefood and response at addressing my concerns afterwards. I had guest complain about the sirloin steak saying it looked and tasted like cube steak. The Parmesan Crusted Chicken had no crust and did not taste good. No one ate the beef or chicken. We did select the lower per person rate of $55 per person instead of the premium $100 per person though I didn't expect to have a lower quality due to this. I thought we had clear communication fielding all my questions beforehand. I did not realize he was giving us extra accommodations as we were told afterwards with the amount of entree choices. In prior emails he stated we had 2-3 selections I went with 3 and did not count the one vegan meal. We discussed in our correspondences having a desert he mentioned he could do peach cobbler though when I sent him the final menu I left that out by mistake, my bad though I would have expected him to confirm this since we had discussed it so we were surprised that we didn't have desert. I do have to say the salad, green beans and butternut squash were very good. My guests were not happy though we made the best of the evening. I would not recommend this chef. ** Main point is everyone complained about the beef and chicken and did not eat it, we ended up throwing it out.

Very cool store. Stopped here while on a tour and both Metalsmiths were highly knowledgeable and…read morepassionate about their craft. They explained the process of making knives to us, and were able to give suggestions on which knives would be best for kitchen tasks (this knife for cutting meat, this knife for vegetables, etc.) Hearing the excitement in their voices and watching their eyes light up while explaining the processes to us truly makes the experience that much better, as it made us lock in and engage in fruitful conversation with them. We only stopped learning because we ran out of time and had to go to our next stop! If you stop by while on vacation, they are able to ship these knives to your home, FYI!

I had purchased an 18" machete without realizing it did not come already sharpened, so I contacted…read moreAsheville Crafted Edge, which I found through a Google search, via text message on their website. They were quick to respond by text, saying they were able to sharpen the machete that day. They're located smack downtown in Asheville on a side street (Eagle St) just off Biltmore Avenue. Parking was tight, but I was able to pop in, greeted by two very affable, friendly and welcoming employees (I assume they were owners, since they were so willing to take care of my job). The gentleman with whom I had been texting told me he'd have it ready in about 30 minutes and suggested I grab a cup of coffee and come back. The job was done excellently, and the young woman at the counter checked me out in no time. I live in Greensboro, about 2.5 hours from Asheville, and I had been unable to find any hardware store or other business who could take on the job, so this was a great place to get the job done (I was going to be in Asheville anyway, so I didn't make the trip just to get the machete sharpened). I enthusiastically recommend this local business. They have a very upscale operation and know how to take care of customers, plus they know their knives!

It's got very pretty art and we enjoyed our visit. The art they sell is extremely expensive.read more

I am so happy we went in here. I wasn't sure what to expect - I was thinking more semi-museum, part…read moreinfo center with a few pieces from local artists for sale. But, it was packed with unique, locally made art goods (95% Asheville artists, 5% Tennessee/Kentucky they say) that were awesome AND affordable. Pottery, wood carvings, textiles, Christmas ornaments, cookware, glass art, paintings, and more. I liked most everything I saw, and again, it was artistry that wouldn't break your bank. The customer service was so friendly, and the nice lady working really wanted to connect with us, and also tell more about the artists who made some of the different art. Informative, funny, kind - she was great. I would recommend this to EVERY Asheville tourist looking for something unique to take home, rather than junky trinkets made in China that you can find in every American gift shop.