Cozymeal

tl;dr Came here for a corporate team event making fettuccini pasta with marinara sauce with at…read moreleast 30 people and had a blast! Two Cucina Bambini staff led our function, and it was one of the most memorable holiday celebrations I've had. For our fettuccini pasta making class, they had us set up with half the group focusing on making the pasta from scratch and the other half chopping ingredients to make the pasta sauce. All instructions were provided verbally without amplification but the staff really know how to project well so hearing wasn't an issue if the team knew someone was talking. Instructions were clear and the staff walked around to provide guidance while letting you still make the pasta/cook the sauce. Given how many people we had, it took about 2 hours to prep everything. In addition to the pasta and sauce, for our lunch, the staff brought out simple salads that were premade. Since this was a corporate event, I can only say how the experience was vs. value for money. But if prices were reasonable, I would consider coming back for a personal event since it was a lot of fun!

We hosted my daughter's 8th birthday and she had a wonderful time making pizza from scratch with…read moreher buddies. The staff were very accommodating and helped a lot for the event to be enjoyable and a great one to cherish.

Simpleicious

(24 reviews)

What fun we had at our cooking class with Dayna this past weekend! We had such a delicious dinner…read moreand it was really fun helping Dayna cook and learning some cool, new techniques! I'm pretty sure Dayna wants me and my sibs to help her on her next catering gig! (And, yes, the six of us are available!) Many, many thanks. :)

Want to have a great time and good food too? Then Dayna is your chef. She recently instructed,…read morehelped us cook and laughed along with my 5 siblings and I. We picked a great menu and she made sure that all of us learned new cooking skills while keeping the menu moving and on time. A delicious dinner followed with a round of applause for Dayna. Can't go wrong!

You Say Tomato Cooking Classes

(7 reviews)

For the first experience it was great !! Gemma is awesome. I had a lit of fun there. Definitely…read morecome again.

The best cooking class experience I've had. I've taken 5 of the classes so far: Thai cooking,…read moreChick, Chick, Chicken, Buy One Save One, Scones and Curd (pop-up), and most recently the Make Ahead Holiday dinner (British version) -- with many more in my future. I always leave feeling like I tasted one of the best versions of whatever is on the menu. My favorites so far have been the Green Curry Chicken and the Shepard's pie -- mind blowing. I've only taken scheduled classes which are usually 8 people sat around Gemma's adorable kitchen watching her prepare the food and then tasting as each bit finishes, but I know she also has different class styles (come to your house, book a class based on your schedule, etc.) No matter what the format You Say Tomato really makes cooking delicious, high quality food easy to understand and replicate once you're back home.

Worldchefs International

4.9

(18 reviews)

Ever since buying a place a few years ago, I've wanted to learn how to cook. Not just to make it by…read morewithout starving, but really learn how to make quality food at home--I'm a foodie after all. ;-) This is the best cooking class company I've taken classes at to help me move closer to my goal. Highlights: - Format: A combination of demo and hands on which is the perfect mix: "see then do" as they say. Thorough and educational with detailed information on not only cooking techniques, but also the equipment (helpful gadgets in some cases), ingredients, their origins, and health benefits. I left each class feeling like I was becoming a more educated and better chef already. I've been to classes at Home Chef (when it was in SJ), Whole Foods (Cup and San Mateo), and Sur La Table (LG), and while those were fun, I didn't really learn as much as I would have liked. - Teacher: friendly, approachable, easy to learn from, comical, seems to genuinely care about her food and the people in her class, and knows her stuff. Chef Suzanne Vandyck has the culinary credentials and has even authored a cookbook. She tells you little tricks here and there along with fun stories of her travels and related eats to give it a personal touch. - Environment: very casual and comfortable. Questions are encouraged throughout and you don't feel intimidated chiming in with one during the demo or while cooking. I've been to classes where you felt like you were learning from a cooking nazi: if you didn't use the right spoon or something she'd snip at you. I want to learn, but this is for fun. I like more hakuna matata attitude here. As Chef Suzanne says, "In a restaurant it has to be perfect, at home it's ok." :-) - International Themes: I took the Easy and Healthy Japanese cooking class but they offer Italian, French, Mediterranean, Spanish, etc. I was a bit weary of learning Japanese food from a lady from Belgium, but she had enough traveling, visiting with locals, eating, and cooking experience to portray the authentic styles. I lived in Japan for a few years and eat Japanese food a good deal and learned tons from her class. - Great recipes: everything that we made was scrumptious. I loved being able to know how to make the classic Japanese sauces (tempura, miso, etc.) There are always options either written down or noted verbal during the demo so you know how you can change it up to suit your tastes or ingredients you have handy. - Salads: when you sign up, you can see what dishes will be made and I was enticed by the entrees. After all was said and done I did enjoy the entrees like expected, but was surprised to be blown away by the salads. The watercress and then spinach salads with dressings we made on our own were amazing. - Recipe handouts: before class you get a few pages stapled together of the recipes of the day. The teacher not only includes pictures up top, but a nice little paragraph of the story and background about what the dish is. - Plating: after Chef Suzanne makes an item, she plates them on beautiful little authentic Japanese plates (since I took the Japanese class) and organizes the food so it looks professional and impressive. Since I want to be a Top Chef quality chef, I love learning these plating skills to make my dishes visually appealing and fancier than the average home cooked meal. 8-) - Leftovers: sometimes there's a lot of food, so if you bring a container you can take some to enjoy at home - People: After the demos we break up into groups and make a few recipes. I didn't take the class to meet new people, but I made some nice friends through the few sessions we've have. - Class time said 6-9:30pm which I was initially worried sounded a bit long, but we usually finished by 9 or earlier so I could make it home to watch Grey's just slightly delayed on TiVo. ;-) - Location: most of the quality classes I have seen are in the city which is hard to get to on a weeknight. These are held closer to home in Cupertino and Santa Clara. Lowlights (my flip side to highlights): - How much fun you have cooking depends on the group you end up in--just normal group dynamics and personalities, etc. - Not optimal equipment: this is where it's a pro to go to a specialty store like Sur La Table or Whole Foods: the equipment will be more top notch. Our class was at Cupertino High School which had dull knives, old silverware, etc. They also didn't have any chopsticks to use in our Japanese class, so we brought our own. - Sometimes she changes the recipe from what's written down so you just have to be aware and take notes on your handouts. - Some classes you get a snack pretty early on but others you don't get to eat until 8:30pm, so you may want to have a snack before just in case. I'm so happy to have found this cooking school and will be looking to take more classes in the future!

Highly recommend Chef Suzanne and Worldchefs International!…read more I've taken Italian cooking classes, garlic cooking classes and a team-building cooking class. All spectacular... Highlights of courses: *Picked up FANTASTIC recipes that I still cook today... *Learned how to use quality ingredients to make delicious dishes *Met some great people *Paid close to nothing to learn from a top-notch chef and her colleagues Minuses: *May be challenging if you are with a group of people whom are unaccustomed to being in the kitchen... Favorite dishes that I still cook today zuppa di ceci (Italian garbanzo bean soup), pizza margherita, paella (Spanish rice dish), chicken marsala, risotto, minestrone soup, non-alcoholic sangria, and flourless chocolate cake.

Taste Buds Kitchen - San Francisco - Palo Alto

4.9

(153 reviews)

I have been wanting to take my kiddo to a caregiver and me cooking class for a while now. She is…read morefinally old enough and I felt like she was ready. I booked a Tuesday evening class during winter break. You get a confirmation email and that's it. I was worried about prep but they prepare everything for you and thought up everything as well. Small parking lot. They had us wash our hands when we arrived and then each kiddo had a color sheet with crayons. Nice touch but defeats the purpose of washing our hands first. The two of us shared a table with another mom with their toddler. Each toddler had their own set up to make 6 cookies. Everything was pre measured and it wasn't too messy. We were able to bake 6 cookies and use whatever toppings - she got to choose between chocolate chips, m&ms, white chocolate chips and these dried fruits. They read a book to the kids and then made milk shakes as a group. Each kid got a small cup and to place chocolate chips/m&Ms in. The cookies were really delicious and my child loved the milk shake. One thing is that you can't stop other kiddos from touching your items/food. Would return.

Great experience for people watching/interacting, and cooking without having to prep or clean!…read more Booked a shared table for 2 (4 people at a table) for an adult cooking class on a Saturday night. Pros: The shared table experience was great for meeting new people and having extra sets of brains for multitasking. Cons: Seating is random and the experience is shared; ie: one burner for 4, and the end products are shared. Our dish ended up being over-salted, and our experience was halved in interactive-ness due to the luck of the draw of seating. Never have I had a spoon or spatula taken away from my hands so fast before. And most certainly never have I had someone critique the knives and actively give the duller knife to us. This shared table experience was essentially a fight for all (for us). BUT this is just dependent on the attendees and who you're seated with. The other shared tables didn't seem to have such issues. For a more interactive learning experience, I recommend the private table to avoid the risk of randomization. On the bright side, we got to see how other couples interact, whether it was actively taking items from their partner's hands because they were doing the task wrong (ie: mixing eggs wrong??) or the couple next to us taking cute photos of each other and sharing drinks while enjoying their time together. The structure of the class was decent, organized, and well-paced. All ingredients were measured and prepared. Baking, cleaning, and chilling items were taken care of by staff. Prepping the dish (ie: battering items, mixing ingredients) and active cooking were the only things needed to be done. The instructor would explain the ingredients provided and the instructions during the instruction period for the dish at hand. Following the instructions, prep/cooking occurs while the instructor supervises and provides aid or guidance as needed. All in all, I had a great experience. The staff was nice, especially the instructor, and I felt taken care of during my cooking class experience. Would return for pasta night-- most definitely for the private table experience.

Zaida’s Kitchen

4.0

(90 reviews)

Food: I went with the Super Burrito (pork carnitas) & Taco (pork carnitas). Started off with the…read moretaco and was blown away by the fresh corn masa, cilantro, pickled onions, avocado, and a mild salsa. Packed full of flavor is an understatement. Next up was the burrito. Even though it has a bit more tortilla to investment ratio than I prefer, that corn tortilla was a treat in itself. Ambiance: There was a line when they first open and the 2 person team there were working fast, graceful, and with precision. Friendly staff and the food was worth the wait. Parking: No issues finishing parking lot parking or street parking.

I really wanted to like this place, but it was disappointing. I saw their food truck at the…read moreEvergreen farmer's market and it looked good so I ordered the empanadas, chilaquiles, chips, and Mexican wedding cookies. I was so excited to try it all because I love chilaquiles and empanadas, but both were pretty bland. The "empanadas" look more like quesadillas, but a lot less flavorful and the texture was eh. The chilaquiles looked good, but the sauce was so bland and runny, it made everything soggy. The only thing I liked were the chips and Mexican wedding cookies. I would get those again if I see it at the farmers market, but will skip everything else.

Eggs by the Bay

4.7

(62 reviews)

Knowledgeable staff and a wide variety of charcoal options…read more If you own a Big Green Egg or want to broaden your BBQ horizons, I recommend checking them out. It's nice to support a local business when I can, and it saves me the trouble of going to multiple hardware stores/ bbq stores to look for certain types of lump charcoal. I'm willing to pay a premium for the convenience of having the specific type of lump charcoal that I feel like using on any given week.

Excellent source for BGE grills, accessories and general information. The classes are amazing and…read morethe chili cook off should not be missed! Smitty is awesome. If you have your eye on an Egg, talk to these guys!

Adam Small Cooks

(64 reviews)

Adam Small and his team were recommended to us by a family member who also used his services for…read moreher wedding. We could not be happier with the recommendation as the appetizers and entrées were absolutely stunning -- both in flavor and aesthetics! Our biggest difficulty was choosing dishes from his diverse catalog of offerings since they all sounded delicious. He was also very accommodating and made various adjustments to account for particular food allergies that some of our guests had (without compromising on flavor at all). For appetizers, we chose: - Pepper-Crusted Seared Ahi Tuna (Seka Hills EVOO, Sicilian Pesto, Herbs) - Ratatouille Tarts (Puff Pastry, Seka Hills EVOO, Parmigiano Reggiano) - Pistachio Flatbread (Onion, Burrata, Honey, and Chili Oil -- this one was a extra-huge hit with all guests) For dinner, we started with a Local Harvest Salad (Farm Vegetables, Fruit, Vinaigrette, Cheese, and Nuts -- plating was particularly beautiful for the salad), and had three entrée options: - Wagyu New York Steak (Imperial American Wagyu, Roasted Vegetables, Marinated Portobello Mushrooms, Potato Galette, and Red Wine Jus) - Signature Duck (Mary's Crusted Duck Breast, Hind-Quarter Confit, Potato Cake, Charred Vegetables, and Duck Jus) - Roasted Butternut Squash with Cannellini Beans (Charred Vegetables, Marinated Portobello Mushrooms, and Saffron-Rosemary Broth) Throughout our entire wedding and afterwards, guests were telling us how impressed they were and that it was the best food they had ever had at a wedding! He and his team arrived right on schedule, set up (including silverware and plates) cooked and served outstanding food, provided extremely attentive service, and then cleaned up, leaving the kitchen absolutely spotless (while also deftly navigating a brief power outage!). We cannot recommend Adam Small Cooks highly enough! His food, attention to detail, and service are truly next level. Thank you again for making our wedding so special!

Chef Adam was amazing!!!…read more We celebrated a friend's birthday with 6 people at an Airbnb in Sonoma. We had a six course menu (see below for details) that was excellent! For the vegetarian in the group (me) he was able to whip up a wonderful dish when everyone else was eating halibut. Every single dish was a stand out and the group was so happy with how everything turned out. This was a wish of the birthday girl - to have a private chef and to spend time with her girlfriends. She was blown away by the experience. The 6 course meal included: Fried Baby Artichokes: lemon aioli, herbs, chili oil Flatbread: preserved truffle, pistachios, onion, burrata, honey, chili oil Ash Roasted Beets: kimchi honey, pistachios, ravigote, feta Charred Zucchini Agnolotti: fried sage, brown butter, lemon, pepper, parmigiana Seared Halibut: fennel-potato salad, herbs, haricot vert, preserved truffle champagne sauce Under-Baked Chocolate Cake: Italian meringue, Luxardo cherries, cocoa nibs Also, our kitchen was left spotless! Thanks again Chef Adam for giving us the perfect first day of our trip!

iCelebrate Event Rentals

(415 reviews)

I needed to rent some wooden folding chairs for a small wedding. Moe was so pleasant to work with…read more I arranged to look over the chairs before hand . He made it so easy . On the day of the rental I arrived and the chairs weee loaded in my van in nice sturdy canvas bags. This made it easy to transport. The chairs were looked perfect. On the return the chairs were unloaded by his team members. Thank you again .

Great service . Accommodate all my needs . Very professional , their prices was a lot better than…read morethe other venders in the area . Highly recommend them

Asha Party Rentals

4.9

(120 reviews)

Very detailed info of what they offered and their prices are very comparable if not better than…read moreothers

Asha Rental is the best! Very responsive, professional and…read morehelpful. Will use their services again. Tracy

Stuart Event Rentals

4.5

(245 reviews)

They have a great selection. Just don't pay for delivery. It is cheaper to rent a U-Haul and pick…read moreup. They will load into the van. You load it at the end of your event but when you go back, they will unload.

Really great experience with Stewart Event Rentals for a bridal shower at my home. They had…read moreeverything I needed- Chairs with beautiful perfect whilte pads, tables, and super cute dishes for only $1 each! I revised my numbers a few times prior to payment and everything went smoothly. Delivery was prompt, professional and friendly. Will use again. Thank you!

Santa Clara Jumpers

(110 reviews)

Great service and easy to book! Was my first time booking chairs/tables and they made it super…read moreeasy! Took away the stress of event planning!

They came on time and the bounce house was bigger than i thought! I got the purple princess castle…read morefor a birthday party and everyone loved it! They were also the cheapest I could find in the area. Would definitely order from them again for future birthdays and events

Party Daddy Event Rentals

(7 reviews)

Excellent service! Love the price of renting the beautiful white chairs and all went well! Will use…read morethem again!

Patrick was super easy to communicate with, promptly brought the tables and chairs as per our need…read more The tables and chairs were clean and new. Great service!! Will be certainly contacting him for our next party !

South Bay Party Rentals

(8 reviews)

These guys were amazing! Rented chairs from them for a backyard party. The price was reasonable,…read morethey dropped off the chairs the day before our event which gave us some breathing room to set up. They also cleaned all the chairs the day they dropped off. Pick up was easy. They did all the work. No lifting on our part. They don't have a fancy website. Most of the communication was done thru text. I sent my deposit via Zelle. I did have a conversation by phone with one of the owners. She was really nice and speaking directly with her did put me at ease. 100% recommend.

Thank you South Bay Party Rentals for coming through for my daughter's bday party! This company was…read moreresponsive, reliable, and the pricing was very fair! I love that they had our canopy set up a day before our party, and took it down the day after. Not only was their professionalism was beyond their service, but they also took the time to organize some of our stuff that didn't belong to them. Now that's excellent customer service!

Canopies And Tent Rentals

(22 reviews)

They were so helpful!!! I booked a week ahead of a reception for a family member's memorial…read moreservice. They told me exactly how many tables and chairs I would need for our number of people, they arrived a day early and set up the canopies for us! They came in the morning the day after our event and took the canopies down. The prices are fair, and it was so worth it to have the peace of mind that this part of our event would be taken care of for us. We would recommend them to anyone, and would love to use them again in the future

This is my second time renting from Canopies and Tent Rentals, and now they will be my go to for…read moretable and chairs. I first rented out tables and chairs for Easter Sunday and the communication as far as getting the pricing and invoice was great but when it came to delivery there wasn't much communication so I had to reach out and get an ETA. Besides that the pricing was super great so I rented again for my daughter's first birthday party. This time around was wonderful! I got an invoice super quick and when it came to delivery Emmanuel called the day of to let me know a time he was arriving. I rented on a Saturday and they picked up on Monday and texted me an ETA. Super great company and will be renting from them again in the future.

Los Gatos Event Rentals