After trying for quite some time, I was finally able to secure a spot in the very popular 2-Day…read moreJapanese Home Baking Class--and it was absolutely worth the wait! The curriculum was thoughtfully organized, the instruction was outstanding, and the class provided a wonderful balance of demonstrations and hands-on practice. Miyuki is an excellent instructor. She explained the ingredients, demonstrated each technique, and then had us complete the same steps ourselves. While we worked in groups of two or four, everyone made their own cakes, breads and rolls to take home each day. We were welcomed each morning with coffee and a delicious baked treat, and a light lunch was included. I also enjoyed meeting other baking enthusiasts who shared the same passion for Japanese baked goods. It was a fun, informative, and rewarding experience that I would highly recommend.

I took the artistan one bread class.I loved it so much.I'm taking the artistan two bread class in…read morejanuary. Theo is a great instructor and just a great school overall.

I cannot say enough great things about Jess! This past weekend she taught a class of 4 adults and…read more3 kids (of which one is a 3.5 year-old) in my mid-sized kitchen. She was extremely knowledgeable, patient, organized, and fun! Everyone had something to do, and everyone had a great time! I asked her to come on short notice, and she was very accomodating. She crafted a menu that included a vietnamese summer roll appetizer, two protein main dishes, two vegetable side dishes, and a salad. We all agreed that we never had such great summer rolls before, and the rest of the food was equally delicious. The flavor profiles of the dishes were complex, but not hard to make. She gave us all the know-how to prepare, cook and season the food properly. It was so fun to take a class, then enjoy the fruits of our labor. It was a wonderful way to spend a Saturday night with family! Clean up was also a breeze. For a family of seven, including all the cookware, I only had to do one load of dishes in the dishwasher. I only washed the serveware and one non-stick baking dish by hand (my normal practice). I didn't even realize as we were cooking that Jess had been so efficient in her use of the cookware and bakeware. I think Jess would be helpful to anyone, skilled or not in cooking, who wants to learn how make a delicious meal in an efficient way. I will definitely be calling her again for more lessons, and I would recommend her to everyone!

My sweet, sweet boyfriend bought me three cooking lessons with Jess for Valentine's Day. She sent…read moreme a questionaire to fill out before our first session. She found out my strengths and weaknesses in the kitchen. She was wonderful! She came in, gave us a binder with all recipes and plans on how to overcome my challenges and gave us great, new, fresh recipes to try on our own. Not to fail to mention, all were very healthy! I even learned how to properly chop an onion! She has a great amount of knowledge of cooking and had answers to all of my questions. I'd highly recommend her for a special gift for someone, bachelorette party, or even just something fun to bring friends together and get them cooking!

Sunshine is amazing! I booked a private class for four, and we got to help plan the menu which was…read moregreat because I'm vegan. (Sunshine is very willing to adjust the ingredients for any allergies or food restrictions). We made a papaya salad, pad Thai with shrimp, and Kanom Krook for dessert. Everything was prepared and ready to go, and Sunshine instructed us throughout the whole meal. (Sunshine is hilarious! I really enjoyed her energy and help!) I learned a lot of tips and tricks I can use in everyday cooking, and I'll remember this event for a long time to come. The four of us all loved Thai food proper, but we've never had such authentic Thai food--it's better! YUM! BOOK A CLASS WITH SUNSHINE! You'll have a blast!

Fantastic cooking experience…read more I came with a few friends to have a little bonding time during the holiday. We opted for the Tom Yum shrimp, Pad Thai with chicken, and Kanom krook cooking class. We were honestly very impressed with Sunshine and the recipes she took us through. The Tom Yum was pretty straightforward, but the pad Thai was slightly more difficult. We were happy to have her guidance as it turns out needs to be cooked quickly to get the right textures/ cooked efficiently. I've never had kanom krook dessert, but were pleasantly surprised at how good and how versatile it can be. The location was also nice and comfy. I would love to be a regular student of hers. She's a lot of fun. At first I thought that the ingredients she chose were so fragrant, it made me want to just take those home. Turns out I'd enjoy the whole experience. I highly recommend Sunshine's class

James was a pleasure as a host and a teacher! He is not only an amazing chef but he loves to host…read more He warmly welcomed us, showed us how to make pizza and let us be social amongst friends. Felt like our own kitchen. I would highly recommend.

In an article published in January of this year, Chronicle Staff Writer Janine DeFao wrote…read more"Culinary speakeasies ... are popping up in cities in the Bay Area and beyond, across the country and around the world. Part of the thrill, of course, is the hipness factor, the ego-inflating I-know-something-or-somebody-you-don't-know feeling that comes with being on a VIP list." So naturally, when the opportunity for me to eat at one of these "homegrown supper clubs" arrived I jumped at the chance, particularly since my friend and former colleague, James Stolich, was at the helm. I had no idea what to expect when I arrived at the beautiful San Francisco flat James lives and cooks in. After a tour of their home, I joined James in the kitchen to watch him in action as he prepared a six course meal for twelve. His marble counter and timeless appliances are the stuff self-professed epicureans like me dream about (while living in studio apartments with little counter space and undersized refrigerators.) Having known James in a primarily professional capacity (we worked together at a UK-based digital business consultancy during the height of the dot com boom) it was a joy to see he's as adept at cooking as he is as an interactive producer. The crowd on Friday night was as eclectic as it was international. As Pia is from Italy, the Italians were well-represented. Other folks hailed from a variety of exotic locales including Queens, Atlanta, Romania and France. While some folks congregated at the table, others mingled in the kitchen either helping James or quizzing him on his preparations. The night began with champagne and appetizers which included prosciutto and roasted cashews with olive oil, sea salt and lime. The subsequent six courses were wonderfully prepared, seasonally appropriate and above all, delicious! From the burrata cheese and golden beet salad to the restaurant-worthy sweet tomato gazpacho and the handmade gnocchi, I was thoroughly impressed at every turn. If you're growing bored of the restaurant scene or just want to try something new, I highly recommend Cook With James.

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.

We hosted my sisters 50th birthday celebration here. It was easy to communicate with them. It was…read morewithin our price range and they were very flexible. They will have everything you need for a party. Definitely recommend this location for your next event. Thank you so much Tatiana and team!

Had a wonderful experience with Studio Anthurium in San Mateo . Girls made very easy and hassle…read morefree and I really appreciate this. Will definitely use them again .

Great recipes and wonderful cooking videos. individual support is available and encouraged. I…read morejoined 3 weeks ago. As suggested I took it slow- one recipe at a time, watched the videos and really started to follow my plan this week. I have been stuck at a certain weight for ever, and finally dropped below that # this week by 2 pounds. this is a lifestyle not a diet. My husband also loves the recipes.

Such a fun and educational experience. As soon as you walk in everyone makes you fell welcomed, you…read moreare not being judged, everyone is there to learn how to cook. No previous cooking experience needed what so ever. Class is great for all levels: beginners, pros, never touched a knife before type of people. Class is fun and energized... I was somewhat skeptical at first but by the end of the class all I wanted to do was go home and cook some more. You start off by an introduction of the class and what they are all about. Then they explain to you the layout of the kitchen and what 3 recipes you will cook that day. You work off your cooking station and in designated teams. They teach you safety tips and tricks while you cook. The class I attended was great.... They are all about healthy cooking with healthy ingredients. Only downside is pricing.... Average about $50-$60 per class, once a week, 5 or 10 week programs offered. That unfortunately is a bit much for my wallet but like I said its worth it if you can afford it. . Great place to go with friends for a night out.

I tried this place out because all the lines at the Real Eats Festival were insane. LoBue didn't…read morehave any lines at all but the menu sounded delicious and the food they were cooking looked great. I was going to get the zucchini fritters but opted for the arugula peach bacon salad topped with what I think was creme fraiche. Everything sang on the plate. Totally balanced and delectable. The freshness was off the charts. In my opinion, if you can make an incredible salad or soup with simple ingredients you're pretty much a star in the kitchen. Right as I left the stall a guy was coming back to get the zucchini fritters after he tried his girlfriend's. So big question: where are the lines?

Her food is downright incredible. I've never tasted anything like it. And totally local, organic,…read moreand sustainably farmed too, so you feel no guilt.