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.

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.

We had such a great experience at Clay Life Art Studio for our 4-year anniversary. My husband and I…read morebooked a private wheel-throwing lesson, and it turned out to be one of the most memorable things we've done together. David, the owner, welcomed us into the studio and gave us a tour before we started. He taught us the basics and all the important things to know when working on the wheel. He was incredibly informative, hands-on, patient, and welcoming--and also really funny, which made the whole experience even more relaxed and enjoyable. It was our first time trying wheel throwing and we had so much fun that my husband and I couldn't stop talking about it afterward. We each made two pieces, and for beginners I think we did pretty well lol! We were honestly so excited to come back and pick up our creations. The staff and members were also super friendly. One of the members asked if we were doing a lesson and when we said yes she told us we would have a great time--and she was not wrong. They also offer memberships if you're interested, and the studio has a very welcoming, community-based vibe. If you've ever wanted to try pottery or are looking for a fun and unique date idea, I highly recommend it.

I book an appointment for the private wheeling throwing class via email. David (the instructor) was…read moreresponsive and made it easy to book the appointment. After checking in and putting our stuff away, David started the class by showing use how everything works and gave us a demonstration of how to make a bowl. Not gonna lie, I got lost while watching him make it. After the demonstration, we got started on working on our own bowl. David is super patient and fun. He made sure we knew what we were by guiding us through each step of the way. He was hopping between me and my friends throughout the whole time. For our second piece, we had the freedom to make whatever we wanted to and he would be there to help us through the way. We got to choose the glaze color for each of our pieces and the final product should be done 3-4 weeks after the class. Can't wait to see the final product. Bathroom: There's 2 bathroom in the studio. The bathroom was clean and had scrubbers in case you wanted to get clay of your nails. Parking: Pretty easy as the studio is located in a little plaza.

We had such a great experience at Slime Kitchen thanks to Erik! We came in right before closing,…read moreand even though they had already sold out of the Rumi slime my son really wanted, Erik went above and beyond to help create something similar for him. He was so patient, kind, and made the whole experience really interactive and fun. My son was completely engaged the entire time and left so happy with what he made. He also loved the K-pop Demon Hunter stickers and keychains! You can really tell Erik cares about the kids having a great experience, not just making a sale. We didn't feel rushed at all, even though it was close to closing time. Highly recommend coming here--we'll definitely be back!

Sophia was great! Would definitely recommend to bring your kids to fill some time! Love Love Loveread more

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 .

The best place to eat at city college…read more This is a cafeteria that is run by the culinary dept of city college. Their menu changes daily so that the students and faculty don't have to worry about getting tired of the same food. In addition to the rotational menu items, they also have a carving station, a grill, a salad bar, a pasta station and homemade soups. Entrees start at 3.75 and go up to 5.50 if you order 2 sides. This place is well worth the money.

We hosted our daughter's 9th birthday party here! She used to go to Deepa for her bharatnatyam…read moreclass and that's how we found this place. Deepa is a wonderful person,teacher and friend. My daughter had 15 friends join her for a paint party at netra studio. The teachers were absolutely amazing. They were so patient with all the kids and the paintings turned out so well. It's a really spacious studio with a kitchen, microwave and refrigerator incase you need to store any perishables for the party! We loved the whole experience and will be definitely back for more experiences like this.

My son loved the summer camps here with various art techniques! The instructors are friendly,…read morepatient and great teachers. My son was always excited to attend the art camps here!