My husband treated me to two cooking classes with Chris, and I learned immensely at both. First off, the space is gorgeous. You feel like you're in such a welcoming and relaxing environment, and Chris is generous with drinks to make people feel at home. Her style is really approachable, and she tries hard to offer tips that will stay with you when you're cooking at home. I've learned so much from her: I use old T-shirts to dry my meat, I never salt my potatoes before roasting them, I crank up the heat real high to roast chicken, and I make my pizza outside on the grill. She has helped me expand my food horizons and feel comfortable experimenting in the kitchen. She's also an all-around amazing individual who has been around DC a long time and has good stories to tell. In short, it's a great activity for a night out with friends or even as a couple, and she offers useful recipes that will make you more comfortable in the kitchen to boot. I wish I still lived in DC so I could take regular classes with her. read more

If you're planning a small cooking class among your closest friends, look no further than Just Simply... Cuisine. For my wife's birthday, Chris put together a customized menu with a focus on local, organic, and healthy. Her "slow food" approach has long been a staple in her instruction, long before it became cool to go green. She walked us through a five course meal, teaching new techniques while entertaining topics on food and life. We particularly enjoyed the roasted butterflied chicken with fresh sage. Our afternoon session ended with a simple, yet divine treat of strawberries with balsamic and whipped cream. Just Simply... Cuisine is one of the best kept secrets in DC. Let Chris host you in her lovely home and delight you with recipes that you'll want to try on your own over and over again. read more

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I went to a cooking class tonight at Just Simply Cuisine with a group of 12 people, I'll start with the positive. The house and kitchen are beautiful, I would kill to have that huge Viking range at my disposal. The house was open and welcoming and we had access to beer and wine, which we served ourselves. The goat cheese appetizer was delicious, something I would probably make at home for guests. That's about it for the positive. The class cost $75 per person and was represented to me as an interactive dinner where some cooking techniques were taught and demonstrated. We were served a "5 course" meal which consisted of the following; Tapenade bruschetta with fresh mozzarella Roasted cauliflower Signature goat cheese appetizer Whole roasted chicken, one (1). (Did I mention there was 12 of us!?) Green salad "Something Sweet" (3 ounces of chocolate milk) For $75 per I was shown cooking techniques that most line cooks in a chain restaurant already know, was served a couple small appetizers, one side, one salad and because I was last in line for the chicken I was able to eat one chicken wing and a small piece of thigh with skin. Really!? I was tempted to hit the steak and egg on the way home!!! As a side note, I could care less about your political affiliation and certainly could have gone without your comments disparaging American society and its short comings. How about you just cook the food and since you have so much spare time maybe clean the wine glasses so they don't have residue on them. In short, the food was average and for the the money spent I certainly could have enjoyed a better, more filling meal elsewhere. I will say that the owner is a shrewd business person, she got $900 from our group for maybe $100 worth of product, including alcohol. That's a way better percentage than any restaurant I'm aware of. Save your money. read more

This was SUCH a great cooking class. I came here with a group of 4 girlfriends that were in town for the weekend and rather than go to dinner one night we decided to do this cooking class. First- Chris's house is GORGEOUS and the kitchen is out of this world. We sipped on white wine and learned how to make fresh pasta with shrimp and various sides and appetizers. And then she finished the meal with a little chocolate milk shooter. The food was wonderful and she really knows her stuff. She taught us some great cooking techniques and a lot about wine. Its not exactly cheaper than going out to dinner, (I think it cost about $75 per person) but its such a great experience- especially with a group of friends. Well worth the cost! read more

I went to a cooking class at Just Simply Cuisine with four of my friends and had an AMAZING time with Chris and her intern Nada! I highly recommend her classes to anyone - especially groups of friends. Chris was warm and engaging and made us all feel immediately welcome and comfortable. She taught us a ton of useful cooking tips and we learned how to make five recipes that were absolutely delicious and very unique. I liked that they were recipes I hadn't tried before so they pushed me out of my comfort zone but weren't too difficult that I was intimidated. My two favorite parts of the class were the food and the atmosphere. The food was fantastic, fresh and flavorful. I've made two of the recipes since the class for my family and they were a huge hit! The intimate atmosphere made for a great class with lots of questions and conversation. You learn a ton, but feel like you are simply cooking with friends having a great time. I already have plans to go back with some girlfriends in a few months! read more

I stumbled on Just Simply...Cuisine through Yelp while researching cooking classes for dinner as a part of my friend's Bachelorette party. After an initial email inquiry, I quickly heard back from Chris, the owner, and was able to set up a private cooking class for a group of 7. I've participated in other cooking classes, but Chris' is by far the best! I'm not from DC, so I wasn't sure where it was located but I didn't expect it to be in her beautiful home, with a gourmet kitchen! Chris is a gracious host, and instead of feeling like a class, we felt like we were being invited over by a friend. She keeps classes to a maximum of 12, so the class feels intimate and there's plenty of space for everyone. Chris prepared a 5-course menu for our group. Although we didn't know what the menu would be like until we arrived, I was able to send her any dietary restrictions or allergies beforehand to make sure everyone would be able to eat. I loved that she walked us through the process of making each course, giving us the opportunity to try the techniques and also sharing little tips + tricks that she uses as well. The best part was that we were able to eat as we went--rather than creating the whole meal and then eating after 3 hours, we were able to make a course, and then sample that while we worked on creating the next one. Her menu focused on seasonal, local food that is elegant and simply to recreate in your own kitchen. Plus, Chris kept our wine glasses full the whole night! I would HIGHLY recommend Just Simply... Cuisine if you're looking for a unique, intimate cooking class for a group of friends. read more

Yelp is my bible when it comes to all of my restaurant & activity recommendations. However, I'm guilty of never contributing to reviews. After I attended a class at Chris' beautiful home, I was compelled to write about my experience. Chris was delightful! She welcomed us into her home like we were old friends. As a girl who loves food; although, doesn't cook much, Chris made it seem tangible enough with the menu she had planned. Prior to our class, we spoke about what we were looking to get from our 3 hour session (it went way over by the way & she didn't even push us out). The four of us wanted to make certain we walked out of the class not intimidated to tackle the menu on our own, but wanted the food to be zesty as well as healthy. With full glasses of vino in hand, we began to tackle the following menu: * Goat cheese appetizer: Goat cheese log drizzled with olive oil & a balsamic reduction. The best part was the delectable medley of fresh rosemary, dried chile peppers, garlic, jalapeno peppers, grape tomatoes, wild mushrooms, basil that was slathered over the cheese log. It's sure to please all of your guests! * Fault-Proof Pasta: My favorite part was making homemade pasta. Not only was it fun, it proved to be something that any home chef can do. * Caesar Kale Slaw: It tasted fresh & light - have already made it since our class. * Chicken Cotoletta: This chicken was beyond the basic recipe. Although, easy to prepare, it seemed much more gourmet. Perfectly succulent. * Almond Cake: It was the perfect finishing touch to our meal. Not too sweet & just enough after all of the other courses. I would recommend Chris' class to the seasoned chef & the amateur home cook as her creative tips & tricks were unique to the overall experience - everyone can learn something. Moreover, she definitely made us all think about how we can eat smarter. I wouldn't hesitate to spend many more Friday nights with good friends, great food in Chris' kitchen! Thanks Chris! read more

You will learn a ton about overall perspective on food, and specific cooking tips and recipes. Chris couldn't do better at making everyone feel instantly comfortable and engaged with the class. It's easy to ask questions and enjoy yourself in the small class format. Some of the big things I took from the class were the rationale for buying local food, the usefulness and economy of growing your own herbs, making & using reduced balsamic as a building block, the use of different kinds of salt and olive oil, cooking with "hot spots" on a pan, when to salt sauteeing vegetables, how to store meat & vegetables... And that's just off the top of my head! There was plenty more discussed, written down, and taught. We had a great time and learned a lot. Highly recommended! read more

I've now taken two seasonal classes at Just Simply... Cuisine with Chris, and both were incredible! My most recent class was a couple of weeks ago and I am still talking about it and the delicious food we prepared. I always learn something new, and have been putting a bunch of new tricks to use in my kitchen in the past two weeks. Chris does a really great job at teaching to a variety of levels, and the classes are small and friendly so I always feel comfortable pitching in and asking questions. I recommend these classes to everyone. read more

Just Simply...Cuisine is one of the best experiences I've ever had. Everything was SIMPLY perfect...Chris is delightful and warm, her assistants were friendly and helpful, the kitchen (in Chris's beautiful home) was amazing for an intimate crowd and the food, SIMPLY divine. Can't say enough and can't wait to invite friends for another dining experience. This was the ultimate venue for my friend's surprise birthday party. read more

Just Simply... Cuisine is simply... fabulous! I went here for a cooking class with a small group of friends and had a really great time. Chris is a warm and engaging teacher and it was overall a relaxing, informative, completely lovely experience learning to cook with her! I have used her recipes and continue to love them- four words: potato, gruyere, rosemary pizza- YUM!! Highly recommend. read more

I gave this cooking class as a Christmas gift to 3 of my closest friends (and of course myself). Our cooking experiences ranged from "love to cook" to "don't cook at all. We had a fabulous time in a beautiful kitchen learning lots of new things and making some delicious meals. We truly enjoyed ourselves and sincerely look forward to doing this again. It was pleasant, delicious, relaxing, and fun and we all learned lots of great kitchen and cooking tips (and more). The price was reasonable and the instruction was hands on. My friends and I have all already used the information, recipes, and ideas only days after our experience! I highly recommend to anyone looking for a fun culinary evening! read more