My wife and I took a cooking class with Douglas last night to celebrate our anniversary. We…read moreattended a class that had 6 people; all good friends of ours. Everyone attending had different levels of cooking skills, and all of us walked away with insightful learnings! Douglas taught us everything from essential kitchen tools to own; the importance and techniques of toasting spices; how to stage and time the preparation of an incredible dinner menu; how to prepare and cook restaurant worthy meats, and more! As a group, we were involved in all stages of cooking an incredible meal: pork tenderloin with peppered apples, creamy mashed potatoes, brocolini, green salad, and ginger cake with caramel sauce. With the wine that we all brought, this was an amazing feast! If you are looking to improve your cooking and entertaining skills, one of Douglas's cooking classes is a must attend! In less than 24 hours, I have spoken to numerous friends about this, and everyone wants to check out his classes now. This is a win-win for everyone; the idea of hosting an incredible dinner party is no longer an intimidating thought -- Douglas, you will be seeing us again! Thanks for a great class.

We just enjoyed a wonderful evening with Douglas at his home, learning to cook some delicious food!…read more I was given this cooking class as a birthday gift and really wasn't sure what to expect (I tend to see cooking as a bit of a chore) but the evening was just so easy and fun that we had a great time in this beautiful space! Douglas is a very knowledgeable and laid-back chef who can easily move between instruction, casual conversation, and describing the intricacies of why it's always best to do this or that in the kitchen. Plus the others who cooked/dined with us were a lively bunch we're glad to have met! I would highly recommend working with Douglas in any capacity, maybe even as a birthday gift as was my experience ;-)

What a creative team building exercise! She can accommodate up to 10 people. We made 4 dishes with…read more6 people and tag teamed the dishes. Traci gets all the stations prepared ahead of time and some items are even sourced from her own personal garden. She also gave a lovely appetizer before we started cooking (don't cook hungry!). She did a great job helping us all get cook the dishes, I was impressed how attentive she was with all of us and also gave great tips! The food we made (Moroccan) was phenomenal! I will definitely attempt to make these dishes on my own in the future.

I had such a fantastic time at chef Traci's Sauces and Condiments class! It was a lot of fun…read morecooking alongside the group and learning how to make a variety of sauces, most I never would've thought to make before. Every single one turned out delicious -- and we even got to take home small jars of each sauce, which made it super easy to flavor-up meals all week long. I also loved that Traci emailed us the recipes afterwards so we can recreate them at home. Highly recommend this class to anyone who wants to elevate their meals with amazing homemade sauces!

This is a gem of a find. Immaculately clean, each participatory class is lead by a gifted chef…read more I've been to several, the most recent centered on pomegranates. We made several recipes, were given copies to take home along with some pomegranate molasses. Our meal together was splendid.

I first took a knife skills class here and loved it. The space is absolutely beautiful. When you…read morearrive, they provide you with an apron and a name tag. And there are snacks and water for you to enjoy. The class size is small so there's enough individual attention. And at the end, you all sit down together to enjoy the your meal. It was so fun that I signed up for a Malaysian class, which was also great. I definitely will be taking more classes here.

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.

Ayako was wonderful. She is very nice and answered all our questions. I went to the Japanese lunch…read moreclass, there were 3 of us in the class. The food was very homey, and I mean it in a good way. Prepping/cooking runs for ~2 hours and we ate for the 3rd hour. Food was delicious and healthy. Also prices are half what Le Cordon Bleu charges and she graduated from there. So it's like taking a Le Cordon Bleu, but paying half the amount. When it comes to food, I've been told that I have high standards and I say it's good. I'm going to see if I can attend her Brazilian and French classes. Highly recommend!

I recently had the pleasure of attending Ayako's Brazilian cooking class while I was visiting San…read moreFransisco with my husband during a work conference. I wanted to fill my days with some fun activities during the days my husband was away at the conference. I found Ayako's cooking class and knew it would be something fun and different from anything I have back home. Ayako was incredibly nice and inviting! She offered me slippers, an apron, and printed copies of the recipes we prepared. We cooked together and chatted along the way about different things to do in the city and food, of course. I learned some simple techniques for cutting vegetables I hadn't known before and I cook quite frequently at home. The food, conversation, and atmosphere could be beat! I would love to attend another one of Ayako's classes when I return to the city.

I took a custom cooking class for Giovanna. It was really good, I have special diet requirements…read moreand we got to shape the class according to our wishes. I really enjoyed it, Giovanna is easy to follow and she does not only explain well what shes doing but also why (for example the advantages of soaking or massaging ingredients and the nutritional benefits of the ingredients). She really knows a lot about food, cooking and nutrition. Taking the class was like watching a cooking show where you could make requests on what you wanted to cook, then ask questions while she was cooking PLUS eat it afterwards (my favorite part :)).

I went to Giovanna because I wanted to loose weight. I had tried to cut gluten and eat healthier,…read morebut without any results. With Giovanna, I wanted to take it a level up and really loose some weight. Giovanna is very understanding and calm. It sounds very weird sometimes to explain and say things we eat and do, but she listened without any judgments. We created a meal plan for me so that I knew what and how much I could eat. Giovanna kept emphasizing that if I'm hungry I need to eat. I think that's the most important lesson I learned. Eating when I'm hungry and making healthy choices. I was surprised that I could eat five small meals a day which is more than I would usually eat. So, I was quite motivated to start the meal plan. But, the first few weeks were hard. That's because it is difficult to always eat healthy because we are surrounded by unhealthy food. Plus, I don't want to get super picky because then I can't meet friends for dinners any more. So, I tried my best but got demotivated after a few weeks. It was much harder than I thought (I never felt hungry, because that's not part of the plan). Every time I met with Giovanna, I felt charged and motivated. She is full of helpful advice. One thing she said - that stuck with me - is that if we eat 80% healthy, we don't need to feel bad about the other 20%. It's a lifestyle we are following, not a religion. So, we make mistakes, we can't be perfect, but we want to enjoy life. That view makes her so very different. And when I fully understood what it meant, I lost some weight. Before, I had seen Giovanna's help as a way to loosing weight but then I understood it's more than that, it's a lifestyle. I'm 7 pounds lighter now, and that's just the start. I highly recommend working with Giovanna, you should definitely call her and tell her what you want to achieve. She'll get you there!

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

This a a FREE, that right I said FREE baking and pastry program offered at the City College…read moreDowntown Campus. The class all aspects of baking and pastry, from yeasted doughs, and breads to laminated doughs, and cake decorating. The class is a big commitment--6am-noon, M-F for 2 semesters but when you are done you will have no loan to repay. The instructor is baker with over 30 years experience and she know how to teach adults form all backgrounds. I am very happy I found this class--before plunking down 25k for the Sf baking institute (which I am sure is a great school but completely out of my price range.)

So you know how, when you are suddenly thrust into the world of reality after 15 to 20 years of…read moreK-12 + college, you are shell shocked at myriad things? Not the least of which is the feeling that school was a big pile of horse manure, cuz no place can operate without a bottom line. Yeah, don't scoff at me; it happened to you, too. That sense of self is a takes-one-to-know-one. This baking program? The antithesis of the la-la land my undergrad program was. This is the vein I *wish* my original higher educational path had run in, one much more like an apprenticeship. The one that says, "Hey, welcome, glad you want to learn; let's throw you into the realistic mix get your hands dirty, let you screw up or succeed in your own time. And let's call it all a learning experience so you don't have to pay me and I don't have to pay you, but we both still end up very satisfied, and with what we originally sought." The formidable Chef Betsy instructs, and talk about a woman of multiple facets... to describe it in words may be impossible, to learn from her teaching scratches the surface. If you're interested in dedicating yourself to two full semesters of hard mental and physical work to learn the basics of commercial baking, I could not dream up a better program.