Having sampled Shivie & Cemaaji's "RAW": 1. Key Lime Pie…read more2. Kale Chips 3. Strawberry Cheesecake 4. Macadamian, Banana, and Green Vegetable, Smoothies 5. Tacos 6. Pizzas 7. Granola 8. Chocolate 9. Crackers I can definitely say "Team Raw is as good as it gets!" So, yes, you can go to Whole Foods & spend your whole paycheck. Or you can go to Cafe Gratitude and pay approximately $14.00 for a shredded carrot. OR you can empower yourself and learn the art of cooking great tasting food "hands on" with Team Raw. Whether you want to start a "healthy cleanse" but don't know where to begin; don't have the time (because of your hectic work schedule) to prepare "heathy food;" want to become part of a healthy community; or just want toexperience something new - Shivie & Cemaaji will put you on the road to success & empower you with simple recipes you can create on your own ... I highly suggest signing up for one of their ongoing worshops - great people, great compassion, great knowledge. Team Raw is a great addition to the San Francisco Community. Check them out at: http://teamraw.com Wishing the best of all possible worlds, Iyengar Yoga Teacher, tony eason

So I have known Shivie and Cemaaj for years now and I can tell you that no one in the city makes…read morebetter raw food. They are not some new agers from Marin trying to make a buck off of a trend, they are loving kind peeps who really care about what goes in your body. Shivie is my inspiration: she lost pretty much a whole person in weight and by choice gave up a successful career that was slowly killing her. She turned her devotion to health and wholeness in the direction of food a few years ago, and I couldn't be happier ( though I miss my Kundalini classes). Her and Cemaaj's raw food is exceptional. Kale chips are light and spicy. Wraps taste like everything in them (not just one mushed up flavor). gRAWnola is wonderful with yogurt in the morning or just as a snack. Crackers, pizza...each is a mouthful of wonderful combinations of flavors. Even though I am quite versed in raw cuisine, I think I will take one of their classes in the new year. Next time you see them at the Farmers Market...go for it! Your stomach and body will be so proud of you.

!! I took one…read morecooking class today and already I want to buy a $500 Vita-Mix blender. It will be vital to my future as a hummus-orist. I also want to take more (all) classes. But not the baking one because my pants fit too tightly and it's not because they shrunk in the dryer. *pouty face* It was nice to sit in a room of like-minded chefs, who either were curious about cooking healthier for themselves, their children, or their various loved ones. This class made me feel more human and sane about life in the kitchen and life amongst our animal friends. Six stars! Colleen's podcast, which I didn't know about until recently, is fantastic and answers pretty much any question I could have thought to ask her. I wish I could replay them when someone asks me "Are you [name of dietary choice] even if you eat bugs that are killed in the soil?" or "Aren't your bones going to die without cow's milk?" I can't wait to take more of these classes. I *want* to demystify tempeh and I want to make a higher quality "meat" ball. 2008 will clearly be the year of better Thai food in our home. Also, I can't wait to set aside a day to cube all my carrots (already this class has paid for itself in the time it gives you back with back with obvious but unrealized kitchen prep tips). I'm so buying her baking book right now and buying pants a size up. :(

I love Colleen Patrick-Goudreau and her cooking classes (and book and DVD). In the last couple…read moreyears I have taken these classes: --Demystifying Tofu & Tempeh --Burgers & Backyard Bites --Comfort Foods Galore --Thanksgiving for the Turkeys plus a 6-week cooking series on eating right for cancer prevention and survival. I have used her DVD and just bought her vegan baking book. I need to check out her podcast as soon as I figure out how to download it (just bought my iPod). The classes I've taken were the "watch her cook and then sample the results" variety. I would have loved it if we made things while she did, but realistically we would have taken 8 hours to make the 4-5 dishes she showed us how to make (lots of prep work was done ahead of time), and I wouldn't be there if the class were 8 hours (and it would have cost a lot more), so overall that format works for me. The dishes have all been delicious. Two years ago our family had a vegan Thanksgiving (and I'm the only vegetarian--not even a vegan--in the family). I handed out the recipes from the Thanksgiving class to my open-minded peeps and we made them and everyone loved the meal. Yes, a couple people said they were going to have turkey over the next few days (Rome wasn't built in a day) but during the meal my family kept saying things like, "I can't believe how good this is!" and, "I never knew vegan food tasted so delicious." Yay! As I said above, I am a vegetarian and not a vegan, but I eat a lot less dairy than I used to and don't miss it. I think someone who's not interested in vegetarianism/veganism would find the initial part of the classes tiring and annoying because Colleen really emphasizes that this is the healthy and ethical way to eat. (I brought my extremely negative and close-minded ex-bf to a class and he hated that part--gee, I wonder why we aren't together anymore?!) But someone who's not interested in vegan cooking wouldn't be at the class, right?!... It's totally cool with me. I've been a vegetarian for more than 30 years and get closer to vegan every year--mostly with her the support and inspiration. I highly recommend checking out Colleen Patrick-Goudreau and Compassionate Cooks. She's made healthy cooking much less intimidating to me and I use her materials all the time. www.compassionatecooks.com Bon appetit! :-)

My daughter found the key room, and we went to see moira, who showed us the key room, the main…read moreroom, as there were 2 smaller ones, but we liked the key room!s setups, as we were not sure when we picked the open day on the weekend how many people we were going to have , as we invited more then ultimately showed up. We were very pleased with the food we chose, and the preparers/,servers, were attentive. People who attended later called us and they too, were pleased with all aspects of the memorial for my late wife. I would not hesitate to to use them again it a situation came up where we needed a hall that holds up to 100 people. Again, my daughter as well as I were very satisfied with the outcome.

We used it for a recent meeting. Great service, great facilitate, good price and AWESOME mission…read more Keep up the good work.

I find Mexican cuisine amazing. I mean really, how many delicious permutations of corn, cheese,…read moretomatoes, beans and peppers could you come up with?! Tacos, bureeetoes and quesahdilluhs don't count, folks. And yet the richness and diversity of the fare is astounding. Three hours with Edible Explorations unlocked the magic, we discovered it's all about the spices! Offering cooking classes in a welcoming Oakland home, private group lessons and catering, Edible Explorations will take you for a ride with fresh, organic ingredients, authentic Oaxacan recipes and colorful context/history. The tamale session gave us a solid foundation for whipping up these pockets of corn goodness, and I'm now inspired to host my own tamale fiesta! At $40-60 (sliding scale), the investment for two meals, fun times and tasty education is outstanding. I want seconds! Mole, you haven't seen the last of me...

Can you saw AUTHENTIC, Yummy, tasty and amazing all in one sentence?!....well, I just did and that…read moreis what Becca and Edible Explorations IS! It is an exploration into another world of Mexico that I had no idea was there until i started taking classes from Becca. The unique chicken tamales we did with amazing mole sauce were to die for. We made rice once with a sprig of mint in it! who would have thought that rice could be so flavorful?.... The most amazing thing I have eaten would have to be these things called MEMELAS They are fresh prepared masa (what you make for corn tortillas) hand flattened out, grilled on each side, then topped with her amazing refried black beans, home made verde (green) salsa and Queso fresca (fresh cheese) and topped with avocado....ok, i'm drooling now. oh! and we made fresh chile rellenos!!! with an amazing tomato sauce. She also teaches you about the culture (which she tends to specify to Oaxacan) which I knew nothing about until taking some of her classes. All organic food and local and great as a gift for someone (catering) or for a class to take and improve your friends and loved ones with tastes from Mexico that they have never tasted before!

Cooking with Sara has been such a fun and helpful experience! I love that you don't learn how to do…read morecomplicated, fancy recipes that you wouldn't have the time or ingredients to do in a normal day. While I love to cook, I've lacked comfort in the kitchen and scrambled to time properly. I feel much more comfortable cooking and familiarizing myself with new ingredients. You get three sessions you pay for plus cost of groceries, which Sara kindly gets for you & checks whether you have certain things. Session 1: Sara went through our kitchen to give tips on key pieces of cookware that might be missing. We put together two meals for our next two sessions. Session 2: The menu was puttanesca pasta, seared scallops, salad, and berry cobbler. The meal was amazing!!! Before our 3rd session, I made the puttanesca twice from memory. My dad and boyfriend were blown away even though the recipe was super simple. I brought leftover cobbler to work, and my coworkers were convinced it was the best thing ever and also soo easy to make. Session 3: We made seared steak with pan sauce, crispy potatoes, and oven broccoli. Super easy meal I could whip together, and I learned to use new equipment like a cast iron skillet and how important a baking sheet is (not the same as a glass dish). Sara is so easy going and great to work with. Looking forward to future sessions to come!

I bought this for my girlfriend for Christmas. It was absolutely what we needed. We wanted to be…read moreable to cook more, but leverage what we already had in the kitchen. Sara did a great job of being realistic based on what would work for us as well as what we could add that would give us the biggest bang for the buck. She did exactly the same with the cooking instructions. She was great at giving us a lot of basic information and small tips that made me much more comfortable being able to experiment. Sara is incredibly comfortable in the kitchen and she has a memory like a steel trap. I would highly recommend.

My kids just finished a week with Tracy et. al. at Camp Cookin (not the real name) and it was…read moreamazing and I was not even there! I did show up for the Friday demonstration that really showed me what a great operation they have going on there. These kids made some awesome munchies. Three savory bites and two desserts for us to try. Fish cakes with mango salsa. Veggie tapenade on puff pastry topped with mashed potatoes. THE BOMB. The space is incredible. They have it all. I cannot wait to have a cooking party there. Check it out.

Excellent food, excellent ambience , great people!!! Teachers are awesome they really care for the…read morestudents and I'm proud to say that my kid is part of that great team (family).

I attended a Summer cooking class with my husband and we were blown away by how much fun it was…read more Kay led a group of six of us through the steps of making a fresh tomato soup from scratch, pesto for topping the soup, charentais melon (french melon) and prosciutto, a quick salmon frittata to tide us over while we prepared dinner, greens, scones and cookies. We succeeded in all of the above, while Kay peppered us with tips about how to prepare, store and where to buy some of the more uncommon ingredients. At the end of the preparation we all sat down at a beautifully set table in the back yard grotto (yes, really!) and ate together under twinkly lights and candles. And let me not forget the drinks. Kay's husband is a vintner so we were treated to wonderful wine with dinner. It was so much more than just a class, it was an invite to a wonderful dinner party!

My wife recently took her first class with Kay and is already eager to go back for more! Next…read moretime, I'm going with! The leftovers my wife brought home were amazing (no surprise since I've been lucky enough to enjoy Kay's cooking before), and my wife gives everything about the class rave reviews. She left with some wonderful recipes and new techniques. She also reports Kay is a talented teacher as well, and made the whole experience seem less like a class and more like spending an afternoon in the kitchen with friends - highly recommended!

My nephew started the program he was on time engaged and really enjoying the experience almost…read morecompleted until they dropped him from classes saying he was not vocal enough to work in a kitchen. Really dropped from classes because not vocal enough. Don't recommend unless you don't mind being let down.

Great food, local celebrity chefs, good company, supporting local do-gooders, cooking class/demo,…read moreFresh Starts Culinary Academy graduates cooking in the kitchen while guests watch and are entertained by chefs doing their thing in the demo kitchen. Proceeds from the cooking demos go to support the nonprofit Homeward Bound. "I am your chef, not your doctor," Chef David Lawrence from 1300 on Fillmore was friendly welcoming funny and great at creating tasty French English Jamaican Southern comfort food. Traditionally prepared with island spice, southern warmth and lots of heavy cream and butter. He started with his signature Shrimp and Steel Cut Grits. That was creamy heaven in every bite. He then followed by another of his signature dishes, the Maple Syrup Short Ribs. With these he made a sweet dry rub and then seared the meat, added the mira poix, sautéed until caramelized, added broth, and some special ingredients and viola... (3 hours later if cooking at home). He finished with a Sweet Tea Pana Cotta. Between each demo Chef Lawrence walked around the room and answered questions, talked to guests and made for great company. The only thing that I would comment less than positively about the whole event was that I was scolded by the busser when I attempted to help by stacking my and my guests dishes. She said in a frantic whisper "don't stack your dishes I will get penalized". I don't know what that means but I wish her the best and hope she doesn't get "penalized" for my needing to get my plates out of my way.