My favourite events are the ones where I have no responsibility or role in planning, and I just…read morehave to show up. This particular event was my 39th birthday (yes, this is the first 39th birthday) and it was held at the aptly named Richmond Hill Culinary Arts Centre. My girlfriend and brother handled all of the planning, and the staff at RCAC were not only very helpful, but also very accommodating with any of the requests that were made. When I arrived, I was greeted by 26 of my friends and a fine selection of cocktails and hors d'ouvres. I believe (in an effort to keep costs down) that our group provided these items. The vodka was delicious, and I had no problem doing my part to make sure there was none left to take home. Anyhow, let's talk about the event...it was an Iron Chef competition. 30 minutes to devise a menu, choose ingredients, prep, cook, plate/present your meal. The rules of the competition and the judging criteria were explained in great detail by Program Director Frederick Oh. Frederick patiently endured my jokes and our collective A.D.D., and we were almost ready to get down to business. Sixteen (of 26) of us participated, and there were four judges (3 friends + Frederick himself). Four team leaders were named (I was one), and three of them chose their members while I fumbled around asking who was participating and who wasn't. The upside to not knowing who was participating (the event was a surprise to me), I simply had 3 people left to choose from. I chose them all. From the dining area where we were all gathered, Frederick opened a set of double doors to reveal a huge, bright clean Kitchen with four large stainless steel work areas in the middle. On one end there was a market table with all of the fresh ingredients, spices/herbs and oils, and on the other end there were ovens, two burners/team, a grill and a bunch of other things that you can't possible get around to using because, well, 30 minutes is next to no time, and being unfamiliar with the kitchen is the equivalent to being a nervous, sweaty handed 15 year old trying to undo a bra for the first time. Our mandate was for each team to prepare a (single) appetizer (using a vinegrette) and an entree using the secret ingredients and a starch. These dishes would be judged on criteria established in international cooking competitions, and I just don't have the space or memory to list them here. In order to find out what our secret ingredients were, each group had to nominate a delegate to shuck three oysters as quickly as possible. As it turned out, our ingredients were a quail, two quail eggs and a large dehydrated mushroom (it wasn't one of the usual varieties). Anyhow, everybody had a fantastic time. The 30 minutes absolutely flew by, and necessitated great team work and communication. There was simply no way to have dead weight. Everybody needed to have a task assigned and execute it in a timely fashion while keeping the work areas clean and orderly. There was staff in place to take care of cleaning all of the utensils used, but outside of that you were on your own as a team to find and decide what and how to do your plates. After the judging and my group being awarded the Certificates of Culinary Supremacy (my name for it at least), we went back to the dining area where we were treated to an absolutely fantastic meal prepared by people who are far better in the kitchen than many of us could strive to be. The food was excellent, and prepared and presented beautifully. Everybody truly had an excellent time, and I would highly recommend this for a unique gathering of friends, or a corporate team building event. I for one am glad it was friends, because the likelihood of enjoying the company of that many people you work with could just lead to a stabbing or involuntary bobbing for french fries incident. Frederick and his staff were very professional and we all truly appreciated the seemless execution of ever aspect of our evening. The only downside to having an event that runs from 6pm - 12am is having a person like myself making decisions like inviting everybody back to my house for more drinks afterwards...because that's what we all needed...I don't think I got out of bed until 3pm the next day...but that my friend's is my own, personal problem. ;)

The team at the Richmond Hill Culinary Arts were a pleasure. I was enthralled and entertained by…read moreChef Fred. He effertlessly lead a group of 18 in a three course that included two protiens. His helpful tips extended beyond food preparation to buying, storing and the composition of the ingredients. Looking for something different to do for a team event or a birthday, I would highly recommend this place.

Fantastic lessons! I booked a private lesson for 4 people for macarons. There was a mixup during…read morethe booking process but was fixed quickly, communication is fairly quick over email and phone. More affordable than the other marcaron making classes that I've seen at other places. The instructor was very informative and the class was taught well. There was also handouts with the recipe and notes. The instructor was very friendly and chatted with us as well. He shared a lot of tips and tricks! The class was quite long and we made 2 flavours. Each step was guided and completely hands on. The kitchen was professional and very clean, each person was set up with everything we needed and there was no clean up for us at all, they took care of everything! The macarons we made turned out successful! And between 4 people we had about 60 macarons to take home. They also provided boxes for us. I would love to take another class here and can't recommend it enough!

I came in completely novice and it was a bit intimidating because I really had no idea what I was…read moredoing. My boyfriend and I signed up for the sakura roll cake class, which to be honest is I don't think is a beginner class. The techniques I felt were pretty advanced and my goodness, folding is not as easy as it looks. However! Our instructor Baron was so helpful, patient, informative and would teach us little tricks/tips/hacks to make the baking process more successful. This cooking studio is a hidden gem. The classroom environment was small, intimate, friendly and really totally worth the cost.(the roll cake course was $99) They provide you all the tools, and you get a box to take home your whole roll cake. Mine surprisingly did not look like a pile of disaster thanks to clear instructions and some help. And even better? My cake tasted legit. When I mean legit, it was almost like bakery quality. I mean they really set you up for success which is good, but you a learn a lot too! Now I have a whole roll cake to eat for breakfast/lunch/dinner. I need to eat and appreciate my masterpiece. I highly recommend checking out their website, they have so many diverse courses to take. They have pastries, cakes, cooking and even a pho class! Located in Markham, it's a trek, but totally worth a fun date or even to go with a friend or two. Honestly, I had the best time and you get a wonderful learning experience. I think I might take a stab at the cooking classes next time!

We had our Christmas Party at Frank's beautiful house. We all had a great time. Food was delicious,…read moreexcellent presentation. We were able to socialize and interact with each and everyone as it was a casual setting. Had we booked a restaurant it would not be possible. It was an engaging and enjoyable experience.

Frank's cooking social begins with a perfect environment, over 500 square feet of kitchen space to…read morework in, everyone gets involved and we all leave with improved cooking skills. Our group had an amazing time. I recommend this experience to all.

My husband and I usually love to come here for fresh produce and meats, but this time we decided to…read moretry something new. I came across a promotion for Longo's cooking classes and decided to give this a try. You can book the classes through the Longo's app, and they regularly have sales like $10 off per person or BOGO 50% off. The classes are sorted by age groups (kids, teens, parents and child, or adults) and offered as an interactive class (hands on cooking) vs. Demonstration (watching and taking notes). You will be very well fed during these classes so remember come hungry!

What a great evening we had with Adamo and Vita!! We had a team building work event here and the…read moreexperience was so fun and very conducive to building greater connection amongst our group. Fabulous food, too, and we made it ourselves! Amazing! Thank you guys so much!!

I'd gone to a Chef Upstairs event a few years ago, and always kept them in mind as it was a great…read moreexperience. They offer various services and events, and I recalled as well that they also do kids camps. Over the past couple years, my daughter has taken a big interest in cooking. And not just a fleeting interest, but consistently enjoys watching cooking shows and wanting to participate in cooking at home. As we were planning summer camps this year, I thought we should try to finally give her a chance to live her dream a bit and attend a week here. She's gone to a city-run one before. Though she quite enjoyed it, it was fairly simple. At The Chef Upstairs, they are in a full commercial kitchen with gas stoves, deep fryers and a whole bunch of other things you'd expect from a real kitchen. They have a firm belief that kids can learn safely - in fact, the safest thing is to expose them and provide proper technique. And they're not just making things like a deli meat roll up wrap, but full-on multi-course meals (they make breakfast and lunch) and from recipes from all around the world. You should look at the menus they post on their site for the kids camps. It was a bit of a sacrifice for us as we do not live nearby. That said, they have two locations, so a number of people are well-situated if near Vaughan and midtown Toronto. It's also a bit more money than many other kids camps - though its apparent with the food costs and the high staffing ratio that it's still good value. Ultimately, it was well worth it. My daughter loved it and truly lived out a dream and learned a lot. The highlight for her was the week long prep leading up to the Iron Chef-esque competition where they planned their own full menu. I'm thrilled that The Chef Upstairs lived up and even exceeded our already high expectations and truly made a lifetime memory for our daughter.

Absolutely freshest and best fish I have had in a long time. Great service!…read moreI will only buy fish here!!

I'll start by saying they have great service. They described a couple of the different types of…read morefish, telling us which ones were more fatty etc. The selection of fish is also good ; you can get harder to find fish like black cod. The prices aren't cheap, but the service and selection makes up for it.

Phenomenal and fun experience. Chef Anthony leads an exciting and engaged environment that will…read morekeep you coming back for more. I received the Basic Knife skills class as a gift this past holiday season and booked the remaining classes in the 8 week program within minutes of getting home that evening. Anthony's vibrant and fun personality is infectious and his knowledge will exceed your expectations. These classes awoke a passion for the kitchen not only in myself but in many if not every other student in my group. I learned far more than I expected and the result has been life altering. I look forward to cooking every chance I get and make sure I practice as much as I can and most of all I truthfully miss the time at Culinaria every Monday night. One of the best parts of this program is learning how to shop and save as well as produce a truly 5 star restaurant style meal without the stress of breaking the bank or your patience. Oh and the Duck Fat. Man oh man the duck fat. Looking forward to new classes and curriculum and to getting back here as soon as possible.

Culninaria is a true gem found in a sea of manufacturers, warehouses, strip malls and chain…read morerestaurants. Since I started working in Mississauga, i"ve been searching far and wide for any restaurants that weren't the typical Milestones or Kelseys that you would see everywhere so when my colleague suggested this place (Thanks Adam!) I was truly pleased to hear about it. The service and food is great.. definitely a must try if you're in the area!