My wife and I first attended a Capital Cooks class back in late 2023. It was so casual,…read morecomfortable, and educational that we decided to sign up for another class. Since then, we've learned how to make our own sushi, sour dough, pastries, street foods, pasta, stuffed grape leaves, chocolate mousse, Mexican foods, Mediterranean foods, baklava, paella, and so much more! We rarely eat out anymore since we now know how to confidently make it ourselves, and our own cooking now tastes so much better than at a restaurant. We've even lost weight - bonus! And the tips for where to find ingredients and make our own vanilla extract for just pennies have been amazing! I needed to leave this review because for the second Christmas in a row I've made paella as I was taught at Capital Cooks by Caroline and it turned out so amazingly perfect! The family non-stop kept complimenting how great it tasted, and it got devoured. Thank you, Caroline, for what has become our new Christmas tradition meal, and it's actually fun to cook it! You're amazing. Your husband Paul is awesome! Thank you both for the education you've given my wife and me. We are already signed up for a couple more classes in the coming months!

If I could give this place 10 stars I would! We booked for a team holiday activity and we had so…read moremuch fun. Everybody is a chef here. Even if you don't normally cook, they will teach you. We chose dumplings around the world we made sweet potato pierogies, we made chicken and cheese and mushroom and garlic dumplings. So good! You make your own dough! Theresa was amazing. So friendly and funny. We had a blast. We brought our own chef hats too! Aprons provided. You are going to need one!

While we weren't able to use Sarah's team for our event due to scheduling logistics, I wanted to…read moreleave a review because I was blown away by how easy it was to work with her for a short notice event. -Sarah responded to my inquiry and we were on the phone within minutes to discuss an event that was less than a week away! -She clearly loves what she does and cares to make your event 100% special and catered to food preferences and dietary restrictions. I was so impressed by how quickly she could come up with various dish ideas based on details of the event and the venue (in our case an Airbnb) -for those booking during covid, she takes safety precautions very seriously and ensures your comfort level -she sources fresh local ingredients for delicious meal combinations I'd certainly recommend Sarah and her team for catering and hope to book her sometime in the future!!

This was the absolute best catering/private chef experience I could imagine. The food was…read morescrumptious, unique, beautiful, and so, so tailored to our needs. Everything was vegan, vegetarian, and organic -- perfectly pleasing the vegans and meat eaters in the group (including one VERY picky eater). The owner is kind, thoughtful, punctual, and super creative. The team was extremely health and safety conscious. We will always remember this experience.

Amazing class , chef Geo is amazing.. we had such a great time learning to cook an Italian steak.read more

I recently attended a NYC bakery class where we made three different pastry selections: babka,…read moreblack & white cookies and crumb cake. It was a great class and I loved the snacks he provided while we learned. It was slightly hands on which is just how I like it. It wasn't too crowded and the other people at my table were friendly and had taken other classes so let me know what to expect. I'd definitely return as he is passionate about what he teaches.

Amazing!!!! Best stocked kitchen goodies shop in the Capital District!!!…read more We have seen the "kitchenware" sign on the Rt 9 side of the building for a couple of years but had never been in. Well, we went in last weekend and were soooo super impressed! We plan to remodel our home and build a new and much larger kitchen in the near future and I saw at least a half dozen items that we will NEED!!

Spoon and Whisk is an independent store with quality high end kitchen supplies. I came today…read morebecause they offer a Knife Sharpening Service. I have three knives that need sharpening. I have been satisfied with the results in the past. I also checked out the sourdough baking supplies. I purchased a beeswax bag made in Vermont to store a loaf of bread. It keeps it fresh. I am amazed at the large amount of stock in this store ranging from lots of metal cookie cutters to Lodge pans to a large assortment of timers to a variety of baking pans to kitchen utensils. The owner or staff person was very helpful. He was available if needed. You can browse if you like.

Great store.... so many useful products and the cooking area is beautiful. Wish I lived closer…read moreto join the cooking classes on the weekend. Friendly employees. Great spot. I'll def be back.

From the owner: The HGS in Hillsdale Home Chef stands for Hillsdale General Store, our mother company in Hillsdale,…read moreNew York. HGS Home Chef is a kitchen store with all the pots, pans and gadgets a cook could want, but what sets this business apart, is its two teaching kitchens. Local and national culinary stars will teach classes here, offering a unique experience in the Hudson Valley and the Berkshires. Within these inviting rooms, renowned national and local experts will offer classes on how to prepare the most delicious food -- from simple to sublime.

This class was so much fun. Even though I cook every day, there was a lot to learn. The chef was…read morevery friendly and informative. All of us girls had a lot of fun. The amount of food you got was worth the value. We did the steak date night with a group of girls. Highly recommend to try something new. You will learn new things and get to eat delicious food!

I went there for a steak and crab cakes date night class; there were problems across the board for…read morea $99 entry fee per person. The chef running the class was not personable in the slightest, and basically just kept talking about himself. The actual class mainly consisted of watching said chef do nearly all of the work for each dish. There were 4 parts to the meal: roasted asparagus, crab cakes, steak, and chocolate lava cakes. As the customers, we got to flip the steak over, put the lava cake ingredients into a stand mixer (in addition to separating egg yolks), and shape and pan fry some crab cakes. The reasoning for the main chef doing all of the other work was that we did not have enough time for us to do it, so he had to take over. However, 1 hour into the 2 hour class, the chef told us to take a 15 minute break so we could peruse the store. In other words, the class had a 15 minute ad-break forced into it. If we didn't have enough time to do the cooking ourselves, why was there time for us to just wander the store? Most of the food turned out okay; the crab cakes were good, as were the lava cakes. However, the steak was middling at best, as we were not allowed to cook it to how we wanted to have it (we wanted it on the rare end, it ended up being closer to medium). We didn't get any say in how the asparagus were cooked. Also, there was a house fly constantly present during the class. It landed on the asparagus more than once, and the chef did not acknowledge it or wash the asparagus again before cooking it. We got sent home with recipe cards, which were printouts that you could probably find online. If you want a cooking class, go order somewhere else. Online classes allow you to actually do all the work yourself, rather than having the chef do everything for you. The store itself is fine, though everything is quite pricey,

Fantastic place to visit at any of the on campus eateries!…read more Hospitality is on point! Students are learning cooking and serving you can tell they really care! Great education events or just a beer at the egg where they are teaching students to brew! I'm a bit bias being an alumni.. but we will definitely be back to enjoy a meal, education event or find future staff! Cheers

Excellent place for a foodie staycation that's filled with history, art and places of interest. My…read morefavorite place north of NYC that is the paradise for restaurant hunters like me. Watching these chefs start their career and get better at what they do here is exciting. The view of the Hudson and the amazing restaurants and food hall were luxurious options astonishingly present in a rural setting.

What a great experience! The food was absolutely delicious and for such an amazing price!!…read more We were impressed with each and every course. The service was wonderful. Our server was a bit nervous but did a fabulous job. She was very attentive. We talked to one of the coordinators after dinner and she showed us around to their other facilities and we were just so impressed. Theme night: Spain App: Tapas plate (fried goat cheese with honey, peppers, crispy potatoes with a yummy sauce, mussels, and an unbelievable rib) Dinner: Steak entree with amazing sauces. Steak with a blue cheese sauce, a green sauce with the tomatoes and a semi spicy/cream sauce with the crispy potatoes. Dessert: My boyfriend and I chose separate desserts. Chocolate and vanilla burnt cheesecake with a chocolate sauce. Dulce de Leche ice cream. The only two things I didn't care much for was the crispy wafer that went with the ice cream (that was just preference) and the peppers in the tapas (because they were just boring ). Ps- bring a wine bottle! They charge a $5 corking fee but it is byob. :)

It was a pleasure to dine at the Casola Dining Room. It's a lovely room with great ambiance with…read morehope in the air. The students are friendly and make more of an effort than some of those who are toiling away in some area restaurants. Having been a student (many moons ago) in the same culinary classes at SCCC, it was wonderful to try their offerings. Tonights menu selections of appetizers, entrees and desserts were from Provence. It started with a choice of Vegetable Soup with Pistou (basil and garlic like pesto without pine nuts), Nicoise Salad or a Provencal Vegetable Tart. I chose the Vegetable Tart. I will tell you that the tart filling of diced vegetables (tomatoes, zucchini and onions) only complimented the delicious flaky and light tart. Kudos! I selected for dinner the trio of lamb chops which also had a medley of diced vegetables. (Other selections available were the Chicken Provencale, Bouillabaisse, and Grilled Ratatouille with Israeli Cous Cous.) Being a fan of both lamb and seafood, the decision of what to have for dinner was difficult. I went with the landlubbers lamb. It was delicious, a wonderful dark pink (not totally rare and cold, but lovely warm and juicy) and tasty chops. Last but not least were 3 choices of desserts: Petite Four Assortment with Raspberry Sorbet, Chocolate Pot de Creme and a Pear Almond Tart. Again, difficult to decide but when with the Chocolate Pot de Creme. Very delicious smooth dark chocolate topped with whipped cream and a lovely decorative chocolate swirl with a small spoon shaped cookie! All in all, a wonderful meal from the future chefs in the industry. My only comment would be the students could have a little more tutoring on proper pronunciations and ingredients of dishes being served.

Susan came to our house to give a private cooking class and it was so fun! She made the planning…read morevery easy by answering quickly and working around my requests / allergies. Best of all she was a ton of fun to have lead the family through the class and then cleaned up the kitchen after. Highly recommend!

We were looking for a private chef and were able to find Susan 2 days before our event. She was…read moreable to execute our vision and was extremely kind and patient. Her food is delicious especially her tomato basil crostini. Everyone raved about her chicken meatball. We will book Susan again when we are in the area again.

Score! What a Find! Such a cute little (refreshingly) low…read moretech "mom & pop shop" run by the nicest Polish couple, Edward & Marta Dyjak. The flyer Marta gave me lists: Wooden Boxes, Chess Sets, Hand Carved Wooden Statues, Shadow Boxes, Baltic Amber Jewelry, Hand Painted Ornaments, (hand crafted) Polish Pottery, Boleslawic Leather Slippers, & Sheepskin Hats, Vests & Booties. I found treasures that are different in the best way. I brought home the cutest wool "bootie" slippers, an amber ring, & DARLING pottery from Poland (a mug, tea bag holder & ornaments.) I felt good supporting actual humans I could speak to & make a connection with. People making a life for themselves, not another corporation. Very pleased have this shop in my corner for this Holiday Season! I look forward to seeing my new Polish friends again! Okrzyki!

Really great little shop with interesting gifts everywhere you look, some of which were handmade by…read morea local person, and the prices are very reasonable. Also beautiful items imported from Poland that are better quality than I have seen in other places. The atmosphere is cozy and inviting, and the shopkeeper was extremely kind and welcoming. We will make this stop again!