From the moment I called to inquire on details for my event to the moment we said good bye for the night after our session this was a great experience. Janet took my call. She was so sweet, helpful and welcoming. It was a private event to celebrate family August birthdays. We went with the Mediterranean menu and it was so delicious. Chef Alex was so helpful and easy going as was Jay. Highly recommend! read more

Went here for a work team building event and it was perfect from beginning to end. Chef Alex, our instructor for the day, was personable, funny, knowledgeable, and entertaining. It was very obvious that Chef Alex had conducted multiple corporate team building events as well as being a skilled/seasoned chef. We had 22 people for our team building event and there was plenty of space for us to each have our own cooking stations (teams of two) and there was ample seating for all of us to enjoy the fruits of our labors after the cooking was completed. We prepared thai food for our event and, WOW, was it amazing. I mean (literally), this was the best thai food that I'd ever had and this is coming from someone who's wife says "you eat way too much thai food!" The very tasty food is a testament to how well run this place is because we are just a bunch of accountants but we also apparently have an inner self that knows how to cook thai food. Overall, this place is clean, fun, there is ample parking and I would highly recommend. If this place wasn't so far from me, I'd definitely go back on a date night with my wife. read more

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We recently brought our All-Star baseball team to Sauté for a team-building event we called "Cooking with the Coaches," and it was such a great experience from start to finish. Chef Alex was absolutely amazing. He was incredibly accommodating, especially with our very last-minute booking request (less than a week's notice). Throughout the entire event, he was patient, kind, and engaging with the boys. He took the time to guide them at each cooking station, clearly explaining what to do and then letting them take over and experience it hands-on. He created a really fun, relaxed environment where the kids felt confident and involved. We all trusted the process, and the food turned out fantastic--but even more than that, the boys had a blast doing it. It was the perfect mix of learning, teamwork, and fun. I would highly recommend this experience for any team-building event, youth sports team, or even private parties like birthdays. It's interactive, memorable, and really well-run. Thank you again, Chef Alex, for an amazing afternoon! -- San Marino Little League All-Star Team read more

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Recently took the sourdough bread class with chef Todd. WOW! What an incredible experience. I've been intimidated to make my own sourdough bread because there's a lot that can go either wrong or right. So I signed up so that I can get the skills to feel confident enough to do it on my own. Chef Todd is so patient and is a really great instructor. He gave us his contact information in case we have follow up questions. In class I didn't have as many questions, but once I started to go through the process on my own that's when I had tons. Chef Todd walked me through troubleshooting my loaves and on my third attempt... Success! I even made my own butter to go with the most perfect sourdough loaf! It truly is an exciting experience making your first real loaf of sourdough bread. I can honestly say that it is a labor of love, but oh is it so worth it! I can never go back to store bought. Definitely worth taking this class! read more

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SO MUCH FUN!! Thanks to Yelpers for suggesting this place -- we had a cozy group to make a St Patrick's Day meal. The chef and staff were excellent -- helped everyone prepare their dish and provided lots of great hands-on tips as we prepared the meal. The facility is top notch with great equipment, and the ingredients we used were very fresh. You can bring your own beverages and the best part is sharing the meal afterward that everyone came together to prepare, which was delicious! I will definitely be back to learn some new and interesting dishes. I highly recommend this class for all skill levels. read more

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Having taken a handful of classes and celebrated a birthday party here, I would definitely recommend coming to this cooking school. It's a good pick for team building or outing with friends, special other, or family. You get a recipe to make and Chef Alex is there to help guide you as needed. The ingredients are presented and you will do your own measuring, cutting, and cooking, just not the dish washing! At the end of the class, you enjoy a delicious meal with variety that everyone in the class prepared. Free street parking. They also offer Saturday children classes and summer camps. Private parties can be tailored to your preference of cuisine. read more

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I have attended the sourdough class with Chef Todd and he was amazing! It was a pleasure to work with him and make new friends while participating in the class. 10/10 would recommend to all to experience this! Huge perk, you get to take some a 100 year old starter! This class was beyond cool! read more

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Chef Alex was amazing! Our company booked a cooking class as a team-building event, and we had an absolute blast. We chose the Italian theme, divided into pairs, and each pair prepared a different dish. Chef Alex brought great energy and was incredibly helpful throughout the entire class. Everyone had a wonderful time, and we highly recommend this experience for any team event! read more

So Much FUN!!! Every time my husband and I have come to take a class here we are completely blown away. We learn so many great techniques, have fun meeting and engaging with new people who also love food . At the end of the evening, an entire spread of delicious cuisines are prepared and ready for the group to enjoy. It's truly one of the best date night activities around! Trust me, you won't regret booking an evening here! read more

Saute Academy - The delicious items we ate at the end of the night! - Team Building Activities Near Me - Monrovia, California

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I took a 3 hour Sourdough class from 6-9pm on a Monday evening. The class was pretty fun but it felt a bit disorganized. We weren't able to fully proof our dough and when I baked mine the next day, the bread was a flop (could not be eaten). The class itself was $90 but we actually didn't do much cooking or learning at all since a lot of bread making is folding and then waiting for it to proof. There was some in between time where the instructor taught us how to feed our starter but there were lots of moments where we didn't have anything to do but chat and wait. Since I came alone, that meant mingling with other students but most people came with partners or groups. In the end, the class took 2 hours and everyone pretty much left by 8pm. I feel like there could've been a little more thought behind how the class was structured and given the fact that the sourdough I made didn't end up well, I'm wondering if it was really worth the cost. Regardless, it was an interesting class. There's restrooms inside, lots of free street parking all around. They have aprons for students and areas to put your phone and bags. You're allowed to record on your phone if you want. read more

Took a sourdough making class. Chef Todd was great and very knowledgeable. Got my sourdough starter to take home! read more

Took my granddaughter to her cooking class and it was such a sweet experience. The teacher was so patient and gave excellent instructions on how to make chocolate chip cookies, step by step. The class before she made pastries and before that pizza. She loves learning how to cook. I highly recommend this class but you have to book quickly since it fills up fast. read more

Saute Academy - Giving instruction on how to make cookies - Team Building Activities Near Me - Monrovia, California

We were given gift certificates to have a date night with the wife and check out the sauté academy. Had a little trouble with eventbrite trying to redeem them. Left a message on their voicemail explaining and Jamie was quick to call back and trouble shoot and solve the issue. We chose tamale night. My wife and I have made tamales before but we thought it would be a fun night to do! Waited a few minutes to start the class because parking was horrible due to an event so maybe check events in area next time for timing . The chef and his wife were fun, and informative. Everyone broke down into stations and before you knew it we had 4739292 Tamales. It was fun to work together and with others to accomplish a goal. We had left over shredded chicken but not enough husks to use. Should have brought the bathtub into the kitchen . Was a nice culinary experience. We'd probably do the Italian pasta one next. A positive note if it is possible for the certificates maybe make them good for one class rather than a price point. To make it easier but all depends on costs and classes which is understandable. The cost of this class was around $90 I believe. We were able to take home about 12-15 tamales divided amongst the crew. We had 10 people in the class. Thanks for the fun night! read more

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I attended a class here. The class was wonderful. I was planning to take more classes however I had a bad experience after the class. I left my jacket in the class and didn't realize until later that day. I called to ask when I could return to retrieve my jacket. I was given a time range to stop by. However when I arrived the employee who helped me snapped at me for interrupting the class in progress although I did not disturb the class. I was berated and shamed in front of everyone. Perhaps they are so successful that customer service is not a priority and they believe they can speak to customers in any manner they choose. Disappointing because I was planning on taking more classes, I was shown that my business is not valued so I won't be returning. read more

This was my second visit to Saute Culinary Academy and once again, it did not disappoint. I shared the evening with three other friends and we had a blast drinking wine and cooking together. Chef Alex is the best. Very informative, provides excellent instruction and has the patience of a cooking god given all the skill levels of the attendees. I highly recommend for a fun date night, team building event or private event for a group of friends celebrating a special occasion. read more

Took a Mediterranean cooking class here. I have no cooking experience and Chef Alex made it easy to follow along. If you have any doubts or questions, he will guide you. Each couple makes a dish and we all share at the end of the night. It was fun and will definitely be coming back for future classes. Thanks Chef Alex! read more

Saute Academy - Team Building Activities Near Me - Monrovia, California

A wonderful cooking experience exploring and producing a delicious (full array of dishes) of a Japanese meal. The chef provided us with great tips and techniques, in a very casual and friendly atmosphere. Our fellow cooks were fun and lighthearted. We initially took his Spanish cooking class years ago and we were equally impressed. read more

My boyfriend and I went for our anniversary and had so much fun! We did the Japanese Night and the food, atmosphere, and people were incredible. I would say the only downside was that I feel like the chef was getting pulled in different directions and was hard to get some help sometimes because we had a good amount of beginner cooks. I think would have liked to see maybe two chefs for all 12 of us to get a little more hands on help. read more

I've seen Sauté so many times in the past years when having brunch across the street or just passing by, but never peeked inside. Recently, we were invited to a kid's birthday gathering here. What a great idea ... cooking classes for kiddos while the grownups can also join in. The hosts chose the Italian food theme. When we arrived, the kitchen area was already set up and ready for our mixed group to roll up our sleeves. Our instructor was Chef Alex, the owner of the academy. He brought us to each station for a tutorial, explained things in easy to understand language and gave a quick demonstration. Then we stepped in to make the items on the menu. It was fun, energetic and a great socializing experience. The kitchen was spacious, clean and well lit. I got a chance to speak with Chef Alex after the event and learned that he had worked with Mi Piace in Pasadena, and Le Cordon Bleu before. He is very personable and friendly, and his many years of experience and his visible passion for running these classes make Sauté a great place for an event, a party, team building or a kid's gathering. One of the best things, you don't have to do dishes afterwards. My photos show a bit of what the kids made. Every class will likely be different. Pro-tip: if you're making Italian and plan to work with flour, perhaps wearing black isn't the best idea. read more

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Such a fun night, Chef Tony is the consummate multi-tasker while he fields questions, cleans up, teaches, checks on everyone, & assists in actually cooking. The convivial nature along with all the other couples is frenetic yet exciting! Loved Chef Tony's recommendations and tips to prepare our food safely before we all began grabbing measuring cups, spices, specific to each couple's ingredients needed to cook or bake their dishes. At the end of the evening, we all come together and eat the delicacies and feast that we all contributed to! Chef Tony even provides containers to take whatever leftovers we had available after our meal. Aside from too much salt, hey we are all there to learn, it was delicious. Bring in your own wine bottle of you prefer to have with your meal. At $150 per couple (generous birthday gift from my daughter), it was definitely a unique and exciting experience! read more

Saute Academy - Hubby at the French onion soup helm!! - Team Building Activities Near Me - Monrovia, California

Had the best night with my sister learning to make sourdough. Todd is a great teacher and shares so many of his years of baking experience. It's a fun night with friends family or a date. read more

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Amazing experience for a team building activity! Chef Alex was helpful and made cooking fun. We cooked Thai cuisine that included jasmine white rice, cucumber salad, shrimp asparagus, chicken, beef and vegetables pad thai. For dessert we had creme brulee! Highly recommend Saute! read more

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I love it! A perfect couple date night idea, the chief was professional and welcoming. read more

Saute Academy - Chocolate soufflé - Team Building Activities Near Me - Monrovia, California

We've been here a few times both for a teambuilding and for my daughter who loves to cook. She went to the kids camp. Please note: camp registration for the summer opens up April 1 and it works up. That's how popular it is. I'm already gearing up to sign up for next year summer's classes. read more

Amazing! First time taking a class, did the sourdough class with Chef Todd and I will definitely be returning for another class here! Chef Todd was very attentive and helpful and seemed more than willing ti answer everyone's questions throughout the whole process. He took his time and came up to everyone to ensure they were enjoying themselves but also to offer assistance if needed! read more

Had the most fun date night making French food with Saute academy! We worked with Chef Tony Easy street parking, bring your own wine! Class was about 6-9 pm The group gets divided up into pairs of two, and each pair gets a recipe. We got a tour of the kitchen and learned a few basic knife skills - if you haven't learned how to properly cut an onion, this was so helpful! We cooked for about 90 minutes, we finished our recipe and helped the couple sitting across from us finish up their recipes. At the end we all sat as a group and feasted. We made new friends, spent quality time together and learned something new. And the best part? We didn't have to do any dishes (lol) What a fun way to spend a date night! read more

Good overall as my kid had fun at their teen camp. Minuses included arriving the first day and trying to check in to be told my kid wasn't on the list and asked "did you just try to register today?" NO. Then being told she'd have to see if there was room and then double checked some mystery master list where my kid's name was on it. So kind of a rude intro. Only other issue is my kid got burned on his arm (seems to be a permanent scar as still there almost 5 months later) because he had his oven door open and was taking something out and the oven is right next to a door that swings in toward the oven and an employee happens to walk through and open it right at the time he did this which pushed the oven door up into his arm = arm burn. I guess my kid learned to put butter on burns. Nobody from the camp mentioned it to me at pickup, only on the drive home by my kid. I realize you sign your life away on a waiver but perhaps should make sure doors don't swing into open ovens just generally for safety. But again, my kid overall enjoyed the week but we probably won't book again. read more

Saute Academy - Arm burn - Team Building Activities Near Me - Monrovia, California

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First, let me say we gave this experience five stars. However, we thought we were going to a cooking class to learn how to make French cuisine. Instead, all of the couples in attendance were provided a recipe to follow independently. Although Chef was available to us for questions, we were not provided any type of instruction. This was a little disappointing because we were looking for a cooking class. But, overall we had a great time. Everyone in attendance seemed to be positive and in a good mood, which made everything feel welcoming and friendly. So although it was a little different than what we anticipated the overall experience was a lot of fun. We are also considering going back now knowing what to expect. Also, please note you can bring a bottle of wine since after everyone is cooking their independent dishes, the whole group sits down in the front and has dinner together enjoying each of each other's hard work. Dishes included appetizers, bread, side, dishes, main courses, and dessert. read more

We went here for a bachelorette celebration. I wasn't really sure what to expect but Chef Alex was amazing. Very friendly and helpful. It was a great time and fun experience from shopping for all our supplies to trying not to burn down the kitchen. Jk just trying not to burn out food. We did a Mediterranean dish and everything came out amazing. This is something I would of never tried before I was invited but I definitely look forward to going back. Ps There was plenty of food and even left overs to take home. read more

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We did our kid's birthday party here. 13 kids, most of them age 10 or so. Everyone had a great time -- some kids even said they wanted to do their own birthday parties there. Alex and Vinnie were great with the kids. We chose the Asian cuisine option, and the stations were set up perfectly for the group. Nothing too complicated but complex enough to have them feel like there was substantive effort needed. And the chefs were great in walking around to help and making it fun for the kids. The front area is very comfortable. It's a nice set up as they bring all of the cooked food up there for a buffet display afterwards. Overall, highly recommend this. It's so much more engaging than those indoor playground type parties. Location is easy, and since it's basically a drop off type of venue, the location being near downtown Monrovia is great for guest parents. The planning and prep was super easy as well. read more

Celebrated my daughter's 9th Birthday at Sauté and it was a hit! The kids absolutely loved it, and so did the parents. Chef Alex was amazing with the kids! So patient and hands on! They made an Italian feast that consisted of homemade pasta and gnocchi just to name a few. For dessert, they made cupcakes and decorated them so there was no need to bring a cake! The party was a breeze and so organized. It was definitely my first stress free birthday party. read more

Saute Academy - All made by 8-9 year olds - Team Building Activities Near Me - Monrovia, California

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I thoroughly enjoyed the Sourdough class on a Monday evening with Chef Todd. Like many, I took up sourdough during the pandemic and didn't have much success. I learned a lot about this process and recommend their class :) read more

Saute Academy - My finished loaf! - Team Building Activities Near Me - Monrovia, California

We had a wonderful experience at Saute. We celebrated a dear friend's birthday during the Taste of Spain event. Chef Alexander's class was the perfect setting for us to have fun, enjoy the cooking process, learn some useful culinary skills, and then the best part, taste test all of the dishes made. The ingredients were fresh, washed, and of great quality. They were ready to be transformed into delicious dishes. The menu items were thoughtfully selected for a wonderful Spanish food experience. Chef Alexander was highly professional and made the entire experience fun and delightful. Many thanks to Chef Alexander for sharing his kitchen and expertise with us! read more

We have attended parties here many times. Just had a kids birthday party of our own. So much fun for the kids and adults alike. We got to make meat balls, pasta, and desserts! The management(the two brothers) were very attentive every step of the way. Thank you! Highly recommend it to school parents. read more

Saute Academy - Pasta made by kids. - Team Building Activities Near Me - Monrovia, California

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My daughter took a one week baking class here a few months ago and she loved it. Each day was a new recipe or two and best of all, she brought home her baked goodies to share! Chef Alex sent the parents all the recipes as well, which was very appreciated. Everything was delicious!! read more

EVERYTHING went well! This was a double date for my guys birthday. We had a ball!!! The instructor was so personable. He gave us a quick rundown on knife skills, ingredient usage and a tour of the kitchen and then he let us cook. You can bring a bottle of wine to enjoy. They have glasses for you. This is no pity Pat cutesy class! YOU put in work!!! Generally you cook in groups but this class is couples. FUN FUN FUN!!! But we were exhausted afterwards, in a good way. The end result was yummy food. At the end we all sit and devour our food and have great conversation. We met some cool people. Monrovia is a lovely city. The locations fantastic. It's so worth it!!! Also, if you have the Event Brite all or signed up with them, locate Saute Academy and request to be updated with. Their classes as they are added. These people are amazing and offer such a great experience. So far, my favorite cooking experience. Shout out to Chef Tony!!! Cool, laidback young man. Bravo!!! read more

Saute Academy - Baked Empanadas - Team Building Activities Near Me - Monrovia, California

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Excellent! Chef Alex is a cool dude, just the perfect amount of instruction. I learned how to dice an onion, tomato and garlic properly. The recipes rendered such delicious Mediterranean cuisine. Oh my goodness! Our group of 14 was split into pairs. We followed recipes while Chef Alex cruised around to help with anything. After we all finished our assigned dishes, we gathered together to eat. Our family loves to cook. We came together where today to celebrate a very special birthday! Fun fun fun!!! read more

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Took the Pasta Making 101 class which was so fun! You learn how to make pasta dough, different pasta shapes and then cook + eat what you make (the best part)! Fun environment and not intimidating; even if you are a beginner in the kitchen. Our instructor was Chef Alex who was great. Would highly recommend for a date night or to do with a group. Will be back for more classes! read more

Saute Academy - Fresh pasta - pasta making 101 - Team Building Activities Near Me - Monrovia, California

Hi, my name i Abigail this is my second time taking the tamale class, so much fun everybody gets along so well you meet new people really had a great time. I shared the experience this sister Angie, what a blessing it was. Lindsey the admin Alex great awesome both for your kindness. Abigail read more

Hosted my child's birthday party here a few weeks ago and everyone loved it! The chef goes over kitchen safety, rules and demonstrations for the many food stations available for the kids to work at then releases them all to prep. I think all of the children were impressed with themselves after seeing the end results and rightfully so! After all of the cooking/baking, the kids had the opportunity to decorate cupcakes with frosting and fun toppings too. Lastly, at the very end everyone got to taste the wonderful dishes prepared by the children and they did such a great job! I will say that the stir fry noodles did come out quite over cooked and mushy though which is a bummer but I wouldn't fault the kids for that. I took it home in a takeout box after the party, threw some hot chili garlic sauce over it and ate it myself lol didn't change the texture any but the flavor still tasted great. I highly recommend this venue for children's birthday parties or for anyone who is interested in cooking! read more