Wow! I learned much more than I expected - Jess explains how things work (I love science!) with passion. All of the class menus look phenomenal, I expect to be back. read more

In all honesty, taking a class at Shiso Kitchen is truly worth your time. The classes are small and intimate which helps facilitate discussion with Jess, but she does a really great job of starting the conversation and keeping people engaged. I am an enormous fan of what this place is all about - mastering the basics, and keeping it simple. Our Mediteranean class featured roasted lamb chop, tabouli salad, homemade hummus, a fig and feta cheese starter, and the best bastardization of baclava you will likely encounter in your life (it's a genius way to turn an uber complex dessert into something really simple). Other than the terrific food, it's worth going just to learn from Jess alone. She is a true teacher - open, honest, funny, engaging, extremely knowledgable, and her background as well as her knife skills make her a bit of a badass too. I spent most of the class trying to pick her brain and will definitely be signing up for the knife skills class soon. Shiso Kitchen is a gift to Somerville, be sure to take your next cooking class here. read more

If you're looking for a great date night, work event, or just trying something new - this place is for you! I have already taken a few classes and have many more planned for the future. A great, relaxed and collaborative environment with an amazing instructor -what else can you ask for?! Highly recommend to anyone who enjoys to cook or like myself, needs all the help you can get! read more

What a fun way to celebrate a birthday! You will learn new techniques and connect with other foodies. Jesse is easy going and knowledgeable. read more

I've been going to Shiso since it's opened about three years ago. It's a great place to go with friends or boyfriend to learn some new recipes, have a great meal and a fun evening. The knife skills class was absolutely my favorite; I learned so many practical tips that I still use today!! read more

This was my first cooking class and it definitely won't be my last. I had such a great time and learned so much. I've since made a few of the dishes and will be back for sure. If you're wondering how good the food is, wonder no more because it's incredible. Trust me. Highly recommend for a date night or with a friend. read more

I have gone to a lot of cooking classes but Shiso Kitchen is by far the best! (I have been back twice in 6 months) Jess makes the class a lot of fun and shares great techniques that I have implemented at home. The recipes are all amazing and are easy to make again on your own. Recently, I rented out the kitchen for a my families Christmas gift and it was a blast! I highly recommend doing this! Jess helps you create a menu that all of you guests will enjoy, even the most picky eaters. read more

10/10 would go again. Jess was an awesome teacher and it was a very cool, relaxed atmosphere -- sort of like being on a Food Network show. I'm a prolific cook and knew some of the recipe basics (or thought I did), but Jess had a lot of tips and tricks for taking things to a new level. Also, after a lifetime of trying hard and failing to enjoy them, I *finally* found mushrooms that I like! read more

This place is amazing and Jess is even more amazing! Really intimate cooking class and very hands on. I have done the Southern Italian Supper and also have had a private party for my birthday. From beginning to end, the class is great and you end up cooking more than you can eat. Jess created an amazing custom menu for my private party and I can't wait to go back again soon. read more

We have been to Shiso kitchen twice, first for the French provencial dinner and second for the Tuscan dinner. Both times we have been wowed. Floored. The food is fantastic. And the whole experience is fun. In terms of any prior experience, you don't need any. Personally, I am a horrific chef if left to my own devices--pots and pans flying from anger--but this experience was amazing, and actually very zen. I went with my boyfriend and we made a couples night out of it. Logistics wise, the program starts at 6 and ends around 9. By 8:30 everyone is usually sitting down and eating the delicious food. Did I mention that Jess lets you bring your own wine? Amazing. Times two. And during the event, you do get your hands dirty with serious cooking. Last time, we made gnocchi. Prior to coming to Shiso kitchen, we looked up online recipes and this resulted in 'gnocchi' that was really just mashed potatoes. From Jess, we learned how to make real gnocchi, among other life lessons like how to weld a blade, how to properly 'cut' garlic, what is actually in vanilla extract. In the end, I loved all the dishes. The cookie we made in the Tuscan dinner class was so good that I considered for a week afterwards whether we should get a kitchen aid and make it as we did in class. Then I was informed by the boyfriend that we already had a mixer. Oh and Jess is just the friendliest host. She is vivacious and talkative and funny. From her, I learned how to not be terrified of cooking. read more

Shiso is fantastic. It is a really fun night out with friends or a date. Jess is extremely welcoming, talented, and her passion for food is contagious. Cannot wait to come back, learned so much, ate well! read more

I've been fortunate enough to participate in two private classes with Jess, and I cannot recommend Shisho Kitchen highly enough!!! Anyone coming through Boston should make time for a night of awesome cooking facts and tricks, great company, and absolutely delicious food. She's absolutely mastered the art of keeping everyone engaged and entertained while perfectly managing the cooking process so that no matter what, every single thing tastes amazing. As an added bonus , I continue to use these recipes to wow my friends and family - THANK YOU Jess! read more

Jess is awesome! As well as the food that we cooked and ate! I really admired her passion and enthusiasm for what she does. You can tell she loves it! Many thanks Shiso :-) read more

I don't normally write Yelp reviews, but I really loved my experience at Shiso kitchen. Jess does a great job of walking you through the steps of preparing a meal, and I still came away from the class still feeling like I learned a lot. Never thought I'd be able to make fresh pasta before last night, but I walked away feeling pretty confident about it. It's also a really fun time filled with plenty of wine breaks! Highly recommended. read more

I gifted my mom a cooking class at Shiso Kitchen and she picked the Provencal French Dinner to attend last week - we had the BEST time with Jess! From the minute we stepped into Shiso Kitchen, I immediately knew we were in for a treat with the beautiful space, the warm welcome from Jess, and the delicious smell! Jess is so personal and tailored the experience to our tastes and needs. She was so patient with my mom, never making us feel rushed or in the way, and let us cook independently without stress. We really felt at home in the beautiful kitchen. There was SO much food and were left well fed and very full! The recipes that Jess shared with us made us feel comfortable and confident that we could recreate in our own homes. I especially liked that she used ingredients and tools that we have in our own kitchen so everything is very approachable and not overwhelming. Jess obviously has so much knowledge and love of food that made the class even more enjoyable! We picked up incredible tips from Jess to use in the kitchen everyday! Overall, the class exceeded our expectations (which were very high from the beginning as we were so excited to take the class!). It was a great activity to bond and we're looking forward to coming again with friends in the near future! Thanks Jess!! read more

My boyfriend and I are enthusiastic home cooks but don't know a ton about knives or technique. We've been talking about doing a knife skills class to "sharpen our skills" (ha!), so I scheduled a private class with Jess, which she was happy to accommodate. Jess has created a gorgeous space with great lighting, high quality cooking tools and great design. Her teaching style is fun yet informative - we left with a handful of new tricks and techniques to continue practicing at home, and she made helpful recommendations for us when we told her we were considering buying some new knives and cutting boards to up our game. I highly recommend checking out Shiso for a private class if you are looking for a fun and casual way to take your cooking skills to the next level. I can't wait to come back for a group class in the near future! read more

We had the pleasure of having a group sushi session at Shiso kitchen with Jess. It was an incredibly fun group activity and worked really well as a team-building function (went with a group of co-workers). Jess was a fabulous host and really rolled out the red carpet for us. She's got an infectious sense of humor and kept the whole group engaged (all 10 of us!). We all had a lot of fun making food together and Jess was patient with some of the less coordinated among us (myself especially). Speaking of food, I should mention that the ingredients were top notch! Even our novice sushi rolls tasted amazing thanks to some of Jess' signature sauces and amazing and creative flavor combinations. I simply cannot recommend Shiso Kitchen enough. Go experience it for yourself! read more

Went on a rainy Thursday night with my boyfriend for a date night cooking lesson. It was a Thai menu so we made pork cabbage rolls, shrimp skewers rice noodles with a coconut milk sauce and caramelized plums to go with our ice cream dessert! We ended up being almost 30 minutes late since we got the start time wrong but Jess was so nice about it and made us feel welcomed. We dove right into doing some prep work, making a marinade and sauce. The cooking was really fun and Jess was easy to talk to as she explained what we were doing. My favorite part was making the pork filling and rolling it into the cabbage leaves. It tasted even better! From start to finish, it was a great experience. We learned how to prepare new recipes (I am definitely going to try and make those cabbage rolls again) and was able to eat our own creations without having to clean up the kitchen! I would recommend coming here for a date night or girls night or anytime that you would want to prepare a fine dining meal without the cleanup part. read more

I went to the Couples Cooking class a couple of months ago. We cooked creme brulee, risotto milanese, and pork chops. Jess held the cooking class with us and two other couples. I cannot emphasize how enjoyable our night was. For people who are looking for a fun experience, Jess kept the class lively and engaged with her sense of humor and fun cooking stories. For people who enjoy the experience but also want to learn how to cook, the class was very informative on the process of preparing ingredients and cooking a meal. The class was a hands-on collaborative effort, where everyone was able to do a little bit of everything. When we finally were able to sit down at the end to eat the meal we had prepared, I was very surprised at how good everything turned out. I would not hesitate to go back here again, and I almost definitely will. read more

My boyfriend and I did a sushi cooking class together here and had a great time! We agreed that it was a very fun date night, and just as filling and satisfying as going out to eat. Jess is very fun, personable, and educated about food. The environment was very relaxed. We will definitely be back and would highly recommend it to anyone and everyone. read more

We worked with Jess the owner/chef. She was great! Explained science and practical reasoning behind the techniques, was efficient and appropriately entertaining. She also made accommodations and was respectful of dietary restrictions. Would highly recommend! read more

My girlfriend and I just took our first class at Shiso Kitchen, and we can't wait to go back. Jess is incredibly knowledgeable - she gave us tons of great tips throughout the class, and was willing to answer any questions we had around ingredients, styles, and personal preferences. We learned a lot, had a ton of fun, and the food was delicious. read more

I brought my entire family here when they were visiting for my graduation. It was so much better than sitting down to a meal and being served. We were all interacting and moving around and of course the food was delicious in the end, but that was almost icing on the cake since making it was such good quality time for the family. Jess was very accommodating and easy going and I thought the price was pretty reasonable for how much food and wine we got. read more

Coming to Shiso was an excellent experience! I bought this Groupon for my wife for Christmas and we went on March 5, 2014. Jess is extremely knowledgeable, personable and creative! We took the Evening in Paris class and it was amazing. All of the food was incredible from the Coq au Vin to the Chocolate Souffle! The kitchen is cozy and the experience intimate. Jess is a professional with exceptional knowledge but all the while will make the class fun and relaxed. I would absolutely go back! If you are looking for something fun to do don't hesitate and go to Shiso! read more

While visiting my daughter in Boston, we wanted to do something more fun and interactive than merely go out for dinner. She suggested a cooking class. The cooking class was a great idea - we had the benefit of eating out, not having to clean up, learning some new tips and tricks, learning new recipes, and getting to choose the menu, and in our case opt for healthy meets yummy. We went to Shiso kitchen which is run by the lovely Jess. We were warmly welcomed, and immediately felt at home. Everything from the space to the food to the play list to Jess's delightful personality set the stage for a very fun evening. Our choice for the menu was Asian with a healthy twist. Jess prepared a menu consisting of rice noodles with a soy / coconut sauce, shrimp marinated in lime juice, pork dumpling wrapped in cabbage and sugar plums on plum wine ice-cream. My sister is not a fan of coconut - no problem for Jess. She just modified the base and we had 2 sauces instead. Jess showed us how to prepare the base for all of the dishes and then modify it to make a dipping sauce, a sauce for the noodles and a marinade for the dumplings - brilliant. She also had some really cool gadgets that I know I will be buying soon. Overall the evening was so fun - like having a personal dinner party,in someone else's home. I loved it and cannot wait to go back. If I lived in Boston, this would be a regular outing for me. Lastly, the pricing was no more expensive than a dinner out - this would be a great date place, great for girls night out, or anything else that you can think of if you love food, cooking and eating :). read more

Just went here for the Tuscan Night cooking class--what a wonderful evening. Jess set a great tone in her kitchen--lots of useful tips and instruction, while being laid back and enthusiastic. The recipes were accessible and during the class, I found myself thinking, why don't we make fresh pasta all the time? Someone else here wrote in their review that you will feel compelled to go home and buy a pasta machine. True, quite true. She's a solid teacher with a great warmth and personality, and I will be watching her site to see what other classes she's offering. We're definitely going back. read more

My friend and I went here last night and it exceeded all expectations. I was so impressed with how knowledgable and dynamic Jess was. She knew about every piece of the foods we used, all about temperature, utensils, timing, you name it, she could tell you about it. It was the Vegetarian DInner Party and we made a vegetable tart, mushroom barley risotto, ricotta stuffed peppers, and a rosemary lemon cake. It was delicious. I couldn't believe how calm she was while remembering all the details that go into cooking such a big meal and teaching us at the same time. I would highly recommend this class to anyone, and I will definitely be going back. read more

My husband planned a private event at Shiso for my 30th birthday, and it was by far the best birthday yet! I've been to a number of cooking classes in the past and not only was this by far the best, it was most delicious! Jess did a wonderful job of catering to cooks of all levels and interests, designed an incredible italian meal to all of our tastes and truly provided a memorable, amazing experience that we all will never forget. I cannot wait to go back!! thank you JESS! read more

Six old friends, some with considerable cooking experience, had a fine evening at SK. Jess taught us new tricks and it was with great enthusiasm we returned home to try our newfound skills. Jess was the perfect host: warm, funny, and highly skilled, both as cook and communicator. The evening felt very intimate and personal, which we all appreciated. As it drew to a close, we were not rushed out the door, but were able to linger and savour the end of a perfect Friday night. Thanks, Jess. read more

I bought this class as a gift for my mom for her birthday and she loved it! (and I did too). If you are looking for a great gift/activity I highly recommend this place. We took the French provencal class. All the food was delicious. Jess was very knowledgeable, personable and made the whole night a blast. We will definitely be back! read more