My husband treated me to two cooking classes with Chris, and I learned immensely at both. First…read moreoff, the space is gorgeous. You feel like you're in such a welcoming and relaxing environment, and Chris is generous with drinks to make people feel at home. Her style is really approachable, and she tries hard to offer tips that will stay with you when you're cooking at home. I've learned so much from her: I use old T-shirts to dry my meat, I never salt my potatoes before roasting them, I crank up the heat real high to roast chicken, and I make my pizza outside on the grill. She has helped me expand my food horizons and feel comfortable experimenting in the kitchen. She's also an all-around amazing individual who has been around DC a long time and has good stories to tell. In short, it's a great activity for a night out with friends or even as a couple, and she offers useful recipes that will make you more comfortable in the kitchen to boot. I wish I still lived in DC so I could take regular classes with her.

If you're planning a small cooking class among your closest friends, look no further than Just…read moreSimply... Cuisine. For my wife's birthday, Chris put together a customized menu with a focus on local, organic, and healthy. Her "slow food" approach has long been a staple in her instruction, long before it became cool to go green. She walked us through a five course meal, teaching new techniques while entertaining topics on food and life. We particularly enjoyed the roasted butterflied chicken with fresh sage. Our afternoon session ended with a simple, yet divine treat of strawberries with balsamic and whipped cream. Just Simply... Cuisine is one of the best kept secrets in DC. Let Chris host you in her lovely home and delight you with recipes that you'll want to try on your own over and over again.

Truly the best experience my friends and I had and could not reccomend it enough. It had been a…read morewhile since I'd had a unique and wholesome experience in DC, and I'm so grateful to Chef Sayeh for bringing that energy.

We did their "Date Night" cooking class and had an absolute blast! When we walked in they had us…read moremake a themed drink (nonalcoholic options available too!). We had time to sit and chat while everyone arrived. The menu was seafood paella and orange flan, yum!! The chefs were super helpful and kept things running smoothly, while additional staff helped keep things nice and clean! We were able to create a pretty delicious meal. I will say the timing was a bit off as we finished an hour after the listed "end" time. However overall I highly recommend for date night, or just a fun night with friends!

I had a ball!!!!! My husband and I took a DC favorites cooking class last month. From reservation…read moreto experience, everything was great. It's A fun, flavorful, and creative cooking class featuring crispy mambo wings, steak and cheese egg rolls, and a dirty banana pudding trifle that is perfect for anyone looking to try something new.

What an excellent experience it was the perfect date night experience cooking together in a chefs…read morehome. We went with chef ali who taught us Sichuan cooking. Food was excellent and she had a great teaching style making it easy to follow allowing for a great experience would go again.

Chef Justin Sushi Making At-Home class was amazing!!! It was so individualized and he really paid…read moreattention to detail to provide a wonderful experience for us. The sushi was high quality, delicious, and filling! I highly recommend Chef Justin -- you won't regret it! I will be booking with him again!

My 3, 5, and 6 year old daughters had a blast! They loved sharing with me all that they learned,…read moreespecially through the trivia questions sent home every day. They made and ate such healthy meals with a variety of ingredients... It really stretched their taste buds. Now they want to take turns cooking for us! My favorite part was tasting the deserts brought home each day:)

From the owner: Established in May of 2011, Cooking Thyme offers a safe environment of culinary inspiration through…read morechildren's summer camps and after-school programs that encourage creativity, responsibility, and good ole fashioned fun! Cooking Thyme also teaches our Little Chefs how healthy eating choices do not have to mean yucky eating choices. No matter how picky your Little Chef may be, experience has taught us that kids will eat what they make. Soon your child will be coming home exclaiming, "It's not just green. It's Guacamole!"

Taking a recreational class at Pizza University was hands-down one of the most enjoyable (and…read moretastiest) things we have experienced in a while. Our instructor, David D., was knowledgeable, super friendly, and clearly passionate about all things pizza ~ from pizza history to dough science to other fun pizza tips and secrets. The class was the perfect mix of hands-on learning and laid-back fun. We got to stretch dough like pros (well, semi-pros), experiment with toppings, and then, of course, enjoy the fruits of our labor .... which, not to brag, were delicious. Whether you're a total beginner or just a home cook looking to level up your pizza game, this class is a great time. You'll leave full of pizza, a little flour-covered, and very proud of your pie-making skills. Highly recommend for foodies, friend groups, or anyone who just really, really loves pizza!

Love pizza? Then you owe it to yourself to sign up for this class! Even if you only like pizza,…read moreyou'll walk away with a deeper appreciation... one that might just turn into love. After arriving and getting seated, I quickly picked up on the passion our teacher, David, had for pizza and the feeling was contagious. He gave us a brief overview of the origin and philosophy behind great pizza, and before we knew it, we were tossing pies in the oven. And boy... were they ever delicious! I will never forget that white pizza I made. Neither will my Dad, after my leftovers "disappeared." Look, I'm far from a good cook. But after the class, I left feeling confident that I could make a pizza from scratch at home. That says a lot! Our instructor answered every question with grace while being a warm source of encouragement throughout; which certainly helped. Life is about experiences, and this is one? Definitely one to remember. You owe it to yourself to check out Pizza University!

Fun cooking experience!!! Judy was so much fun and got us all helping to make a delicious dinner!…read more I'd try it again, great hidden dinner in her home with fun people!

I have learned so much over the years from Judy Harris and her wonderful cooking school. I can't…read moretell you how many of her great recipes I make over and over again, many at the request of friends and family who have sampled them over the years. She is very organized and I still use skills I learned there years ago. She is an excellent cook and knows the history etc about the special dishes she teaches her students to prepare. I has always been a fun evening for us no matter how big a group we go with. I highly recommend this very special cooking school, fun for a date night or getting together with a few friends.

Participate in a Simply Indian cooking demo and feel like you're part of a Food Network studio…read moreaudience...except without cameras and therefore much more interaction with the host. _____________ OVERALL You don't just watch a cooking demo, you get to interact with Rupen, learn way more than about the dishes Rupen cooks, and best of all, you get generous tastings! _________ TEACHER I know Rupen teaches at Whole Foods on P Street but he demo'd at my company for an APIA Heritage Month event. -Thorough on the details, Rupen talks about ingredient history, substitution ideas for health alternatives, the history behind dishes, and always has something to say. -He more than welcomes questions. If I attend another one of his classes, I'm going to bring questions with me because I have direct access to an experienced chef. -Despite his teaching ways, he's funny. I don't know where he got his presentation skills from, but it's obvious that he's very experienced in talking to a variety of people. ______ FOOD I think Rupen cooks traditionally. For example, his butter chicken tastes slightly less creamy than restaurant butter chicken, but it's still soooooo good. Rupen cooked way more than he said he would (tasting serving sizes). I guess that's good for me because I got to get a bigger portion than expected. _____ TIP If you have tupperware, bring it just in case there's leftovers and you want to take something home.

Attended his class at Living Social. I'm South Asian and know how to cook indian food however I…read moredefinitely learned new things from his class. He's incredibly personable and funny and makes you feel welcome to be in the kitchen. His recipes are simple and even transferable, he gives great inspiration. We made butter chicken, tilapia steamed in banana leaf and eggplant curry. The tilapia was probably the most amazing fish cooked indian style that I have ever eaten. We have made it at home a few times since the class. I would definitely attend his cooking class again! You won't be disappointed.

We loved it! Had an amazing evening learning how to make pasta with this hands on experience. I…read morewould definitely recommend and would love to take another class!!

We hosted a team building cooking class at La Bella Pastarella for 17 people. It was a wonderful…read moreexperience! Monica, Leo and team were amazing...so friendly, accommodating and knowledgeable. The pasta was delicious! Our team loved our experience. I can't wait to go back and do it again!