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San Francisco, CA

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I took a pie class at the Civic Kitchen cooking school with a few friends and our teenage kids. My son and I made a double crust apple, apple w/oat crumble, pecan, and pumpkin pie (using freshly roasted butternut squash instead of pumpkin, which I thought tasted even better!). The teachers were hands-on and came around to help everyone and answer questions. The space was spacious and well-designed, and we got a lovely homemade lunch of sandwiches/soup/salad. Owned by a local couple, the school offers in-person and virtual classes from Japanese Breakfast to Sourdough Bread. They also offer gift cards for their classes, which would make a great gift for cooks.

Donut setup
Kent W.

If I could build a dream kitchen this would be it. There was plenty of space, even with our large group. The kind of space that you can all gather around and be doing something rather than being stuck behind your buddy trying to see what is going on. Ann taught us how to make donuts and really went above and beyond explaining why and how she has modified her donut recipes over the years. We got the opportunity to make over 100 fried donuts and 100 cake donuts, needless to say we at as many as we could and took the rest home to show off to our friends :) I especially liked how we were hands on the whole time, we made the dough, we fried the dough, we decorated the donuts, and we broke apart the sprinkles. Additionally we got to learn how to make the icing in a more organic way, using foods for obtaining colors rather than food coloring. I especially enjoyed the fact that Ann sat down with us at the end and answered all of our questions that we had about cooking. What classes they offered, how the school got started, what books she recommended out of the immense library of books that they had on the shelf, how to improve your cooking skills, etc. You name it, Ann had an answer. I am really interested in seeing what else the school has to offer.

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Ask the Community - The Civic Kitchen

Do they offer Vietnamese cooking classes?

Thanks for your question. At this time we don't have any Vietnamese cooking classes on our calendar, but if you sign up for our newsletter, you'll keep up to date on all of our offerings.

Are there any discount codes for the Thursday class? Yes, I want to sign up for the 6 classes?

Dear Jamil, Thanks for your inquiry and your interest. We'd love to have you. Please use discount code LTCF23 to get $100 off the series.… 

Hello, Do you require a certain level of cooking experience/knowhow for people to attend your classes? Other than classes that say "advanced" or "level II" in your website ,…

You read that right. Other than for advanced or level II classes we welcome all ability levels. It is our aim to get people comfortable and cooking more in the kitchen.

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Review Highlights - The Civic Kitchen

“* It's clear that the owners Jen and Chris put a lot of thought into creating and building this school.”

Mentioned in 7 reviews

Read more highlights

18 Reasons - Ricotta gnocchi

18 Reasons

(71 reviews)

$

Mission

I took a cooking class here and had a lot of fun!…read more Parking is not convenient. The closest parking garages are still a 10 minute walk away. Luckily, it's in the Mission, so there are other things to do to make the parking garage fees worth it. They measure and prep the ingredients for you. The specific class I took didn't require much action other than combining, stirring, and a tiny amount of chopping. You're in groups, so you can skip doing anything you don't want to do. The assistants are friendly and super talkative. Eating at the big table with everyone else was fun. They had beer, wine, and a nonalcoholic cocktail as well. I came with someone, but I think going solo wouldn't be too awkward. It's almost $200 for 3 hours and it's pretty inconvenient since I don't live in the area, but I'd recommend it for a fun evening!

My friend has attended several cooking classes & dinner events & invited me to attend the duck and…read moreEastern European wine dinner recently. The communal table seating is a fun way to meet new people, talk about shared passion for food & culture. The food was beautifully presented & delicious! Chef Gracie & her crew did a wonderful job. The dining tables had small appetizers waiting for us upon arrival to graze and enjoy until the formal service started. I overheard her say that she knew we'd be hungry so she prepared some wonderful breads & dips in advance. The strawberry soup was interesting, not too sweet but had savory toppings that added flavor & texture. The beet salad and duck were presented family style and the duck was perfection, tender & flavorful. Dessert (lemon gelato) was served individually & was a refreshing end to our meal. Each course was paired with a wine where the history of the wine was shared by the sommelier of the evening. Overall, a fun event with delicious food & we met some interesting people.

Parties That Cook - Beautiful luxury kitchen and event venue.

Parties That Cook

(144 reviews)

SoMa

We came here for a work offsite fun-day and we had a real hoot! I was on salad duty, which was a…read morebit of a drag, but I got to lend a hand to Jon Page on dessert, and that was a highlight for sure. We had a great time, ate some great food, and learned a few things along the way. Overall, I highly recommend this place for a fun work outing, or an evening event with your friends if for some reason none of you have a kitchen of your own. I was even inspired to write a recipe of my own, inspired by the Strawberry tart twisters that we made that day. (See below). --- Schlitz Cocktail Slushie* Recipe Prep time: 2 minutes Ingredients: Frozen beer (optional: whipped cream, cherry) Here's a hot top for a cold problem: Have you ever put beers in the freezer then forgotten about them? Oh no, they're ruined! But nope, not so fast. With this neat trick, you can turn your frozen clunkers into tasty slam dunkers. 1. Take a knife or mid-sized power tool and slice the beer can in half (long ways or short ways, dealer's choice) 2. Take a half beer can, now filled with a beer slushie, and cover the exposed beer slushie with whipped cream. 3. Add a cherry to the top. It's called a Schlitz cocktail slushie! And I promise, there's no better way to turn a real wasted batch into a real touchdown catch. Note: If you don't have whipped cream and/or cherries handy, you can hold the whipped cream and just scoop out the slushie beer with a spoon and dish it into your mouth-hole. This is called a Schlitz slushie and it's an equally great treat for a hot day, or even if you're feeling like having a Schlitz cocktail slushie but you're also on a diet. *Note: If you're from Rhode Island or another area around New England, you may refer to this as serving a beer "Rhode Island style" or "Rhode Island a la Mode")

Came here for a team offsite for 20+ people. It was great to prep a multi course meal. Similar…read morefeedback to previous reviewers, the chefs didn't seem super friendly and happy to host us. With all the food cooking, the kitchen area got a bit smokey. I wish there was better ventilation. Overall solid 4 stars. We had crispy rice patties, veggie risotto, steak, and mini cupcakes. I would recommend for a team event. This was much better than the ramen making event with a different vendor we did as a team event last time.

Le Cordon Bleu

Le Cordon Bleu

(98 reviews)

Potrero Hill

I am currently a student at Le Cordon Bleu. I love it. It's sad to see a lot of the reviews on…read morehere. Like anything in life you reap what you sow. I learn something new everyday at Le Cordon. Do I expect to get a high paying job by getting a certificate in Culinary Arts? No. Like anything in life you have to put in the time to build a career and to build your skills. Are people in the back of the house underpaid? Yes. But that's not because of Le Cordon Bleu. Any type of education is the beginning of a journey. What you do with it is up to you.

I don't know where.. but I read somewhere that someone had a decent meal here at a very reasonable…read moreprice. So I thought why not give it a go. At $15 for 5 courses I was like...you can't even buy all the ingredients. (Avocados cost $1.50-2 each so $15 seemed like nothing) Space: Nothing fancy. Clean. It did feel a bit awkward having so few tables in such a large space. I almost felt like I was in some school cafeteria. Service: Except for having difficulty getting hold of them via phone, the service in the evening was excellent. The instructor came out and gave us suggestions and answered questions and it was all very nice. Food: Some people in my party thought food tasted gross. Particularly the chicken dish..which one person thought looked and tasted like dog food ((harsh!)) However for $15, most dishes were decent. Pizza we had for appetizer and the fried mozarrella stick salad was pretty good. Shrimp risotto...I initially thought that it was mashed potatoes because I couldn't taste or see rice grains that you should see with risottos. Flavouring was a bit bland too. Tuna tartar - it was wayyyyyy too spicy and salty. There was a lot of soy sauce at the bottom. For the entrees, initially we all picked a dish each. Then the instructor came out and said that for a "large group like ours" that he would recommend a sampling of ALL the dishes. We literally got 3 dishes of each main dish (there were 5) for the whole table. After that he said that if we wanted to try more of anything that we could. I felt like we were at a AYCE buffet haha. - Shaking beef with crispy rice - not bad. Beef seasoning was a little too salty but totally edible - Steak - probably the best entree out of the lot? - Pork with polenta - it was okay. - Chicken - definitely not their best... - Fish - was okay. Dessert was probably the best dish. It was some kind of an apple filled spring rolls with cream and honey? It was crispy, not too sweet and delicious. The total came to around $20 per person for the meal which, considering the amount of food we got, was amazing. Ohhhh and they are very generous with their wine pours too. Half glasses are $3-4 each (and I'd say it's equivalent to a single glass at a normal restaurant). Their full glass was literally to the brim. I was nicely buzzed with a glass of wine here. Would I return?.. That's a tough one. While I thought the value was great, the food wasn't amazing. If I feel like cheap dinner but don't feel like fast food, then yes I would probably come back.

Culinary and Hospitality Program

Culinary and Hospitality Program

(12 reviews)

SoMa

This a a FREE, that right I said FREE baking and pastry program offered at the City College…read moreDowntown Campus. The class all aspects of baking and pastry, from yeasted doughs, and breads to laminated doughs, and cake decorating. The class is a big commitment--6am-noon, M-F for 2 semesters but when you are done you will have no loan to repay. The instructor is baker with over 30 years experience and she know how to teach adults form all backgrounds. I am very happy I found this class--before plunking down 25k for the Sf baking institute (which I am sure is a great school but completely out of my price range.)

So you know how, when you are suddenly thrust into the world of reality after 15 to 20 years of…read moreK-12 + college, you are shell shocked at myriad things? Not the least of which is the feeling that school was a big pile of horse manure, cuz no place can operate without a bottom line. Yeah, don't scoff at me; it happened to you, too. That sense of self is a takes-one-to-know-one. This baking program? The antithesis of the la-la land my undergrad program was. This is the vein I *wish* my original higher educational path had run in, one much more like an apprenticeship. The one that says, "Hey, welcome, glad you want to learn; let's throw you into the realistic mix get your hands dirty, let you screw up or succeed in your own time. And let's call it all a learning experience so you don't have to pay me and I don't have to pay you, but we both still end up very satisfied, and with what we originally sought." The formidable Chef Betsy instructs, and talk about a woman of multiple facets... to describe it in words may be impossible, to learn from her teaching scratches the surface. If you're interested in dedicating yourself to two full semesters of hard mental and physical work to learn the basics of commercial baking, I could not dream up a better program.

Cavallo Point Cooking School - Stunnin'

Cavallo Point Cooking School

(37 reviews)

FANTASTIC cooking experience at Cavallo Point Cooking School!…read more The theme of our cooking session was "New Orleans Crawl." The menu consisted of: Jalapeno Biscuits Eggs Sardou Crab Cheesecake Shrimp & Grits Chicken Gumbo Beignets Max is 18 students in a session; a cozy fit around the dining table. Tim was our main chef and a wonderful host as were his two assistants. This class is interactive as much as you want it to be. If you're intimidated to participate or not comfortable being around the kitchen, that's ok. Feel free to listen and watch but these classes aren't cheap. It wouldn't hurt to get your hands dirty. Realistically, you won't be able to participate in preparing every dish; choose the dishes you're most interested in. When all is done, the students sit around the dining table to share the meal. There was plenty to go around more than once. My favorite was the Shrimp & Grits, Jalapeno Biscuits, and Beignets. YUM! The room is HUGE, clean, and beautiful. They offered a delicious charcuterie board but the drinks were extra to my surprise. I highly recommend arriving half hour early to find parking. Valet parking is available. The location is GORGEOUS. After class, you can sit outside on their porch and enjoy the sun, have a picnic on the grass, or walk around the area and take pictures of the Bay Bridge and Golden Gate. It is stunning when the sun is out! A wonderful experience!

I wouldn't call it a cooking school, for the class we attended was more of an interactive culinary…read moreexperience. The class isn't designed to ensure that everyone get equal instruction/ demo or time interacting with each dish. Many components were already prepped, so I did a lot of asking to get caught up to speed as to what the ingredients were and how they were prepared. Tim, the head chef was fantastic - friendly, accommodating, and an overall great host. Snacks and beverages were available upon arrival, which was nice because we waited at least 20 minutes after the start time to actually get started. Tim then gave a brief introduction and some cooking tips. We then dispersed to different stations. For the next hour or so, we bounced from station to station to learn about different dishes and participate in making them. Sometimes there was chef instruction, sometimes not. I wish there was a chef at each station to get our money's worth. I noticed a lot of people wandering aimlessly and looking a little lost. I was sad to miss out on learning a couple dishes. Overall, for the price, I wish it was more organized/efficient. If you're looking for a casual cooking experience, then this is a lovely place to go if it doesn't break the bank. For me, it was too expensive for me to confidently recommend to others.

CookWithJames - Preparando la paella!

CookWithJames

(66 reviews)

The Haight

James was a pleasure as a host and a teacher! He is not only an amazing chef but he loves to host…read more He warmly welcomed us, showed us how to make pizza and let us be social amongst friends. Felt like our own kitchen. I would highly recommend.

In an article published in January of this year, Chronicle Staff Writer Janine DeFao wrote…read more"Culinary speakeasies ... are popping up in cities in the Bay Area and beyond, across the country and around the world. Part of the thrill, of course, is the hipness factor, the ego-inflating I-know-something-or-somebody-you-don't-know feeling that comes with being on a VIP list." So naturally, when the opportunity for me to eat at one of these "homegrown supper clubs" arrived I jumped at the chance, particularly since my friend and former colleague, James Stolich, was at the helm. I had no idea what to expect when I arrived at the beautiful San Francisco flat James lives and cooks in. After a tour of their home, I joined James in the kitchen to watch him in action as he prepared a six course meal for twelve. His marble counter and timeless appliances are the stuff self-professed epicureans like me dream about (while living in studio apartments with little counter space and undersized refrigerators.) Having known James in a primarily professional capacity (we worked together at a UK-based digital business consultancy during the height of the dot com boom) it was a joy to see he's as adept at cooking as he is as an interactive producer. The crowd on Friday night was as eclectic as it was international. As Pia is from Italy, the Italians were well-represented. Other folks hailed from a variety of exotic locales including Queens, Atlanta, Romania and France. While some folks congregated at the table, others mingled in the kitchen either helping James or quizzing him on his preparations. The night began with champagne and appetizers which included prosciutto and roasted cashews with olive oil, sea salt and lime. The subsequent six courses were wonderfully prepared, seasonally appropriate and above all, delicious! From the burrata cheese and golden beet salad to the restaurant-worthy sweet tomato gazpacho and the handmade gnocchi, I was thoroughly impressed at every turn. If you're growing bored of the restaurant scene or just want to try something new, I highly recommend Cook With James.

The Civic Kitchen - cookingschools - Updated October 2026

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