My Granddaughter has attended four of Chef Lynda's cooking classes at Jackson Ave. school. It's…read moresuch an amazing class. All of the recipes we have been made from scratch. She teaches the kids about healthy eating. We have loved the class!!

Expensive but Shef. Lynda is great, especially with younger kids. What a great concept.read more

!! I took one…read morecooking class today and already I want to buy a $500 Vita-Mix blender. It will be vital to my future as a hummus-orist. I also want to take more (all) classes. But not the baking one because my pants fit too tightly and it's not because they shrunk in the dryer. *pouty face* It was nice to sit in a room of like-minded chefs, who either were curious about cooking healthier for themselves, their children, or their various loved ones. This class made me feel more human and sane about life in the kitchen and life amongst our animal friends. Six stars! Colleen's podcast, which I didn't know about until recently, is fantastic and answers pretty much any question I could have thought to ask her. I wish I could replay them when someone asks me "Are you [name of dietary choice] even if you eat bugs that are killed in the soil?" or "Aren't your bones going to die without cow's milk?" I can't wait to take more of these classes. I *want* to demystify tempeh and I want to make a higher quality "meat" ball. 2008 will clearly be the year of better Thai food in our home. Also, I can't wait to set aside a day to cube all my carrots (already this class has paid for itself in the time it gives you back with back with obvious but unrealized kitchen prep tips). I'm so buying her baking book right now and buying pants a size up. :(

I love Colleen Patrick-Goudreau and her cooking classes (and book and DVD). In the last couple…read moreyears I have taken these classes: --Demystifying Tofu & Tempeh --Burgers & Backyard Bites --Comfort Foods Galore --Thanksgiving for the Turkeys plus a 6-week cooking series on eating right for cancer prevention and survival. I have used her DVD and just bought her vegan baking book. I need to check out her podcast as soon as I figure out how to download it (just bought my iPod). The classes I've taken were the "watch her cook and then sample the results" variety. I would have loved it if we made things while she did, but realistically we would have taken 8 hours to make the 4-5 dishes she showed us how to make (lots of prep work was done ahead of time), and I wouldn't be there if the class were 8 hours (and it would have cost a lot more), so overall that format works for me. The dishes have all been delicious. Two years ago our family had a vegan Thanksgiving (and I'm the only vegetarian--not even a vegan--in the family). I handed out the recipes from the Thanksgiving class to my open-minded peeps and we made them and everyone loved the meal. Yes, a couple people said they were going to have turkey over the next few days (Rome wasn't built in a day) but during the meal my family kept saying things like, "I can't believe how good this is!" and, "I never knew vegan food tasted so delicious." Yay! As I said above, I am a vegetarian and not a vegan, but I eat a lot less dairy than I used to and don't miss it. I think someone who's not interested in vegetarianism/veganism would find the initial part of the classes tiring and annoying because Colleen really emphasizes that this is the healthy and ethical way to eat. (I brought my extremely negative and close-minded ex-bf to a class and he hated that part--gee, I wonder why we aren't together anymore?!) But someone who's not interested in vegan cooking wouldn't be at the class, right?!... It's totally cool with me. I've been a vegetarian for more than 30 years and get closer to vegan every year--mostly with her the support and inspiration. I highly recommend checking out Colleen Patrick-Goudreau and Compassionate Cooks. She's made healthy cooking much less intimidating to me and I use her materials all the time. www.compassionatecooks.com Bon appetit! :-)

Over the years, I've been lucky enough to take several of Rosetta's classes. In fact, I attended…read moreher first class at Paulding & Company's kitchen several years ago when her article in the Chronicle was published. Several years passed, and I was still thinking about the two classes I took when she first started, so I decided to see what classes she offers now. We attended several last year, and plan to continue as long as she introduces new recipes/techniques to learn. Her menus always sound delicious, and her classes are casual, informative, and fun. Keep in mind her menus reflect what is in season, and much of the produce she uses in class comes directly from her own home garden. Awesome! I cannot wait until we take another class! The following have been a few of my favorites: (Check out her website for class and menu descriptions. I wouldn't be able to do them justice.) -A Taste of Calabria -A Night in a Neapolitan Pizzeria -Risotto -Making and Using Ricotta - From Appetizer to Dessert

I love Rosetta's cooking classes. They focus on Southern Italian cuisine, particularly from her…read morenative region of Calabria, but also from nearby regions such as Sicily, where her husband is from. So far I've been to two of the classes: Taste of Sicily and Night in a Neapolitan Pizzeria, both at Paulding and Company. I really enjoyed them and hope to go to more next year. In particular, the pizza class really improved my pizza technique, and I have been reproducing the delicious, super thin crust pizzas at home ever since. Rosetta usually starts the class by giving a relaxed 20 minute summary of her background (she is a former chemical engineer who now writes cookbooks and gives cooking classes to share her native cuisine). Then she goes around to all the tables and explains in detail what to do at each station. Once the cooking starts, it's up to you whether you want to focus on one dish or move around to try different things. Each station has a few people, so you work together. Rosetta is very friendly and you can ask her any kind of question. She also gives very useful tips, such as using quarry stones for pizza instead of expensive pizza stones. Her recommendations are very reasonable and economical, but she doesn't cut corners where it matters, for example in quality ingredients many of which she makes herself (red wine vinegar, ricotta cheese, candied orange peels, etc.) or grows in her own garden. After the mad rush of cooking is done, everyone sits down to nicely set tables to socialize while being served the fruit of their labors. As I mentioned, the ingredients are top quality, so the food is delicious. There is also always an ambitious and varied menu with everything from appetizer/salad to dessert (we even had dessert pizzas... and the ice cream made from her homemade ricotta cheese was amazing!). Many people bring their own wine to drink. There is no rush to finish at the end, and you can enjoy a leisurely dinner with plenty of chance to meet the other participants.

A month or so ago, I attended a fermentation and pickling class taught by Dara Merin right in my…read moreown neighborhood! The class was small - about four or five of us in her roomy kitchen. We went over all the recipes in her handout for fermented veg pickle (like kim chee), sourdough starter (I already killed mine), kombucha (I've got the mother now but not the time or the courage to make the kombucha!)... the class is more demonstration with some hands on prep to make the pickle. Everyone was super nice and I highly recommend Dara's classes. Classes are in the kitchen a 1908 house in the Temescal neighborhood of North Oakland, a ten minute walk from the Rockridge Bart station. Each class is chock-full of cooking instructions, specific methods, and tips and includes a comprehensive handout with recipes and lots of other information and resources. The focus is always on how to make delicious food that is nourishing and nutritious too. Classes all feature a relaxed and comfortable dinner in the lovely dining room after we finish cooking, with abundant food and wine to compliment the meal. This part of the class is a wonderful opportunity to connect with the group and feel the sweet community vibe that makes classes with The Sage Table so special. Cooking is done with the highest quality ingredients possible, adhering to the idea of SOUL food: Seasonal, Organic, Unrefined and Local. As much as possible is purchased at local farmer's markets in the East Bay. Classes are vegetarian unless explicitly noted otherwise.

I have taken 4 cooking classes so far. from The Sage Table…read more The cosmic raw chocolate 101 class was the most exhilarating as we ate and drank amazing dark rich and healthy chocolate all night. It took my current cacao skills to a new level. The fermentation class was excellent. I feel confident fermenting foods and drinks. My partner, having watched me make traditional kombucha, began making his own experiments, so we are a super fermenty household now. The vegetarian soup making class opened my mind and palate up to legumes in a new way, and I have yet to try those recipes. The bones, broths and braising class, taught me how to make chicken soup and beef stew, that could have my Jewish ancestors rolling over in shame. The soups/stews we feasted on at the end of the class were nothing short of off-the-BLEEP-hook fantastic. My belly was in pure bliss. Dara was great about answering all my how to cook meat related questions too. There were a lot of things about meat and cooking meat that I did not know before. As a soup lover I can easily say that these were the best tasting liquid meals that have passed through my taste-buds in a long while. I am dairy-free, gluten-free (except for ghee) and so appreciated that these recipes are not dairy dependent. Thank you Dara, for your amazing culinary expertise.

Five stars all the way to the amazing Chef Sara!…read more I have decided to treat my wife (who loves Indian/Pakistani food) to a cooking class, and I can honestly say that I can't think of anything that would have brought her more joy than these three wonderful hours with Sara. She was super friendly, hospitable and funny, and she even surprised us both by baking a birthday cake!. I must confess, I've never liked Indian food, but after tasting the chicken tikka masala with naan that we made, I changed my mind! My wife said that this was by far the best meal she's had in her life!!! Thank you Sara for making this the best birthday gift ever! Gabriel.

My sister had the brilliant idea of arranging a cooking class for my birthday. After a few internet…read moresearches of East Bay Area options, we settled on learning the art of Indian cuisine with Chef Sara. We couldn't be happier with our experience! Due to the winter holidays, when I booked the class, there was no group schedule posted online. After a quick email exchange, I was able to pick a date that was convenient for us. This worked out great for us because we ended up having a private lesson (we were unsure if our date was advertised and were pleasantly surprised when we learned it would be just us). When we arrived, Chef Sara gave us some warm Masala Chai tea (which was delicious). She picked out 3 main dishes for us: Chicken Korahi (Pakistani dish, a tad spicy due to our request); Cauliflower Curry; and Chana Dal (lentils). To top it off, we had chopati (similar to naan) and fried Pakora Dal dumplings (common to eat when it rains). Chef Sara was very pleasant, informative, and flexible to our interests. At the beginning, she asked if we preferred to watch her cook or help along the way. We chose the latter, although she did most of the leg work. The result was amazing - we were hungry by the end, but not starving because she gave us some tastes along the way. We learned some great tidbits, which was a treat for me since I love to cook, but haven't ventured into the world of spices and techniques that Indian cooking offers. The only downside for us was having to travel to the Hercules location (we were hoping for Berkeley or Oakland), but it was worth the trip. All in all, cooking with Chef Sara had a very homey feel (partially because we are in her home, but also because of her down to earth style). Highly recommend signing up for a class! We hope to return with our significant others, perhaps for a special occasion.

I took a flower and gum paste class... which I felt was pretty unorganized and extremely rushed. In…read moreclass she taught or tried to teach too many flowers for the short time we were in her GARAGE/classroom. The supplies she gave us to use in class were subpar and very very cheap. I had a piece of pvc pipe for my rolling pin. 2 students asked to pay and leave an hour early out of frustration; I made myself continue on but left feeling even worse. I asked in class and then again in email later if I could PURCHASE samples of her work of the flowers she had taught, she replied she sold them to another student. April claims she is some top of the line, one of the best flower designers and that her customers are all the Food Network stars. That they want her flowers... but yet she refused to make or sell to me. I simply wanted to PAY for 1 each of the flowers she attempted to teach us. I feel so very cheated... $60.00 for 3.5 hours, no book or hand out, nothing other than the few flowers you attempted in class that definitely were not assembled. The take home recipe given for pastillage did not work at all when I tried it at home. When I emailed for help...April's answers were not helpful and avoided my question. Her recipe is just water, gelatin and confectioners sugar. Her suggestion was that I added too much shortening!!! Shortening isn't even in HER recipe. When I pointed that out she said she was just suggesting a problem and couldn't know what I did wrong... what the hell... 3 basic ingredients... how wrong could I have gone...seriously!! She demonstrated how to make pastillage in class and let us touch it and then she gave us a different batch all together to work with. Something she prepared before we got there. April knew before I took the class that I am also a cake decorator and instructor, and THIS is how she treats her colleagues! Her business is a lousy cold garage that is crammed with crap, boxes, and product and is definitely not worth what she charges. If you need to go to the bathroom, you have to walk through her messy house and dirty kitchen. Not what I expect from someone claiming to be a professional. She ran in between the house and the garage and made it well known that she was watching a tennis match inside on TV. She also offers Wilton courses on her website, however Wilton claims she is in violation of the teaching agreement and is not an authorized instructor. Go to Michaels or JoAnns and save the frustration, time, and unprofessional-ism! I really feel that April is a cheat and probably discourages first time decorators. I would not recommend her class to anyone!!

This place is AWESOME! I came here for a week of baking classes and a chocolate class. She teaches…read moreit from her garage, which she has converted into a complete cooking area. Coolest garage in the world! Everything that we made came out delicious, and anything the teacher made for us was super good as well. The owner of this business, and the teacher of the class is a really friendly lady named April. She showed the class tons of new techniques, like icing cakes, and how to make royal icing, how to pipe etc. We made tons of cookies. I remember these jam shortbread like bars, and these pinwheel cookies. We also made biscotti, and a banana cream pie. Everything tasted really good! And we were able to take home usually more than 1 treat each day. For the last two days of the class, we made a red velvet cake from start to finish. We made the batter, lined the baking pan, and then made the icing, sliced the cake, iced the cake, decorated it, etc. I learned tons of new techniques. The chocolate class was very fun as well, and very informative. We made many different kinds of truffles, and we made chocolate mousse, and chocolate cups, and a few kinds of edible molding chocolate decoration! This place is awesome! Not only can you take cooking classes, you can order cakes and cookies for parties. The cakes here are really good! I really like her carrot cake, and her red velvet cake! YUM! The cookies here are really good too! For my brother's birthday, we planned it last minute, and called her about a day ahead, yet she was able to put together a cake for him, so that was a huge plus! But if you're able to tell her a week or more in advance, all the better, because you can get it more to your preference, and you'll probably like your cake a lot more. Overall, a great place for baking classes and cake decorating classes for kids, teens, and adults. And on top of that, a great place to get a cake for a party.

Snapology is an amazing enrichment class. My son absolutely loves the time he gets to spend in this…read moreafter school program. It's a great blend of creativity and following directions. He is always smiling ear to ear when he leaves class. Denise is so kind and patient with the children. She is very thoughtful in her curriculum planning and how she addresses the children. We highly recommend taking a snapology class with Denise. We are very grateful to have it as an option at our son's school and we can't wait for our daughter to be old enough to join too!

My 8 year old participated in the Science of Superpowers - Online Summer Camp, and it was…read morefantastic! Teacher Brandon was amazing with the students! He was funny, kind, smart, and incredibly patient. I know that online teaching can be a challenge, but he was a total pro! Not only was the class fun, but the students learned everything from science topics (DNA), to story-telling, and even some ELA lessons. Teacher Brandon did a great job keeping the camp fun while teaching the campers important lessons. Even though my son was in our living room, Teacher Brandon made it feel like he was in an actual summer camp. I would highly recommend this program.

We had lots of fun making our own wreath with Ms Anna. She is soooooo patience with us even we took…read moreso long to get the entire project done!! It was fun project for mom and kid to spend quality time together. And make a wreath that we can enjoy for years!!! Highly recommend this art studio for everyone boys and girls

My four year old just had her free trial here and she loved it! She said she really liked her…read moreinstructor Ms. Christina. We appreciate Ms. Christina being super helpful. We will definitely be signing up for more classes.