Did the Italian long lunch classic menu today and had such a great time. The menu changes so what…read moreI've described below may not what you'll end up with if you go there. Luciana is very funny and particular in the way things are done - as most chefs are. Very informative class and she is great at answering questions. The class was very hands on and engaging. There was about 16 people in the class that day. There are tables in the house with places where you can put your bags. Remember to bring an apron because you will be dealing with flour so it may get a little dusty. There was wine served with the food and I was pleasantly full but not to full by the time I left. It was just right even though there was all the food! To start, Luciana made a Tuscan Antipasti made with bortolotti beans, olive oil, parsley and red onion served on bread. It was very rustic, simply and really delicious. What a way to kick off the course. I think because there was so many of us, it was easier to showcase how to make this and it was really simple. She was making this in front of us. Second course was ravioli which we made fresh pasta. There was kinds, beetroot and pumpkin. The insides were already done for us as we had to concentrate on making the pasta. So much fun with rolling the dough around, putting it through the pasta machine and trying not to stuff up. Luciana walked around to make sure everyone's dough was ok. Her assistants were also wandering around to make sure people were being looked after. I preferred the pumpkin with sage butter but others preferred the beetroot ravioli. Third course was chicken scaloppine with herbs. The stock she made for this was wonderful. She showed us how to make it and we took care of making the scaloppine. Again this was a simple dish but with great flavours. Last but not least was dessert. I didn't get to make this as there was only a few to make. Semifreddo al caffe - wow dusted with cocoa powder. Sigh, what a way to finish. Only 1 slice was more than enough. It wasn't super sweet or rich which was nice but if you had anymore, it probably wouldn't be very good for you! Lots of cream, sugar, all the good stuff!! Would recommend as a birthday present, corporate event or just a nice way to spend a day!

Best cooking class in Sydney and I have been to a few. Luciana is an absolute awesome Italian lady…read morethat really makes you feel like you are in Italy and it's quick and easy to copy her yummy creations. There was about 10 of us of a nice summery day a few weeks back attending the long Italian lunch. Luciana has an awesome and very personable character. She kept getting annoyed at the dogs barking and being in love to keeping us in check with not wasting time. To sharing tips and tricks on how to make the best pasta. She had no shame in telling us off for putting in the wrong ingredients together but admitting later it still tasted well. Her son ate the left overs and gave us all the green thumbs up. That after getting starting on making the pasta she than served us to start a lovely pasta with pesto and cherry tomatoes. Accompanied with some yummy wine. Than we moved back to the kitchen to finish making our pasta. After enjoying the pasta we moved on to making extremely tasty chicken in white wine, lemon and herb sauce. To finish we made the best and easiest to make coffee dessert ever. I attend with my girlfriend as a birthday gift and she absolutely loved it. Even the fact that she was able to make everything gluten free. Since than I have re-created almost every dish. Yum yum. I go back and even attend one of luciana's other classes.

Ma Indian cooking classes are enlightening and inspiring! Madhu shares family recipies that she has…read morehandpicked for you to learn that reflect different parts of India. I have had the pleasure of experiencing all five of her current classes and they have all been fun and educational, and the dishes easy to replicate at home. My young children have enjoyed all of the dishes I have made at home and we now have several of them on regular rotation. Now that I feel familiar with the ingredients and the techniques I am much more confident when experimenting with other indian recipes. The dishes are vegetarian (dairy) and vegan (no animal products at all), but she welcomes people from all walks of life.

It is well-known that the key ingredient of good French cooking is butter and lots of it, but it…read morewas only after I did French cooking classes at PICS did I realise just how much goes in there. And the Manager/Head Teacher Laurent Villoing claims that to keep in touch with Australian tastes he only uses half the amount of butter than what he would normally use in France. Holy crap! I've done a few courses at Laurent's French cooking school and they were all excellent. The food that we managed to make was incredible and I could not believe we actually did it. I guess its got something to do with Laurent's eyes, ears and nose which are everywhere, he can sense instantly if something is going wrong or if the flavour is not right and will somehow appear instantly by your side to help you along. You can tell he's had extensive experience in managing commercial kitchens. I've done the following courses which I highly recommend: 1. Petit Fours workshop - perfect for making little treats for dinner parties. 2. Knife Skills workshop - teaches you basics of handling knifes and different uses. You prepare a basic French 3-course meal by the end. 3. French Seasonal Cooking 8 week course (Summer menu) - its was amazing. You learn how to make some beautiful dishes and may cook with ingredients that you would not normally encounter, such as a whole rabbit! The desserts are to die for as would be expected from a French course. I've noticed on the website that Laurent has introduced a whole new range of courses on top of the usual ones so there will be something for everybody. The groups are very small at 8-10 people so you get personal attention and you get to take home all this beautiful food at the end! Highly recommend.

I have been taking different cooking classes and workshops many times at this cooking school. They…read moredistinguish cooking classes as 8-weeks course and workshop as one-off and the workshop is usually running during Friday or weekend. Over the years, I've noticed the gradual changes on facilities. Although no major renovation, furnishing and hygiene are constantly improving. Learned a lot and a lot of fun. The best part of doing a workshop here is after 5 hours of hard work, I enjoy a nice meal and I have plenty of food to take home. I would recommend this cooking school to others.

Organised American smoking class for a friends bucks. Staff were great but session was under…read morecatered we still required dinner afterward and you'd expect more than steamed corn and smoked meat at $190pp. poor value, save your time and head elsewhere.

Took my boyfriend here to learn how to do some real smoked American bbq…read more At first I felt a bit out of place as I was the only chick attending but that did not stop me getting into it and understanding how you get a perfect bbq. They showed us everything from turning on the bbq to using the correct utensils to letting us test out ourselves. We cooked something on every single type of bbq which was awesome. We made - quesadillas with Mexican mushrooms "nom nom" - baby ribs - pulled pork - beef brisket - 2 salads. Everything was just to die for. We literally had to be rolled out of there. So good.

McIntosh & Bowman are a great team of 'cheese educators' and appreciators, that aim to boost…read moreAustralia's knowledge and interest in cheese through a variety of ways; appreciation courses, activities, cheese making workshops and local and international cheese tours. Early last year I was lucky enough to do the 'Australian Cheese and Wine Experience' on Fort Denison, in Sydney. Meeting at Circular Quay for the ferry to Fort Denison, we were greeted by Claudia and given a general overview of how things work and what her job involves. Upon arriving, we were greeted with a glass of bubbles and a quick talk by the park rangers about Fort Denison, before sitting down inside at a large table with everyone else in the group. The afternoon consists of trying a variety (we had 10) different australian (and some international) cheeses, from blue, to brie, camembert, cheddar and more. Claudia explains a little about each cheese, it's history and the process of making each cheese. It's very interesting how each cheese is made, and how much the process does actually differ between cheeses. A few glasses of different wine and beer are also supplied, along with some chocolate. You're invited to experiment, while also given a few recommendations on what to try with each cheese. It's quite amazing how the textures and tastes of different cheeses change, after a sip of red, white, dessert wine or even beer. And you definitely can't go wrong with chocolate! It goes great with cheese, and you get to find out just what works best. There's ferries semi-reguarly between Fort Denison and Circular Quay, so there's enough time for a (very quick!) tour of the 'island' too before you head back after you're finished with cheese. Overall I absolutely loved the experience and would definitely recommend it to anyone; cheese lovers, or those that haven't had much experience and would love to try something new and rather different. I've come away with a much greater appreciation of cheese, with hopefully a better knowledge of what goes best with what, and what cheeses I absolutely love and adore.

Fabulous wine and cheese tasting on Ft. Denison in Sydney Harbour…read more Check out the photos of the table setting and the eleven cheeses on the plate. This is exactly what it's like. We went over to Fr. Denison from Circular Quay on a ferry, then stood outside and had sparkling wine and hors d'oeuvres as a ranger explained the history of the island. Then down into a small historic room in the fort where Claudia put on her show. What a show it was. She really knows her stuff. Delightful presentation, well paced, well projected. Nice wines to match the cheeses, and the focus was the cheeses. She put in a few European cheeses for comparison, like the real Camembert to compare with the Victorian Camembert. The cheese and wine part took a bit over an hour and was delicious - over and over again as we worked our way through the different style cheeses. It was an absolutely delightful experience. If you're not into cheeses and their differences, I'm not sure I'd recommend it. But if you have any interest in understanding the differences in cheeses and their tastes, this is a great excursion.

The BBQ Seafood class at The Sydney Seafood School on Saturday, 11 April 2026, from 11:00 am to…read more2:00 pm was exceptional! The presenters and host were highly skilled and engaging, making the learning experience immersive, interactive and informative. The location is exceptional, and the state-of-the-art cooking school further inspired our love of food, culture and connection with others. Please maintain this gold standard so many can enjoy it.

The excitement learning that not only would we be going to The Sydney Seafood School but that the…read morechef of the evening was none other than the head chef from Cho Cho San had me buzzing into the Pyrmont-based fish markets. It'd always been one of those things I'd meant to do when I lived in Sydney but for whatever reason never got around to. So I'm going to say that it was that buzz that got me through the class. I should clarify that the class itself was pretty great. We got to watch the chefs in action, learning how to fillet squid and the best way to cook fish collars, but with a starting time of 6:30pm you need to know that you won't get to eat til around 9pm after you and your cooking buddies have then recreated the meals demonstrated. Pro Tip: make time to snack or dine before you arrive. If you've eaten prior to coming then you're going to be a-okay. If, like our team, you were unaware of the format and trundled into class on an empty stomach, you may experience feelings of hanger, cold sweats and irritability. Perhaps pack a snack in your pocket?

Passed by here and saw a signage that said best cookie or something to that effect and I thought it…read morewas for traditional cookies like chocolate chips, but it was for macarons. I decided to go in and check it out and saw they had unique flavours, so I decided to get three flavours to try. Got the unicorn, which is just vanilla, only because I got this for someone, so of course I didn't get to taste this one. Mango, Passionfruit & Macadamia - good, but I tasted more macadamia than mango and passionfruit. Pandan & Coconut Custard - thought it was great they offered this Vietnamese flavour and thought this was good as well. I wish they offered more flavours, but I would say I still prefer Laduree passionfruit more because I actually could taste it.

These macarons are made fresh on the premises and come in lots of delicious flavors: salted caramel…read moreand praline chocolate are especially great. You can pick up a box of 10 at about 1/3 of the price of Laduree, which are actually baked in Switzerland, frozen, and then flown all over the world (I didn't know this until today). Highly recommended!

Delicious ravioli with burnt butter, pumpkin and walnuts! My friend had this fish with zucchini…read morepasta and it was also amazing. The truffle fries were great, Nom nom nom! I couldn't them all day! Vanilla and peanut butter shake was interesting. My favourite would be the highly recommended Oreo and Nutella shake!!! Divine!!!! The food is costly but worth it!! The service was pretty bad but hey you can't have all great things in one!!! 8/10

Second store out in Drummoyne for Salt Meats Cheese…read more The store is shared with Harris Farm. Walked in around 140pm on a Saturday and all the tables were taken! So opted to just grab a pre made ham roll. Order and pay at the counter and you will get a number. I ordered 2 X ham and three cheese buns $7 and a Nutella muffin$5 . I didn't realize till after I left that they gave me a Nutella donut instead of a muffin! Sigh. They place looks like it's still finding its feet. Will be back and hopefully won't be as busy.

One of Sydney's newest art spaces. Sew Make Create has been around for almost a couple of months…read morenow. The owner, top Sydney designer Melissa Tan-Lu and Sew Make Create's resident dog Pepper are just adorable. The whole shop is quite funky :) I was fortunate to have been invited (through another blog) to experience their beginners crochet course with Bronwen. I arrived on a Wednesday night at 7pm a little tired yet eager as anything to learn, and learn heaps. My manual dexterity skills deflated me for a while, yet I was amazed with the crochet stitch and getting into a granny square so soon with confidence. The class sizes are rather small which is great. Lindt chocolate balls were provided with water as stunning refreshments, as well as biscuits and tea. This course is also available on selected weekends. Sew Make Create also run a variety of other craft courses. After the beginners crochet course, if you wish to take things further, then the crochet clinic is for you. Instead of yarn, turn that yarn into 'plarn' with a plastic bag crochet course. Sew Make Create is a dynamic arts space that also rents out sewing machines, and hence provides ample working space to design some pretty clothes. Sew Make Create also sell sewing machines and craft supplies. Sew Make Create (from the request of many parents) have put together a fantastic course schedule for the kids school holidays coming up, as at the time of writing this. Beginners crochet is also covered, and kids can also learn cupcake decorating and also learn how to make these adorable felt brooches. Located in Chippendale right near the Broadway Shopping Centre. If you're curious (in more detail) as to how my beginners crochet experience went recently, then follow this link: http://www.weekendnotes.com/crochet-for-beginners-sew-make-create/ For more information on the various courses put on especially for kids these school holidays, then follow this link: http://www.weekendnotes.com/crafty-school-holiday-activities-sew-make-create/ With many initiatives to ensuring that Sydney is an arts and crafts focused city, when is now a better time to learn a new craft? Go on, unleash the craft master within!

From the owner: Sew Make Create aims to encourage learning and creativity through providing the right environment,…read moreassistance and facilities