I was in search of a private chef for my friends bachelorette in Westbrook, CT and I could not be…read moremore thankful that we found Chef Antonio! First and foremost, his daughter Emily who coordinated our event could not have been more accommodating, easy to work with, and helpful throughout the process. Second, the food was beyond AMAZING. I HIGHLY recommend the food and wine pairing. Chef Antonio outdid himself with 4 incredible courses and a wine paired with each. The food was out of this world and our group discussed which dish was the best for the remainder of the bachelorette and it's still unclear because every single one was THAT good. This was the first time I have experienced working with a private chef and it was truly incredible. I highly recommend Chef Antonio for any event you may have - the food and the service exceeded expectations. I am already trying to find another event to use Chef Antonio for!

From the owner: My business specializes in bringing both the traditional and modern Italian cuisines to the table…read morewhether it be through delivery, catered holiday events or parties, in-home private dinners, or by teaching the art of Italian cooking through cooking classes in the comfort of your own home.

I've had the pleasure of taking three of Chef Raquel's cooking classes. Two were in a large group…read moresetting and one was a small private class. Chef Raquel makes everyone feel comfortable and confident in the kitchen. She's instantly likable, fun and knowledgeable...all while managing to keep everyone engaged. Her recipes are delicious! I've made some of my favorites again at home. I'd highly recommend booking a cooking class with her and her team. You will have a blast, learn something new and have a delicious meal!

Chef Raquel is amazing! She catered my 40th birthday celebration and 3 weeks later my guests are…read morestill raving about the food! Seriously EVERYTHING was absolutely delicious! I'm still waiting on that herb baby potatoes recipe. Thank you again!

We had such a good time at our cooking demonstration! My husband and I brought my mother and father…read morefor her 70th birthday present. We were able to bring our own bottle of wine to sip on during the cooking portion of the evening... and a second for the dinner portion! Don't expect to have your own station and make your own meal... this is family style and different people are called up to assist with different portions of the meal. I found Nancy and her husband to be so warm, welcoming, friendly and extremely knowledgeable. The food was delicious and the tips provided were great. I highly recommend this experience!

While the Ginger & Pickles Restaurant no longer resides on Hebron Avenue, the G&P spirit is still…read morevery much present at Ginger & Pickles Catering. I've had food prepared by Nancy (the owner) before and always had my taste buds yearning for more, but last night I was able to step into the kitchen with her and take one of her informative, fun and very delicious cooking classes. I went with my team from work, and it was a great environment where once we all strapped on our Ginger & Pickles aprons, we were all able to "let our hair down" so to speak... We were greeted with a fabulous wine and cheese board, along with a phenomenal Brie baking away for us. We were given a menu of what we would all be cooking and enjoying that evening, pre chosen by our team leader. The menu was well planned, well written and not at all stuffy or overly complicated. Our "Valentines Day Date Night" menu included a wonderful beef tenderloin with a cream sauce, haricots verts with shallots and soufflés we made. So so so good! People work in teams on recipes and it really helps the evening flow. While 2 people are working with Nancy (and sometimes her assistant Brooke), the rest are taking in wine, Brie and observing some new techniques in the kitchen. Once one team is complete, The next team moves on to the next section of the menu. Before you know it, dinner is being played and served. Everything came out so well, it was as if we were dining out at your favorite restaurant. Nancy is able to answer all your questions and explain why things are done one way versus another, or give you ideas and tips on how to increase your own culinary skills at home. I will definitely be bringing friends here for some classes in the future.

2nd year back and it won't be our last!…read more What a fabulous vacation retreat! Feels like a little slice of coastal heaven. The location and decor make this such a relaxing place. Easy to sit for hours in the sunroom or on the rooftop deck, take in the sun and watch the birds and boat activity on the Mystic River. It's hard to find rentals with access to a deep water dock. And this dock is perfect. My husband went out fishing on his boat nearly every day. And when he came home with flounder, we cooked up a great meal in the fully equipped gourmet kitchen. Plenty of restaurants close by if you don't feel like cooking though. Glori and Chuck are also wonderful hosts and very thoughtful and responsive. Can't say enough good things about them.

We absolutely loved this home and this location! The hosts were fantastic and very communicative…read more Everything you could want is right there. We were lucky enough to enjoy incredible late summer/early fall weather for the length of our stay. But I would gladly stay there in rainy or snowy weather. My husband and I most enjoyed the sunsets and our two boys loved the HUGE level yard. The home is located on the small Mason's Island, but less than 2 miles from adorable downtown Mystic and many other destinations/conveniences. We have already booked a return stay and are so looking forward to it.

Chef Paul's creation. From our idea to Chef Paul's menu…read more.. Wow!! From creating, cutting, tasting and enjoying every sampling bite. The seafood, fresh salad, tartar and Creme brûlée were to die for!! Do yourself a favor... Treat your wife, family or friends to an amazing cooking experience and meal. Thank you for an amazing evening!! Tom & Laura

We had a wonderful anniversary celebration at Chef Paul's "Table" recently. It was a very creative…read moreand expertly prepared menu that included stuffed baby squid, grilled beet and arugula salad, bay scallop ceviche, roasted individual baby chickens and a delightful chocolate desert. The dining room is relaxed and the staff was super professional and accommodating. Thanks to the layout Chef Paul was very accessible and fun to chat with. BYOB and nice background music. We can't wait for the next special occasion!

Their Knife Sharpening is worse than terrible. My knives…read morewere duller after the 'sharpening' and close to ruined. They are Wüsthof knives and Wüsthof- Trident of North America store in Norwalk is the place to go for professional sharpening.

This gourmet cooking store has the added bonus of a coffee bar inside the store. You can grab a…read morelatte and browse away. The selection here is incredible. Anything you could need or want for your kitchen and cooking adventures. Minus one star for a rude, unpleasant staff interaction.

The staff and teachers are wonderful!! My son enjoys going to school, seeing his teachers and…read morefriends and learning new things. From the first day there they all knew my sons name and made him feel so welcome. I would recommend this center to anyone who is looking for an excellent daycare/preschool facility. I had a bad experience with a prior daycare and was nervous about putting him in a new one (it took me over a year to pull the trigger) but I was only nervous that first day. When I see his smile at the end of every day it reassures me that I made the right choice.

We began our experience with this learning center 2 years ago and we couldn't be happier with our…read morechoice in this daycare. The teachers are compassionate, patient, kind, accomodating, and overall extraordinary. We feel safe and confident leaving our 4 year old and twin 1 year old girls in their care. Their curriculum is beyond compare--they take extra steps in providing fun yet educational care for our children. The extra offerings like cooking class, phonics, and soccer training (not to mention their awesome summer program) are just added bonuses. The director, Heather, goes out of her way to touch base with us about our children's progression and provide us support. She and other staff have been a great support/reference for us as parents, providing us information and feedback on parenting tricks and child behaviour (and letting us know that we weren't crazy when we had home issues). They truly know and understand children. We feel that our son is already ahead of other children his age that go to other providers and will be well prepared for kindergarten. We really can't say enough good things about this center. I should also mention that we drive almost an extra 30 minutes, passing many daycares (including another Kindercare) just to come to this excellent learning center. We highly recommend this center if you are looking for the best choice for your child (ren).

BROT doesn't disappoint... Amazing bread and German cookies and stollen- taking orders for…read moreDecember!!

I picked up 2 freshly made breads . I go here regularly. The owner bakes them fresh on a schedule…read more She also can bake for you breads and suggest what types of food they pair well with. The classic sourdough is a good bread to dip in seasoned oils or put butter on it or make a sandwich with the cheddar cheese sourdough is great with soups or stews. You can pay via Venmo or cash and your order will be baked fresh every time. This is a true bread bakery!

The quality of the design and recommended cabinets, tile, countertops, and hardware is to be…read morecommended. My initial design ideas were made better with their expertise and visually my kitchen looks exactly as I'd hoped. The work done by plumbers, electricians, painters, and all sorts of other specialist companies is top notch. What is well below expectations is the project oversight, attention to detail, customer service, and communication. I paid a premium price for low quality project management and two out of four major appliances being limited function to non-functional on the day they called the project "Majority of Work Complete". Venting work was needed outside, for a project taking place in the winter, and they saved the work for the last week of the project when adverse weather conditions prevented it from being done. The week prior I asked why the work wasn't even on the schedule and they assured me that they had it under control and the work would be completed on time. Apparently not consulting the weather forecast for an outdoor weather dependent project. Weather is beyond their control. Planning for weather to be beyond your control is what a good project manager does. But at least I can use the stove, as long as I don't burn anything I'm cooking or care whether my whole house smells like the kitchen. The brand new dishwasher is completely non-functional, doesn't even turn on. There were many sink elements in my project plan, which they were aware of when measuring for the very nice very expensive custom cabinets. Yet when I pull the faucet nozzle extension the under sink trash can gets knocked off track. I could remove the under sink trash can and solve that problem, but the reason I paid for custom cabinets including the under sink trash cans is there is no room for trash cans in my small kitchen. I wrongly assumed their measurements would account for the needed room for all the elements in the plan. When I expressed concern about the lack of oversight on the project and lack of care with my installs I was told to enjoy my beautiful kitchen. So if you're looking for a stunning kitchen that doesn't function, go with these guys without worry. If you're looking for a beautiful kitchen that also works, think twice.

After checking with family and friends, we contacted Covenant Kitchens & Baths as our first choice…read moreto discuss renovating our kitchen, mudroom & laundry room in our 100+ year old family home. The kitchen had very little counter space and outdated electrical, but we believed it was a difficult room to do much with as it had five doors and three windows which greatly limited our options. It had been last reno'd in 1990 but that was just a cosmetic reno, i.e., paint, flooring, cabinets & countertop. We met with Gerard and he agreed to take on our project. We spent about three months on design work with him and his design team, Pam & Emily, which, based on their input, changed very significantly from our original idea. The original layout was very inefficient because the cook prep area was spread over the entire space, and to get from the mudroom to the rest of the house, you had to walk through the prep area. They were able to offer suggestions to essentially flip the design of the space 180 degrees which allowed for the installation of a traditional U-shaped counter as well as the separation of the cook prep and dining areas. Since the walls had not been down in our lifetime, we had no real idea what we'd find although we expected that there were going to be things that would need attention. We found that there were rotted posts near what were originally exterior doors and floor joists. The fieldstone foundation was caving in as it only had mortar on the outside. There were structural issues with the second-floor landing (hidden above the ceiling) and lack of collar ties on the roof structure. The Covenant team estimated the job to take 12-14 weeks. We moved in and started using the space again right at the 14-week mark. Every weekday for 14 weeks, including a small number of Saturdays, there was at least one contractor at the house doing something. Anyone that has ever been involved with construction knows that is amazing scheduling. They easily could have lost at least a week or two deciding on how to resolve the foundation issue and then lining up the sub-contractors needed. The end result has been transformative. The space looks larger than it was due to having vaulted the ceiling and the organization of space. A triple window over the sink now looks out to the yard, brightening up the space. The kitchen is much more functional than it previously was. The attention to detail that they have is really amazing. They are able to visualize what the space will look like when finished. They try to incorporate the style of what they are designing into the rest of the home so that it looks new and modern but doesn't clash if you have an older home such as we do. The suggestions that they made for colors and finishes worked out very well. We'd very highly recommend them to anyone considering kitchen or bath work; as a matter of fact, we have spoken with several people who plan to contact them about upcoming projects.