My husband and I had the most incredible date night at the Epicurean Theatre! We attended the…read more"Dinner with a Master Chef" class on Friday, July 18th 2014. Our instructor was celebrity chef, Whitney Miller, winner of Master Chef (season 1). The Epicurean Theatre is a gorgeous and very modern culinary classroom in the Epicurean Hotel in South Tampa. The culinary classroom has a kitchen in the front of the theatre for the instructor/ chef and stadium-style seating for the students. (If you want a seat near the front of the class arrive early!) Flat screen televisions are located in the front corners of the classroom to display close-ups of the food as it is being prepared. The layout of the classroom allows participants to eat and drink while watching a cooking presentation. After the chef completes each course of the meal the Epicurean's wait staff serves the dish. Whitney Miller was so charming and entertaining throughout our class. I loved her stories about growing up in Mississippi and being a contestant on the Master Chef. Her menu in our class included some of her favorite Southern dishes: First Course: Arugula Salad with Grilled Figs, Homemade Buttermilk Ricotta Cheese, Crispy Prosciutto and a Citrus Vinaigrette (Wine Pairing: Schiopetto Pinot Grigio) Second Course: BBQ Shrimp and Cheese Grits (Wine Pairing: Black Bird Rose) Third Course: White Chocolate Bread Pudding (Wine Pairing: Rosa Regale) Everything was so delicious and I cannot wait to make these dishes at my home! Confession: I probably won't make my own ricotta cheese for the arugula salad because who has time for that?! We received so many great cooking tips from the class and I plan on purchasing Whitney's cookbook so I can introduce my husband to more Southern cooking. If you are interested in taking a class at the Epicurean Theatre I highly recommend it! They offer a variety of classes from cupcakes to cooking to wine or even speaking a foreign language. They even offer brew bus tours! The classes range from $45-$125. Our Master Chef class cost $65 per person which wasn't a bad deal in my opinion considering we received a two hour demonstration from a celebrity chef, a three course meal, and three wine tastings. Can't wait to take my next class at the Epicurean Theatre!

I went to a great event here called Cupcakes and Cocktails held by Chef Beth Lukens, who owns and…read moreoperates the local company Cloud 9 Confections. Everything about this event was fun. Just like you see on cooking shows, Beth stood in front of the 3-tiered seating area, with a camera on her, and a camera overhead showing inside the pot she was cooking in. Beth is an experienced baker, and I loved that in addition to demonstrating how to make the Bourbon Chocolate Pecan cupcake, she also gave us helpful tips for substitutions and shortcuts. In addition to cupcakes, the event included 3 cocktails, specially designed to compliment the cupcakes we would be taking home. Pumpkin Prosecco - made of champagne and pureed pumpkin, Hard Apple Cider - made with gin, cider, and fresh crushed grapes, and a Bourbon Cocktail - but after the first two drinks, I have no recollection of what went into this last one. It was great, though! :-) Roger, the bartender from the hotel restaurant Élevage, came in each time to explain his concoction, which was really a nice personal touch. After Beth demonstrated how to make the first cupcake, all the participants went down to group stations where we got to frost our own cupcakes. She had all the different cupcakes lined up for us, as well as the different bags of frosting. First we did our own Bourbon Chocolate Pecan cupcake - by scooping out the inside to fill it with pecan filling, then frosting it with a thick bourbon chocolate buttercream, and sprinkling roasted pecans on top. Next was the Hard Apple Cider cupcakes with cinnamon buttercream. And finally we did the Pumpkin Spice cupcake, with a sweet cream cheese frosting. I have to admit, there was a LOT of taste-testing the frosting, even after the cupcakes were all frosted. Beth even provided plastic cupcake containers, so our 6 masterpieces (2 of each flavor) could travel in safety and comfort. I would definitely do another event here - it was very well organized, and in addition to the promised take home cupcakes, we were also provided with recipes on how to make the different cupcakes and frosting. The only thing that wasn't cool, and wasn't mentioned ahead of time, is that you had to pay $5 for valet, which also meant tipping too. I think the Epicurean Hotel needs to include this in the cost of the class, or let people self-park in the spots they have available for the wine store or bakery. Other than the parking, an A+ event from start to finish. Support local small businesses and go check out Beth's webpage, too - yum!

Cooking class review! My friends got this for a team…read morebuilding event- then bought for me for a birthday date night. BYOD and cook and learn plus 10% off ANYTHING in the store. They offer cappuccino espresso too mid class. We cooked Japanese night- miso salmon, fried rice, salad with ginger dressing, tempura veggies, sesame ice cream. Wow, so good and so much food- sad I couldn't take home my leftovers- such a waste. This should change Check it out, but save me a spot too!!!

Love this store and their staff! They have everything you need and many items you can try out. Love…read morethis area as well!

I thoroughly enjoyed my time at the sushi making class with Chef Stephen. He made the class very…read moreinteractive and fun to learn. I appreciated that this class was small and intimate. You can tell Chef has a passion for this because he made sure we all knew what we were doing, we could ask as many questions as we liked and he even provided me some short cuts on how to prepare certain things. He has a Gnocchi class coming up and I'm looking into signing up for that. I would highly recommend him.

I recommend the class I booked because of the chefs their interaction and the great experience I…read morehad. I find the website challenging and the knowledge of the people on the phone very minimal.

Cooking classes, group fun, team building lots of options here . What a cool concept located right…read moreinside Armature works. Unfortunately we didn't have time but you can make reservations online at their website. I'd like to do it next time I'm in Tampa Website and phone number located on their front door is in my pictures

Cannoli making class was fun…read more So the 3 stars is based on their customer service & how we were treated. 7 of us signed up for a week night class. We arrived late because we thought the class was 30 mins later than it was but we text them we were on our way. They were visible annoyed when we walked in & we did not get a warm welcome. I have to say there was only 2 people, a couple, in the class so it wasn't like we interrupted a big class. We were bringing the big class. And they had only poured milk into a pot & letting it warm up when we arrived so we had not missed anything. The whole class the women that worked there were not giving warm fuzzy vibes. It lacked fun & enjoyment honestly. We felt like we were treated like a nuisance & like we couldn't even laugh. The cannolis were good & we learned a lot.

We rented out the space on a Saturday afternoon to celebrate a friend's birthday. The space was…read moreclean and everything was setup when we arrived. They also have a nice selection of wine. We made the Sweet Ricotta Brule. They was a total of four people on staff to assist our class of 12. Everyone had a great time. I am looking forward to taking the pizza making class this summer with my son.

Three friends and I took a macaron baking class with Muriel at her gorgeous Bellevue home and it…read moretotally changed my idea of macarons. I am not a fancy baker (I do uncomplicated cookies, pies, simple breads, etc.) and have never understood the macaron craze that's still going strong. In this class, I learned that they are quite challenging to make and are mouthwateringly delicious when correctly and precisely made--I think I just never tried ones so good as these! The fun in baking them is how challenging they are and imagining all the possible color and flavor combinations. It was a great experience for me and my girlfriends and Muriel was an excellent teacher. First, she made a batch of strawberry macarons and explained very clearly what she was doing every step of the way, including how to gauge if you've done it correctly. Next, we paired up and made a different flavor on our own (coffee and black olive in this case). Muriel helped us every step of the way and sent recipes and videos afterwards. I can't wait to try to make them again without Muriel's help! (Fingers crossed). Word to the wise: if you go on a weeknight, eat dinner first! There's a small snack of crackers, cheese, and prosciutto provided.

Had a fun day making macarons from this beautiful home. Teacher was helpful and kind. Very…read moreknowledgeable. End product was delicious and I hope to take another class soon

We went there last night. The food was absolutely amazing. Felt like we were back in Italy…read more Definitely will go again.

This place is such a gem! The food was phenomenal! My family is from Sicily and I felt like I was…read moreeating my dad's cooking. The owner is super friendly and welcoming. It's a very small place so a reservation is a must! Will be back for sure!

There are prerequisites that you don't learn about until it's too late. The faculty is…read moreuninterested in helping students. The 'enrollment counselor' was all in until I signed and the it was crickets...what a sham.

A warm and welcoming environment. Definitely the best college I've been to. The instructors…read moregenuinely care about your success.

Buyer beware before booking a tour with CDV. Eight of us booked a tour in Sept. 2019 for Sept…read more 2021. COVID was new and we had no idea it would last so long. In Aug. 2021, the Delta strain began to rise around the world. We began to question if the trip made sense. Then our connecting flight from the US to Portugal were cancelled and we began to search in vain for new flights. The US and Portuguese Embassies issued warnings against non-essential travel. So we contacted CDV about rescheduling or getting a refund for our trip. They declined both. There were eight of us who had piggy-packed additional tours. All were cancelled and we received full refunds. CDV was the only company not to issue a refund. In fact, they were down right condescending in their reply's. In addition, our travel agent will no longer recommend them nor will we book any future tours with them. Bob Hassig

From the owner: Culture Discovery Vacations is a boutique experiential travel company offering small-group,…read moreall-inclusive cultural and culinary immersion trips across Italy, Portugal, Spain, Croatia, and South America. Cook with local families, stay in beautiful places, and experience each destination as a temporary local. It is built on an anti-extractive model: small groups, locally owned family partners, and most guest spending staying in the community. Founded 2006.

We hired Chef Freddy/The Roasted Fig recently for two dinners…read more Mariana was awesome to work with. She was helpful every step of the way especially with creating the menu considering various food allergies we had to work with. The food was delicious and our clients were very pleased with Chef Freddy.

We used the Roasted Fig for a baby shower.. the food was great as was the service…read more They have a wide choice of menu items & are very flexible.