Although I wasn't part of the experience, my daughter went to a birthday party here yesterday. She…read moresaid it was fantastic and she would love to have her own party there. There was an instructional portion for the ceramics and then the kids were allowed to make their own items. She made a bowl and a cat. The family was also able to bring pizza and cupcakes in. She had such a great time that we have been checking out other classes that are held here. Very neat spot.

Open Arts is a studio offering classes in drawing, pottery, sewing, voice, piano and guitar. Most…read moreclasses are for children/teens, but they do have a fair set of classes for adults as well. John, the director of Open Arts Studio, is a dynamic guy who is so charismatic...it's easy to envision him sitting at a piano, leading a bunch of people in song around a piano a la Cole Porter. He's the voice teacher and drawing teacher and he's great at both. Home schoolers note: they offer classes during the day for home school students! For me, one caveat is the price. It's not astronomical, but most classes are about $125 for a session, about 5 classes, and it adds up. I believe it's because of this that some classes aren't very full. On the up side, if you take more than one class, or have multiple children enrolled, you get a 10% discount. They hope to add cooking classes somewhere down the line. We are looking forward to the addition as I know my daughter would learn a lot because they are both organized and inspiring at Open Arts!

Victoria is a master cook and teaches in a very hands on method. Her commercial stove serves as a…read morecenter point next to her large butcher block island. Each student gets her recipes, a pencil for notes and an apron. She explains and then guides you through the preparations. Participation is expected but not required. When ready we move on to the huge stove where we cook the main dish. She usually adds an accompanying side dish with possibly a sauce. The finale is we all sit at her extra large table and enjoy the fruits of our labor. Each student can get direct supervision if the need arises, or asked for.

Victoria is a great teacher of all types of cooking. I have taken the Ramen Noodle class and Dry…read moreRub for meats. Both were loads of fun and left the attendees with a new set of knowledge and skills. I will be signing up for more!

Our experience with Young Chef Academy and Chef Deb has been absolutely fantastic! Chef Deb is…read morepassionate, knowledgeable, and incredibly engaging. She creates a fun, supportive environment where kids can learn essential cooking skills while having a great time. The lessons are well-structured, hands-on, and full of valuable tips that even parents can appreciate. My children have gained confidence in the kitchen, developed a genuine love for cooking and broadened their palate thanks to Chef Deb. I highly recommend Young Chef Academy to any parent looking to inspire their little ones and teach them lifelong skills in a positive, nurturing setting. Five stars all the way!

My oldest is 9 and has always had a thing about helping in the kitchen. His stepmom happened to…read morecome across an ad for this summer camp at Young Chefs Academy and we jumped on the opportunity to sign him up. For us it was an hour drive each way but it was totally worth it to see the smile on my sons face. What I loved about here is that everyday after class they got to eat what they made so my son was always very proud and they teach kids how to really cook! Everything is made from scratch which even in Highschool classes I remember most things were always made from a box or jar. This summer program ran Monday-thur and at the end of the week they were given a cookbook with all the recipes they made during the week. It is a tad bit pricey but really sooo worth it.

Came here for a team event. After a heavy day of fiery debate and hacking, I wasn't sure if I was…read morein the mood for more feverish competitive activity with the same people but I was quite wrong and a good time was had! Just make sure you save some patience for figuring out the parking, especially in the summer days when you have to dodge kids in swimsuits. The event we did was essentially an Iron Chef-style competition, but we first had a happy hour of charcuterie cheese and fruit and an open bar (although the line for cocktails was a bit backlogged). We were divided into two groups with an assigned chef each to coach us through a 90 minute cooking session to come up with a meal plan consisting of our designated protein (my team got Salmon and the other team got chicken), 2 vegetarian sides, and a dessert. We had nearly access to a seemingly infinite amount ingredients to work with, but not all! Some ingredients even came from the garden outside but mostly the pantry is well stocked with so many different herbs, spices, cheeses, sauces, etc. Not to mention all kinds of kitchen equipment. We feared 90 minutes wouldn't be enough but it seemed to be just enough time without feeling too harried to brainstorm and come up with a plan, split up and prepare various dishes, plate for the judge as well as each other (to eat buffet style after the presentation). Each group selected a presenter to talk through the dishes and then we went to the main dining area to partake in each others' creations - with more drinks! The staff who judged the dishes had a lot of goodness to say about all the creations and the winning team got bragging rights and a blue mug. We dined right on Lake Union by huge windows such that it felt like the event turned into a fancy dinner cruise from there. All in all it was a great event and a great opportunity to connect.

My 13 year old daughter did a week of summer camp here and LOVED IT. She's pretty shy and tends to…read moreget anxious about trying new things, so I was worried that she wouldn't like the cooking camp but I was blown away at 1) the fun she had every single day, 2) the skills and concepts that were taught to her in a way that kids could comprehend, and 3) the dishes she made. The summer camps are a little pricey but I think was worth it, because the kids not only get to cook and eat good food but they also went home with their own apron, knife, and digital recipe book! My daughter now has more passion and confidence to cook independently. Highly recommend!

We just learned that there is a Hot Stove Society weekly live radio show/podcast hosted by Seattle…read moreCelebrity Chef and Restauranter extraordinaire Tom Douglas. The show is broadcasted on KIRO radio and streamed on YouTube. You can also listen on a podcast. It is filmed in the industrial kitchen at the Hot Stove Society Cooking School in downtown Seattle. The best part for us is that we learned you can buy tickets to attend a taping of the show and it includes a freshly made breakfast. We immediately signed up and attended the one this past Tuesday. It was so much fun as we were treated to freshly made sticky buns, Shakshuka and Greek yogurt with granola. All of the food was delicious. The show being recorded was also fascinating to watch with lots of behind the scene activity capturing our attention. The guests on the show were informative and entertaining and some door prizes were given away to some audience members. After the taping, we got to take photos and talk with Tom, his staff and the guests. We really enjoyed ourselves and were well taken care of (and well fed!) by the staff. I recommend attending one of these shows for a great behind the scenes look and informative discussions about food and cooking from some local experts.

My wife and I had a great time here, so this review rating is a bit unbalanced. Being spectators to…read morea live podcast production was really fun and educational. Tom Douglas and his daughter were great hosts and their guests were engaging as well. We enjoyed the food that was served as well. What bothered me to the point of dropping 2 stars was being offered a mimosa when we were seated, without being told it was not included in the price of our experience. I was not prepared for the steep charge for the drink when we were getting ready to leave at the end. Had I known in advance, I certainly would have politely declined the offer. It just really left a bad taste in my mouth which took away from what was otherwise a great experience.

I had been experimenting with eating more of a plant-based, raw food diet when I came across an…read moreoffer through Living Social for a two hour educational class on the subject taught by Pamela. I loved the way she presented her knowledge and I came away from the class with lots of useful information. Whether you are concerned about your health, preservation of the environment or the suffering of animals for food this is a great place to stop in. I will be taking more classes from Pamela! Oh, and did I say that we made ourselves a delicious lunch!

I have really enjoyed Pamela's Raw Cooking Class today. It was very interactive, packed with…read moreinformation and lots of practical advice. The small class size really allowed everyone to get some individual advice and recommendations, whether they were new to healthy eating, already highly aware or just wanted to learn about quick and easy food preparation. Because health is such an important topic, we owe it to ourselves to get better educated and make smarter decisions for our families. I recommend Pamela's class as a great way to help in this journey to being and feeling your best self. I will definately be looking for an opportunity to take more of Pamela's classes.

Is now Le Cordon Bleu. I go to school here and I am very impressed with the level of experience…read moreand knowledge all my instructors have. My current Chef instructor has a background in fine dining so he shows us some of the most interesting things. We learn the basics but then he throws things in that are really gourmet and its great to be learning the foundations as well as the fancy stuff. I really love my school. We have a few students who make me insane, no passion or real desire to be there, younger, not as driven as I am but you focus on yourself and your goals and take it for everything you can get from it. for the 9 month program (plus externship) and how intense it is, it's a good value for the money.