Ever since buying a place a few years ago, I've wanted to learn how to cook. Not just to make it by…read morewithout starving, but really learn how to make quality food at home--I'm a foodie after all. ;-) This is the best cooking class company I've taken classes at to help me move closer to my goal. Highlights: - Format: A combination of demo and hands on which is the perfect mix: "see then do" as they say. Thorough and educational with detailed information on not only cooking techniques, but also the equipment (helpful gadgets in some cases), ingredients, their origins, and health benefits. I left each class feeling like I was becoming a more educated and better chef already. I've been to classes at Home Chef (when it was in SJ), Whole Foods (Cup and San Mateo), and Sur La Table (LG), and while those were fun, I didn't really learn as much as I would have liked. - Teacher: friendly, approachable, easy to learn from, comical, seems to genuinely care about her food and the people in her class, and knows her stuff. Chef Suzanne Vandyck has the culinary credentials and has even authored a cookbook. She tells you little tricks here and there along with fun stories of her travels and related eats to give it a personal touch. - Environment: very casual and comfortable. Questions are encouraged throughout and you don't feel intimidated chiming in with one during the demo or while cooking. I've been to classes where you felt like you were learning from a cooking nazi: if you didn't use the right spoon or something she'd snip at you. I want to learn, but this is for fun. I like more hakuna matata attitude here. As Chef Suzanne says, "In a restaurant it has to be perfect, at home it's ok." :-) - International Themes: I took the Easy and Healthy Japanese cooking class but they offer Italian, French, Mediterranean, Spanish, etc. I was a bit weary of learning Japanese food from a lady from Belgium, but she had enough traveling, visiting with locals, eating, and cooking experience to portray the authentic styles. I lived in Japan for a few years and eat Japanese food a good deal and learned tons from her class. - Great recipes: everything that we made was scrumptious. I loved being able to know how to make the classic Japanese sauces (tempura, miso, etc.) There are always options either written down or noted verbal during the demo so you know how you can change it up to suit your tastes or ingredients you have handy. - Salads: when you sign up, you can see what dishes will be made and I was enticed by the entrees. After all was said and done I did enjoy the entrees like expected, but was surprised to be blown away by the salads. The watercress and then spinach salads with dressings we made on our own were amazing. - Recipe handouts: before class you get a few pages stapled together of the recipes of the day. The teacher not only includes pictures up top, but a nice little paragraph of the story and background about what the dish is. - Plating: after Chef Suzanne makes an item, she plates them on beautiful little authentic Japanese plates (since I took the Japanese class) and organizes the food so it looks professional and impressive. Since I want to be a Top Chef quality chef, I love learning these plating skills to make my dishes visually appealing and fancier than the average home cooked meal. 8-) - Leftovers: sometimes there's a lot of food, so if you bring a container you can take some to enjoy at home - People: After the demos we break up into groups and make a few recipes. I didn't take the class to meet new people, but I made some nice friends through the few sessions we've have. - Class time said 6-9:30pm which I was initially worried sounded a bit long, but we usually finished by 9 or earlier so I could make it home to watch Grey's just slightly delayed on TiVo. ;-) - Location: most of the quality classes I have seen are in the city which is hard to get to on a weeknight. These are held closer to home in Cupertino and Santa Clara. Lowlights (my flip side to highlights): - How much fun you have cooking depends on the group you end up in--just normal group dynamics and personalities, etc. - Not optimal equipment: this is where it's a pro to go to a specialty store like Sur La Table or Whole Foods: the equipment will be more top notch. Our class was at Cupertino High School which had dull knives, old silverware, etc. They also didn't have any chopsticks to use in our Japanese class, so we brought our own. - Sometimes she changes the recipe from what's written down so you just have to be aware and take notes on your handouts. - Some classes you get a snack pretty early on but others you don't get to eat until 8:30pm, so you may want to have a snack before just in case. I'm so happy to have found this cooking school and will be looking to take more classes in the future!

Highly recommend Chef Suzanne and Worldchefs International!…read more I've taken Italian cooking classes, garlic cooking classes and a team-building cooking class. All spectacular... Highlights of courses: *Picked up FANTASTIC recipes that I still cook today... *Learned how to use quality ingredients to make delicious dishes *Met some great people *Paid close to nothing to learn from a top-notch chef and her colleagues Minuses: *May be challenging if you are with a group of people whom are unaccustomed to being in the kitchen... Favorite dishes that I still cook today zuppa di ceci (Italian garbanzo bean soup), pizza margherita, paella (Spanish rice dish), chicken marsala, risotto, minestrone soup, non-alcoholic sangria, and flourless chocolate cake.

Teena did a cooking class at a friend's home for a birthday celebration. She helped 8 of us make an…read moreamazing Indian meal, complete with an appetizer, 2 mains, rice, and dessert. She and Brigid were so wonderful to work with - it felt like they were part of the group! Teena was incredibly flexible and accommodating, which made organizing the night very easy. I would absolutely recommend hiring Curry Sutra for a cooking class, corporate event or fun and different activity with friends!

Had the absolute pleasure of taking cooking classes with Chef Teena's team for our Corporate…read moreHoliday Team Event. The whole experience was so pleasant and smooth, from registering, to fixating the menu (that met our team's dietary needs), the location, etc. Parking was super convenient, the space was super clean, and the team was very friendly, organized, and professional. Each dish was super fun to make, and it was the most rewarding feeling when we all sat down to eat together and enjoy the delicious meal we all cooked. To top it off we also received a complimentary dessert which was the best!!! Thank you Team CurrySutra for such an amazing team bonding experience. We can't wait to be back!!!

We had a wonderful company team building event. Everything was amazing: service, food, customer…read moreservice, chef, and location. I highly recommend this for a date night, cooking learning, or even a team building events.

This venue specializes in interactive culinary experiences for all ages, making it an ideal…read morelocation for small team gatherings and delicious food. We recently visited to celebrate the completion of a project with a group of about ten people, and it proved to be a perfect setting for our celebration. The venue offers various team-building programs, such as the bake-off challenge, which we chose. With wine and other beverages available, the experience culminates in enjoying a full meal together. I particularly enjoyed the bake-off challenge, as it emphasized teamwork rather than individual effort, and was well-organized. At the end of the challenge, the chef judged the results and selected a winner, making the experience both interesting and fun. I highly recommend this place for anyone looking to engage in small team-building activities followed by a meal.

It's with disappointment that I'm updating my review of Mission Valley ROP, and deducting a star…read more As a graduate of American High School and Mission Valley ROP, having taken 3 different courses through ROP, and even earned college credit in one of them, I felt fortunate to have had the pleasure of taking Business Ownership, Marketing, and Law Enforcement. However, it has come to my attention, that the current students at American High are currently without an Instructor for Culinary Arts, therefore the students are being "taught" by "substitutes". I get that teacher shortages are happening everywhere, and we are just getting through a global pandemic, but at the same time it's not like the previous Instructor Chef Rosen, decided to retire last minute. They knew well in advance, and you would think they would have been able to get an instructor before the school year started. If for some reason, they weren't able to find an instructor, which seems to be the case now, why even offer the course this year at all until an instructor is found? I've heard that students are trying switch out of the class and into other classes because they don't have an instructor, and are still being taught by substitutes. It's such a shame many of these students who are seniors, many of which who are coming out of distance learning, signed up for Culinary Arts, yet are being taught by substitutes. They probably aren't even being taught much or learning much about Culinary Arts. I hope Mission Valley ROP is doing everything they can to get a qualified instructor to teach Culinary Arts at American, as there are 4 Culinary Arts classes and 1 Event Planning course offered at American. If anything, perhaps they should ask Chef Rosen to come back until a permanent instructor can be found? Just to show the impact of taking an ROP class, not only did I earn College Credit for one of the courses I took, to this day, I still stay in touch with one of my instructors, Sergeant Crawford. Unfortunately, the other instructor I had, Mr. Gary Marsh sadly passed away a few years ago.

I was a student at American High School who took the Culinary class hosted by MVROP. Chef Mike…read moreCarey was my instructor and my friend. He helped me not only to pursuit my passion in culinary arts but he also helped me and a lot others through high school. Once I graduated I attended CCA in San Francisco and continued to go on a internship in Walt Disney World. Now only two years out of high school I'm being trained as a head line cook in a restaurant in Niles, California. None of this would of happened without Chef Mike with his guidance and teachings. Thank you for teaching this wonderful class.

We had a nice afternoon class learning the basics of Indian cooking from Chef Parsati. She is…read moreextremely knowledgeable and was able to guide us through making a delicious meal. Chef Parsati made us feel welcome and tailored the experience to our preference. Would recommend to anyone interested in a fun cooking and learning experience.

I booked The Art of Homemade Tamales with Chef Karen for my daughter's birthday. She accepted and…read morethen just before the event she sent a message that she had "overlooked our booking" and that she wasn't available. Without consulting us, she switched the confirmed reservation to another date. We had invited guests and it was impossible to find anyone else at that point. I will never use their service again.

Great class and experience! I booked a cooking class as a team building night and it was such a fun…read moreway to work together in a new way. We made three different types of empanadas and all were delicious! As a novice cook myself I feel much more confident in the kitchen with the skills I learned at the class and I can't wait to book another one! Thank you Chef!!

From the owner: Welcome to Chef Prep Kitchens! We are a cooking school and event planning service dedicated to…read moresharing culinary knowledge. With over 10 years of experience in professional kitchens, we are a brand led by a Culinary Institute of America graduate and proud member of the American Culinary Federation. Join us for hands-on cooking classes or let us help plan your next event. Together, we can make your culinary dreams come true!

I have been wanting to take my kiddo to a caregiver and me cooking class for a while now. She is…read morefinally old enough and I felt like she was ready. I booked a Tuesday evening class during winter break. You get a confirmation email and that's it. I was worried about prep but they prepare everything for you and thought up everything as well. Small parking lot. They had us wash our hands when we arrived and then each kiddo had a color sheet with crayons. Nice touch but defeats the purpose of washing our hands first. The two of us shared a table with another mom with their toddler. Each toddler had their own set up to make 6 cookies. Everything was pre measured and it wasn't too messy. We were able to bake 6 cookies and use whatever toppings - she got to choose between chocolate chips, m&ms, white chocolate chips and these dried fruits. They read a book to the kids and then made milk shakes as a group. Each kid got a small cup and to place chocolate chips/m&Ms in. The cookies were really delicious and my child loved the milk shake. One thing is that you can't stop other kiddos from touching your items/food. Would return.

I wanted to share feedback about the Taste Buds Kitchen class my family attended in Palo Alto. We…read moresigned up for a shared table experience, but we did not realize that "shared" meant all parties at the table would be sharing the same sauce, ingredients, and cooking steps. For example, all six of us were mixing one single sauce together with only three ingredients. This was not communicated clearly in the class description and felt very uncomfortable. The class description also stated that everything would be made from scratch, but that was not the case. We wrapped pre-cut chicken in pre-made phyllo dough, which was very different from what we were expecting based on how the class was advertised. Additionally, the experience felt a bit low-quality. The appetizer was a single small plate of pita bread and oil--probably under $2 total--to be shared among all six people. There was also a lot of waiting around, with the kids taking turns doing very small tasks such as sharing the chopping of just one onion. Overall, the experience felt slow, uncomfortable, and not aligned with what we believed we were paying for. Unfortunately, based on this experience, I would not recommend this class to others and do not plan to return. Thank you for taking the time to read this feedback. I hope it helps improve future classes.

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.

love this place! Belinda the manager is super professional kind and so good with the kids! my son…read morehas been attending a few camps and enjoys it immensely. camps are around 9-12pm and everything is so well organized and they know how to keep kids engaged!

I took a cooking class here focused on Spanish paella, and it was such a fun experience! The…read moreinstructor and assistants were clearly knowledgeable, attentive, and made the evening really enjoyable. I went with friends and we had a great time cooking together. The portion sizes were super generous; we made tons of baked chorizo croquetas, devoured our entire paella, and still had plenty of lemon ricotta cheesecake left over to take home. Just a heads-up: the class ran from 7:30 to 9:30, so dinner ends up being on the later side. That said, it's totally in line with Spanish dining culture, so no complaints there, just something to keep in mind if you're coming hungry!

Hands down a bomb ass cooking class with a bomb ass chef (Tani-San). Will go back because it's so…read morecheap and everyone learned a lot! Few things to know though to make your experience smooth 1) go to his store and choose out your appetizers, entree, and dessert beforehand. The pictures make a difference 2) tell him in advance that you want to actually learn how to cook and tell him you want to help with prep. He told me that a lotta people just come and drink wine so he's gotten used to assuming to do most of the cooking. I guess people go to his class and don't want to get too dirty ? 3) bring your own drinking water and drinks 4) if someone is familiar with Japanese it helps a lot 5) he'll make the lesson private if you have more than 5-6 people. 6) his prices changes depending on what you guys cook. We paid 45 but still totally worth it 7) ask him to teach you how to present the food and he'll teach you that as well. Have everyone do their own and ask him to rank them. I lost. Some courtesies he was really thankful for 1) he doesn't ask to but CLEAN ALL THE DISHES. It's 45 dollars for a cooking class and otherwise you're leaving him to do it himself. 2) leave a tip! 3) ask him to join you for the food you guys made! Tani-San is hella cool. He's a old guy doing this for fun after working at various French restaurants.

Here are the basic things to know if you would like to host a private event with Chef Tani:…read more1) $39 per person 2) bring your own beverage and music (he has wine glasses) 3) his store front is just around the corner of the UPS store. I hosted a private corporate team building for the ten of us and we had a lot of fun. We brought our own beverages and music. The ambience is cozy and feels like you are just chatting away at a friends house while dashing in and out of the kitchen. Chef Tani is Japanese who specialize in French techniques. While speaking to him over the phone we had trouble understanding one another, we had no problem in person. I did 4-5 pricing quotes around the southbay area and no one comes close to chef tani's 39 dollars per person price. You need to schedule an appointment with him, and pick out what you want to cook for your appetizer, main entree and dessert. We had crab and avocado stack, roasted wild rice stuffed Cornish hen, and blancmanger. Chef Tani has done all the prep work so we just came so for the "fun" part. Everything was delicious and we had a blast team building, learning and just chatting away. I would come back to chef Tani again for another team building exercise or any of his private cooking lessons.