I couldn't get home fast enough to write this review. Valerie and Chris are fantastic. I've taken cooking classes around the world and NOTHING compares to Chris's teaching style and amazing recipes. I'm 67 and I FINALLY found a great recipe for a French vinaigrette salad dressing. Chris and Valerie bring you into their home for an intimate, cozy meal. My GOD I absolutely LOVED every minute of it. What a gem! It's worth a trip to Taos to enjoy the experience. Really something special. I'll be back again and again. Soooo much FUN. Thanks and thanks and ever thanks. read more

Such an amazing and memorable time I had with my mom and sister for Mother's Day weekend. Chris and Valerie are wonderful, friendly, knowledgeable people that we thoroughly enjoyed spending time learning from and cooking with. We immediately felt right at home and had so much fun cooking together, laughing together, and visiting with this lovely couple, and meeting their son, Milo, also. The hours flew by and we left with recipes in hand, great memories, and full bellies! Absolutely one of the BEST Mother's Day's I've had. Thank you, Cooking Studio Taos, for an unforgettable experience! read more

What a fun and memorable way for us to celebrate family and our son's 30th birthday! Chris and Valerie did everything to accommodate us on short notice, plus Valerie returned my email within 24 hours while they were in Europe and had just flown in the night before from LA for our event. Really enjoyed how Chris first walked us through all the recipes, communicated his philosophy about cooking, told stories, and gave us many tips before heading into the kitchen. Education and fun continued as we learned so many new things, cooked together and drank wine while laughing at ourselves and each other about how much we didn't know! The evening was capped off with a wonderful meal shared with Valerie, Chris and their youngest son around their large custom wood table. Icing on the cake - we are encouraged and excited to replicate the recipes at home as Chris provided ones that were so flavorful, healthy and yet practical for our sons and extended family members who are all busy young professionals! We'd highly recommend if you are traveling to Taos and love food and new experiences! read more

Why bother? No prices are listed. No one returns emails. One must be a patient sleuth to get information from these people. Find something in Santa Fe. Nowhere could I find this dude's name in the James Beard files. read more

SO. MUCH. FUN. Don't leave the knives in the sink and don't lift the lid on the rice while it's cooking! Not joking but it was fun laughing about it. :) Raise your voice a little and enunciate - Chris is part deaf, he won't remind more than 6 times! ;) these comments are all in fun. DO drink the wine, DO eat the amazing food and DO laugh a ton! We had a large group and my 11 & 13 year old joined who enjoyed it tremendously! Valerie is a doll and on her toes with all the needs and questions as we start chopping, peeling, learning, listening and laughing. Chris is all in when it comes to seriously teaching technique and some unbeknownst rules that will be forever helpful. He's a ton of fun, too! We'll be back! Thank you SO much for an incredible experience! read more

Imagine being a guest of a chef and his family in their mountain top home that invite you in to prepare French cuisine in a personal intimate setting with French singer Madeleine Perioux as background music. You just can't duplicate this setting anywhere else. From the initial moment you inquire about the different cooking experiences they offer to the time you settle in to enjoy your masterpieces, Chris and Valerie put every effort into details, preparation, uniqueness, input, preferences, and education. I learned technique, patience, skills, ingredient prep, ingredient substitutes, the differences in cooking utensils and best of all to trust the process and trust myself. We enjoy visiting Taos once a year for skiing but now we have a better reason to visit more often. If you're staying in Taos, contact Chris and Valerie to see what events they have planned or just sign up for the Cooking Studio. If French food isn't your cup of tea, no worries. They offer many many culinary options for anyone's taste. We had a tough time deciding. This is definitely an experience for your bucket list. Merci mes amies Chris and Valerie for an experience my family and I will never forget. The food, the wine, the music and the delightful company were perfect and we look forward to seeing you both again. read more

Where to begin...took soups and comfort food class at Cooking School of Taos. In a few words...it was a blast! We cook in the home kitchen of Christopher and Valerie. Very relaxed atmosphere...we sat down with recipes, reviewed, asked questions...then chose one to be the lead on. As a group, all recipes are prepared. Then the organized bedlam ensues...chopping, questions, directions, instructions, more questions, wine, cooking. When things wind down, you sit together and enjoy the fruits of your labor. Tonite we had asparagus soup, curried squash soup, shepherds pie, chicken pot pie and apple streudel. Flavors...oh my! Met lovely people, learned a lot! Ate marvelous food... Each class taught by Christopher (James Beard recognized chef) is different...new menus from a variety of regions. Such a treat...and yes, I will be back! Would recommend it to everyone who enjoys food and can have fun in the kitchen. You won't be sorry. Class was scheduled to be over at 5:30...left 2 hours later...so add extra time in case you need it! read more

Had the most wonderful afternoon cooking an Italian feast w Chris and Valerie and 5 new friends! This experience should not be missed - welcoming and very accommodating hosts, fun environment, spectacular views - oh, and amazing food! My daughter and I were joined by 5 others who shared in the preparations - with Chris leading the charge! I would recommend this to anyone, and look forward to attending again! read more

Cooking Studio Taos - Cooking Classes Near Me

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What a wonderful experience! If you are in Taos, this should definitely be on your list of experiences. The class, set in an intimate and warm environment, is an informative, hands-on cooking experience coupled with storytelling and cultural teachings. read more

We ate a lot of good food in Taos, but the best meal we had was the one we made ourselves! We attended the Cuban Cooking class at the Cooking Studio Taos on a warm Saturday afternoon. As students arrived to the home of Chris and Valerie, we were greeted with refreshing iced tea and a recipe book. On the back patio, under the shade of a Willow tree, we reviewed our Cuban recipes and chatted about our experiences and backgrounds, as well as the importance of Organic and local foods. Next, we headed inside to the kitchen, eager to start cooking! Chris showed us how to hold a chef's knife and the chopping began. Chris' confidence rubbed off on us, and although there were some mistakes, we handled them in stride. After all, "cooking is an art." ....The confidence could have also been from the fresh-squeezed lime and mint Mojitos, hard to say! Our group of 6 laughed a lot and enjoyed each other's company and cooperation as we divided the work and navigated through our recipes. Finally, we finished preparing our Cuban meal. I wish I had taken pictures of the plated dishes, but I would have had to be VERY FAST. The food smelled so good, no one could wait. We loaded our plates up and headed to the backyard to enjoy the delicious meal we had prepared. Overall, the experience was one we wont forget! This was definitely the best part of our trip to Taos. I loved the opportunity to put an apron on and make some memories. read more

THIS WAS THE HIGHLIGHT OF OUR TAOS TRIP!!!!! I do not consider myself a good or knowledgable cook, but I do like to eat good cooking! We thought it might be fun to take a group class scheduled through our B+B, and when that chef was called away unexpectedly the class was redirected to Cooking Studio Taos. Am I glad we went!!!! It was one of the most delightful and unusual evenings I have ever spent on a vacation, cooking in a wonderful, homey kitchen with wonderful company, and enjoying the vast New Mexico vistas, sunset, food, wine, and stars outside. Just be sure to get good directions and arrive before dark. What a lovely family, light-hearted fun evening, and unique cooking studio! Chris and Valerie made everyone feel warmly welcome, and previous skill was not the object... enjoying yourself and the food was! If you are in the Taos vicinity, you MUST make time to join a class! You won't be sorry you did!!! read more

Cooking Studio Taos was referred to me for a luncheon I wanted to host for my daughter in Rinconada, NM. I live in the Bay Area so most of my communication was either on the phone or via email. The moment I connected with Valerie and Chris I knew I was making the right choice. They crafted a menu specifically suited to my vision of my lunch and continued to perfect it and tweak it right up to the the day of the event. It was so incredibly beautiful and delicious with each course better than the one previously served. And the previous one had me convinced that nothing could taste better. They are creative, attentive to what is fresh and available at market and the meal crafted from such expertise is not to be missed. They made our gathering so special with wonderful food and the enjoyment of them creating right in our kitchen. Thank you Chris and Valerie. read more