4Cats is an art studio which has a number of different workshops! We came here for their pottery…read moreclay workshop where we made a love snack plate. It was just a 1hr workshop which included instructions as well. It was $35 per person which I thought was very standard considering this was not a pottery wheel class but a clay pottery class. Our instructor was super nice and took her time to go over everything. She was around in case we had any questions. The class was pretty full considering it was a Saturday afternoon so I would recommend booking them in advance. They always have fun classes depending on the months/season. This was a special one they had for valentine's day. Their space is pretty big and has two floors with multiple classes happening at the same time. They also have special classes for kids and also host kids birthday parties! I would definitely come back to try some of their other workshops.

A friend of mine tried to register her daughter for a kids painting class and was denied access due…read moreto her daughter having a disability and needing the support of an aide (who she was happy to coordinate herself); another mom of a kiddo with a disability also had her child denied for the same reason. Your rationale was that it's a "kids only" space, so the fact that they needed the support of a human aide (adult) means they aren't welcome in your kids class. There are all different kinds of aids/aides that people with varying abilities and needs use for support - some are human aides and some are physical aids (like a wheelchair or glasses). When you start to think of a human aide as no different than a physical aid (both support an individual with a specific need to navigate the world) it makes denying someone access to a space or program much harder to justify. Would you deny a kid who requires a wheelchair a spot in your class because it might mean having to move a table or two? Your decision to deny these two access to your kids classes not only violate their human rights (which are protected by BC, Canadian, and International Law) but violate their humanity. It tells them that because they move through the world differently than some of their peers that they aren't as worthy, that they don't deserve to have the same opportunities as their peers or BE with their peers. It also denies their peers (and your staff) the opportunity to share space and an activity with THEM. I only know one of these kiddos personally but when I say this is your (and your other participants) loss please know how very sincerely I mean it. This kid brings a level of joy that I haven't seen matched by anyone else. She's funny, and she's creative, and she's smart, and she's kind, and she's talented, and she's joy-full, and she deserves to spend a few hours doing the thing she loves the very most (painting) with her peers. And the other kids in your class deserve for her to be part of their peer group. Inclusion isn't a favour that "typical" people do for "atypical" people. Inclusion is a right and it benefits all of us. As those of us in Canada sit here and watch in horror as the US government degrades diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) to push the narrative that white, able bodied, neurotypical, heterosexual, cisgendered men are the "norm" and the only demographic that doesn't have to prove their worth I can't tell you how unbelievably disappointed and heartsick I was to learn that an art studio in my hometown has opted not to include a nine-year-old girl because she has a disability. Do better.

My spouse and I wanted to join an art and craft workshop together and came across Soigne. There are…read more30+ workshops available on their website and we decided to join the coin ring workshop. It's $80 plus tax for two. Reasonably priced for a two-hour workshop with a legit product to bring home. We booked the class two days ahead and the original 4pm time slot was full already. Our instructor, Kacy, opened a new slot at 1:30pm as many people wanted to sign up. We were able to join the 1:30pm class but it filled up quickly. The class was full (12 people I think). So, remember to reserve your spot earlier if you want to join the workshop on a very specific day. Kacy is responsive and helpful when we booked the class. The studio located at the sketchier side of town. Inside the studio, it is safe, clean and artsy. The workshop was fun. It involves some "hot work". I like that Kacy put a lot of emphasis on safety. She taught us each step very clearly and made sure we knew what we were doing. Each work station was set up neatly without any unnecessary items. I am very happy with the learning process and our end products. I would love to join more workshops by Soigne!

This was of one of kind experience. We went there to make a ring from a coin…read more Just beware to bring a variety of coins, because not all coins are made equally and the owner has an app to know what's it is made out of it. I meant to put in a review, but I forgot. So first off, the area can seem little sketchy, I parked my car there, it was fine. It was a little hard to find, but I called the owner and she met me outside the gates. The owner was very helpful with the entire process and provided instructions all the way through. You start from beginning, where you heat, shape, clean and polish. I got a Thai coin with my birth year for my wife to make, because I am Thai. Then I got a Filipino coin with my wife's birth year for me to make. As a backup I got some US quarters with our birth years just in case. Which came out handy because during the ring making process the wife messed up. Communication was great, she answered all of my questions and payment was done over PayPal. Overall, I would come here again, well worth price for the experience!

Poorly run, mistakes when getting your completed items. Young staff who don't know what they are…read moredoing.

Walked in randomly and was able to sit and paint, and make something for my adult kids. The lady…read more(assuming the owner) was friendly and helpful. She even shipped my pieces to me as I'm not from the area. They arrived sooner than expected. She estimated a few weeks. I had them within a week. The items arrived damaged-free and more pretty than I expected (I'm far from an artist), so I am very happy with the outcome and afternoon spent at Bella Ceramica.

My friends and I came here spontaneously. It was super packed, but John managed to squeeze us in at…read morethe back table. He is super friendly and clearly passionate about art. There were many beautiful pieces to choose from! Overall, it was such a fun and reasonably priced experience. I highly recommend coming here!

The best afternoon!!! I always pass this place on my way to…read morethe grocery store, and today I decided to pop in and see what it was all about. It was such a pleasant experience, and the owner John is so so sweet and helpful - just overall a wonderful day! Definitely will be going back :)

Pastry Training is located on Renfrew St near Adanac St…read more Chef Marco Röpke has over 30 years pastry experience and he worked at different world class hotel as head pastry chef. I love bread and want to make my own bread. That's why I would like to take his class and learn his secret of making bread. He's great and his class is well-organized. The class was pretty intensive and we had to make 7 different breads in 2 classes. Further, I never bake so..... It's challenge to me! I had learnt the below Asian breads in his class. Purple yam and tofu bread - the color so beautiful and sounds so healthy Japanese green tea and red bean paste bun - it's so delicious Panda bear bread - So much work but it's so soft and cute Japanese shiso and seaweed baguette - I like baguette and taste good Hokkadio milk toast bread - it similar to brioche, it so soft and pretty bland Black sesame buns - it's absolutely my favourite, the bun pretty soft and black sesame paste pretty strong favourite. Chinese coconut buns - My hubby gave me 2 thumbs up and probably good tho... Just be expected - Knead is the major process of making bread. NO stand mixer or bread maker in the class. Highly recommend his class to any bread lover.

I have been on the lookout for a good chocolate making class for a couple years now. As luck would…read morehave it, I was going to be in Vancouver the same time Marco Ropke was offering his chocolate training course so I jumped at the chance. For a good measure, I signed up for the cake decorating class 1 as well. What the heck right? Let's broaden my pastry horizon all in one go. Now these classes aren't cheap. You pay between $195 and $215 per two-day class, and a full course can run 8-9 classes and a deep hole in your pocket. You do get a discount if you buy the whole series, but not if you mix and match 8-9 different classes (e.g. mixing pastry training with chocolate and bread.) Doh. :p Was it worth it? The real proof will be when I buy all the necessary equipment and try it out at home, but so far I feel like it was time and money well spent. Before class, I'd tried making truffles and pâte de fruits and they didn't turn out well -- I mean they didn't turn out at all. My pâte de fruits was a soupy mess and my truffles were, uhm, let's just say I served them frozen. Sometimes, there's more to making something than the recipe says. And these little tips you learn in Chef Marco's classes. The classes are fully hands on. Class size caps out around 12 people. For each technique and recipe, you first watch Chef Marco do a demonstration up front, and then it's your turn working in teams of two. What I like really like about these classes is that there is plenty of opportunity to practice. Don't feel confident about tempering your chocolate? Well do it again. And again. Now have to temper your chocolate at least 4-5 times in a two day class. Now practice hand dipping 60 chocolates. The opportunity to do this with the guidance of an experienced instructor is why taking an in-person class still trumps watching a YouTube video 100000x over. I still feel like I have a lot to learn, but at least I got a head-start honing the techniques. :) Let's talk about Chef Marco's pedigree. How does a background as an Executive Pastry Chef at the Ritz Carlton & JW Marriott Hotels in Beijing during Beijing Olympics sound? Or the fact he's a 4th generation baker having started back when he was 6? Sometimes experience and talent doesn't translate to instruction, but here you definitely get the benefits of someone who's, as Chef Marco says himself "done this a few thousand times." It sure says something when you find among your classmates pastry instructors from other local schools! Classes fill up fast -- some of them book up months in advance, so if you're interested, don't wait! The course availability on the web site is a bit slow to update, so it's best to call in about signing up. For now, I'm content to get home and start practicing, but I look forward to a future trip to Vancouver for future technique classes!

I took a one-night cooking (Oshi Sushi) class here for a team building event. We were quickly…read morechecked-in, grabbed our aprons, and walked into the classroom/kitchen area. It's much bigger than it looks from the outside. The classroom/kitchen area was well laid-out, and each area could probably accommodate around 24 attendees at a time. We had a 2 hour class, and the first hour was dedicated to learning understanding what was being made, learning techniques, and a live demonstration on how to make it. The last hour was reserved for attendees to prepare their dishes and eat it. The instructor and helpers were all very friendly. I found some of the pre-made ingredients not optimal - the rice seemed overcooked and a bit mushy, and questioned the use sweet potato for the maki rolls, and use of okonomiyaki to drizzle on sushi. But some ingredients were perfectly good - specifically the fish. This meal included a plum wine/sake cocktail. Overall, I quite enjoyed the class. The 2 hours goes by really quick, but it was informative and fun. At $89, it was very affordable. I'd definitely consider taking another class.

What a fun date night. Went with hubby and made Pad Thai with green papaya salad. It also came with…read morea glass of wine. Will definitely come back again to try the other cooking menus.

This was so fun with friends ! Cant wait to pick up the finished product. Learned a lot about…read morepottery and would love to come back again !

A fun activity to do with your partner or friends! Hide provided us with aprons and crocs to…read moreprevent our clothes from getting dirty... appreciated that You get a 20min lesson on techniques and the instructors did a very good job with this! You are then left by yourself to create your own masterpiece. The instructors are always there to guide you and they never leave you hanging. They allow you to make two piece so that even if you mess up the first one you have the chance to redeem yourself with the second piece! All in all a lovely experience!!

'Posh Pantry' was a interesting first-time, drop in & browse stop, while in the 'Burnaby Heights'…read morearea doing a walkabout before lunch yesterday. The find: a small and very colourful shop, offering a lovely setup / selection of well-arranged, neat, tidy, and easily-accessible, shelf and table layouts of a wide range of various kitchen / pantry wares and accessories -- from major brands, like 'Scanpan' and 'Le Creuset' -- to many others, and so much more. Wow, I was impressed! I saw just little of the area at back where cooking classes are held, and it looked 'cool'. Service while there was very friendly and cordial. I am glad to have found 'Posh Pantry', and much-enjoyed the look-around.

Finally got to try their cooking class. The theme today was Flavours of Fall. Chef Glenys prepared…read morea 4 course meal. This class includes: Smoked Ham and Pea Soup, Salad with greens, endive, and roasted squash, Individual turkey pot pie with root veggies and Spiced cranberry upside down cake. The class size is small, 10 people. This is a demo only class so we could take notes, enjoy some drinks with friends and ask about cooking tips, and eating. Chef Glenys shared a lot of useful tips, also all the right tools to use for different cooking methods, ie the pressure cooker and different types of whisks. I really enjoyed how the chef shares where she gets her local meat and produce so if we liked how it tastes, we can have more options to shop locally. She was very approachable and encourages questions. The food was tasty and I had to pack my leftovers home. I would come back for another class. Free street parking everywhere! #lovecookingclasses