I first met Mayumi (pronounced My-you-me) at a cooking class I took through Learning Exchange. In…read morecase you haven't heard of it, there are classes you can take in a variety of subjects for your own or your child's personal enrichment. I had long given up on ever learning to cook. I assure you I can follow the directions on a Mac and Cheese box, a package of Top Ramen, or cake mix recipe. But besides that, I was pretty lost in the kitchen. I know it sounds pretty pathetic to some, but in this fast paced world we live in, I just never got those lessons from my parents before I left home. Eating out all the time can be pretty fun, but after awhile you crave a good home cooked meal. I've been fortunate enough to have people in my life that always knew how to cook. But it never felt right to put that kind of burden on the other person to always be the one to cook all the time. So I decided to it was time to reverse the course of my life and start taking cooking classes. After meeting Mayumi though Learning Exchange, I was intrigued to find out she also offered personal cooking lessons. So, I signed me and my eldest son up (whose 13 years old). Mayumi will come to your house (pretty much anywhere in the greater Sacramento area-including El Dorado hills and Roseville). And she will teach you (and up to a party of 6) how to prepare and cook four recipes. She also covers what's good to keep in the pantry, how to save money on groceries, and what are the best cooking items to make sure to have on hand. I was thoroughly impressed. I love her style of teaching lessons. She keeps things as simple as possible so that even beginners like me feel like it's something not impossible to learn. I can now stir fry meat, cook pasta with shrimp and veggies in it, the best mashed potatoes you've ever had, and make a delicious Greek salad to go with it. My son did an awesome job. We will be making these recipes again soon so that he'll really be able to do these on his own as well. I suddenly feel a new inspiration in me to try new recipes that I never had before. I feel more confident that the kitchen is not a place to fear but a place to bring people together and make happy memories. If you haven't heard of Fork & Knife Creations I highly recommend checking out the website and reading up on all the wonderful things Mayumi has to offer. It's definitely worth the investment of time and money!

Mayumi is a wonderful chef and you will love her classes and fabulous food. I have taken most of…read moreher classes through the LEx and Whole Foods and hope to organize a group for private lessons someday. She is knowledgeable and expert at her craft and always organized and well-prepared. She has a pleasantly engaging manner of delivery. Out of her classes, I have collected some of my favorite recipes such as mac and cheese, heirloom tomato soup, Asian ribs, strawberry shortcake, casseroles and tarts and way too many more recipes to list here. She is really so versatile, you will be hard pressed to choose. You absolutely have to sign up for classes with her! The quality of your cooking will improve exponentially. Sharon C.

Great time, and we got to try a lot of different food together. Everything was really good, and we…read moreenjoyed every single thing we ordered!

Came here for the black food and wine event and it is a very nice venue!! It's very modern and…read moreupscale! A very large spacious venue that has a nice outside lawn to dance and have vendors. It's two stories with an outside patio. It has a lot of space inside to even dance inside. I will come back here if they have more events out here in Napa. Very nice beautiful venue! The parking can be bad but it's alot of street parking and valet. -Marshay D.

So sometimes they have meetings at this branch of the Yolo County Library in Davis. They have…read morecooking workshops, as well as some lectures (which are usually accompanied by a bite to eat) and field trips to a local Asian market- 99 Ranch in South Sac. Also available are lectures on tea and last night I sat through a presentation titled "Chinese Flavors--Dining in China: Etiquette and Beyond." Having grown up one half Chinese, some of the teachings of stereotypes of the Chinese were confirmations of what actually happens. For instance, the part of dining out when the bill comes was almost verbatim what comes out of the mouths where I've eaten. The lectures are informative enough that I'm going to continue to attend them. At one workshop I was taught about steamed bao, including the tasty parts where I assembled and ate them. I look forward to sitting in on a tea lecture, as that's been (and still is) a huge part of dining out. My grandparents have been desensitized to my American methods of eating Chinese food, but I learned that even though quite effective, one should not stab his/her food with chopsticks in order to obtain it. And resting your chopsticks on the plate is a no-no as well. They go where a fork would go, on a rest if available. Overall, I find these lectures to be more interesting than anything else because I learn a fair amount about why I've done what I've done for the last 36 years as well as some of the reasons behind those actions. Next up: tea.

My daughter attended one of the Chef Garrison camps with the city of Vacaville and had a great…read moretime. She's already asking to go back

I have NEVER had such a terrible experience with a business before. Absolute garbage program. This…read moreclass cost $177 a month (for 3 classes) and my kid has learned diddly squat and the portions of food he makes and comes home with is laughable. My kid has made pancakes (didn't pour them or cook them), no-bake cookie bites and "moose crunch". The pancakes he came back with were two cookie cutter size pancakes. There was 4 small No-Bake cookie bites. The moose crunch was literally Cheerios and a little bit of marshmallows and m&m candies in a snack size bag. There was no cooking whatsoever, he's done nothing but assemble ingredients and wash dishes. So he's come back home with $0.60 worth of ingredients. A $177 class! There is ZERO communication from this person. I got ONE email from her the entire time we were registered and it states they're going to charge parents for being late and will charge parents for takeaway boxes. This lady is LATE EVERY CLASS and she always ends the class early! Today was the ONE class my kids were to attend because SHE cancelled 2 of the 3 classes for the month so we got there at 10:00, as it says in the ONE email I got, and the lady at reception told me the class was moved to 9:30! This lady didn't bother emailing or calling or texting that there was a time change! I paid $352 for my two kids to NOT ATTEND EVEN ONE CLASS, and you better believe she doesn't bother reimbursing! I really wanted to love this program, my son absolutely loves cooking but WOW, I have never encountered such an unprofessional business ever. Don't waste your money, don't waste your time, you will be disappointed and what's worse, your kids will be disappointed.

What a fabulous experience. I would definitely recommend making a reservation here for a special…read moreoccasion. The price is so fair and the students were so professional and friendly. Their courses were booming with flavor and so balanced too. Their was clear intention with their combination of flavors. I hope to be back here soon!

The Culinary Institute is awesome. The main building where the classes take place is beautiful,…read moreinside and out. There is an adjacent, smaller building where you can go for dinner. The ambiance is fairly nice. The current culinary students are both the chefs and the servers. The food is very good, with recipes that change from time to time. It's a choice of a three-course or a four-course meal, with an optional wine pairing. You will have multiple choices for each course. Everyone in our party said that their food was very good. If you do want to have dinner at the CIA, be sure to make your reservations asap. They are usually booked up solid, pretty far in advance.

Adorable little student restaurant right in the middle of the campus. It's a bit hidden, but well…read moreworth searching for! I took my son who is a student here so we could spend a little time together one day between his classes and I was absolutely amazed. The service was so friendly! The decor is nice with linen table cloths and napkins; you feel like you've been whisked away to a little 5 star restaurant. The prices are more than reasonable and everything we ordered was delicious! Many looked like little works of art. There were a few issues with organization, time management, etc of course but that is to be expected in a learning environment. I am so glad we found this little gem and I can't believe it wasn't packed full of people. I guess the secret's not out yet. I will be back the next chance I get!

This is the unsung jewel of Stockton! (My little private oasis)…read more These students cook their hearts out. There's white linen tablecloths. There's light music. There's even a few outdoor tables complete with a sun-umbrella. Sometimes you get a novice server but they're never rude. The food is a leap of faith: sometimes they knock it out of the park and on a few occasions it was average. But I've always LOVED something (or more than a few) things on my plate. They are much more accomodating regarding dietary restrictions, the veggies are fresh and so are the desserts! The desserts are to die for...you MUST leave space for dessert or else you'll hate yourself as you drool over something about to be devoured at another table. Last week I had a great chicken tagine and for the sweet stuff - chocolate lava cake with raspberry drizzle...OMG it was LUSCIOUS! Also, I took a friend to lunch here and as it was her birthday I asked the servers to sing "Happy Birthday" when they brought her dessert out. They did one better, they sang and wrote "Happy Birthday" on her plate in chocolate! You are NOT going to get this kind of food value in Stockton, I guarantee you. Hey - tip well, these students pool their tip $$$ for an end-of-the-school-year trip to the Bay for a culinary tour. INSIDERS TIP: They have a Student Chef Hot Plate Express inside the cafeteria. For $5.50, you get a hot entree with a carb and veggie - the most bang for your buck! Again, I've never been disappointed. They also have a cold counter where they have sandwiches and salads. No - they haven't paid me off. They deserve all the accolades and then some! Here's a link to the menu, but if you take my corner table by the window I'll have to kill you. Slowly. I'm just kidding. Well, not really. :) http://www.deltacollege.edu/dept/foodservice/student_chef/menu.html

Wow Brian was amazing and the store may seem small but it literally has everything for all your…read morecake and baking needs! Highly recommend and the prices seem unbeatable! Absolutely will be returning thank you Brian!

Cake Castle did an amazing job with the desserts for our wedding! We decided to have cupcakes and…read morehave a personal cake. We purchased the cake stands, toppers, and decorations. Then, Cake Castle delivered and set-up everything for us. The cake was moist and delicious. We received so many compliments at our wedding. We enjoyed working with Julie at Cake Castle because she was very helpful and responsive. We highly recommend Cake Castle!

Just took my second cooking class at Whole Foods' Salud! cooking school, and it was awesome. They…read morewere both really great, and a fun way to spend a weekday evening. Classes are $40-70 typically, and last almost 3 hours. Seems kind of pricey at first glance, but you actually end up eating a full gourmet dinner there, and drinking as much wine or beer (depending on the class) as you want. As far as good deals go - you might spend $50ish going to a nice restaurant and ordering a couple of glasses of wine anyway - making this a good value, because it's entertainment, and you end up with all the recipes. The first class i took was Beer & Bratwurst, and last night was a Filipino foos cooking class taught by a few different people, including Tina Macuha from Good Day Sacramento. And last night, Honig winery in Napa sent wine, and their rep talked briefly (and not annoyingly) abotu ti and then just poured it all night for us! These classes happen in a demo kitchen inside a separate room in the store - it's a state of the art facility, the classes are laid back and fun, and especially fun for a group of friends. Most classes are demonstration with certain parts being hands on. You'll leave full and happy, too!