This was a great experience. Brought my gf and parents and we all had a wonderful time! Chef Sandy is very accommodating and everyone is responsive for planning. The show is still in development, it may not be Broadway quality atm but it is very entertaining and I imagine if you can enjoy yourself with family and friends there is no excuse to say anyone had a "bad time" at this event. I am a fine dining server of 15 years, I have worked under Michelin Star earning chefs and was a food writer in New Haven for a number of years. The quality of the food is very good. My whole party left very satiated and full. Everything was delicious. It is sad to see there is such vitriol in these reviews, TBH when reading some of them I was getting nervous that my parents might be let down. But, when we were there, I began feeling sorry for the people who left such negative reviews, as they seemed to not be able to enjoy themselves in such an easily enjoyable atmosphere. I began imagining their holiday gatherings as quite glum boring experiences themselves, these poor unfortunate souls probably got coal for Xmas every year of their youth!!! I mourned for their lack of childhood happiness.‍ This was a very fun experience for our whole family. My parents are already planning on returning and we can't wait to see Chef Sandy on A&E this fall!!! read more

Romancing the Pan - Just stealing the show‍ no autographs, sorry! - Personal Chefs Near Me - Middletown, Connecticut

My boyfriend and I got these tickets as a Christmas present for a double date with his parents, and we were all so impressed with Chef Sandy and the entire show! Everybody was so welcoming and attentive, the food was delicious, and it was just a great time overall. We actually got 4 courses, and Chef Sandy walked around in between to make sure everybody was enjoying, and if we wanted seconds (which we did...it was so good!) Starting out, a fresh green salad with strawberries, walnuts, and raspberry vinaigrette. They were also very accommodating to anybody who may have had allergies to nuts, gluten, etc. Next she showed us how to prepare and make spring rolls from scratch! Followed by delicious salmon bruschetta. The main entree was pasta primavera with chicken francaise which she actually asked for a few volunteers to demonstrate the process, showing it was easy enough for anybody to make. A bonus for the evening, we also got blueberry cake! Just when we thought we were too full...it tasted so good we made room in our bellies! Cannot say enough nice things about Chef Sandy and the staff. We had such a great experience and for the value we will definitely be recommending to friends and family! read more

See all

Definitely a unique experience. Walking into the Galleria Design Center showroom, we followed our noses into a house that was setup with a fully functionimg kitchen and a bunch of tables. If you enjoy cooking shows, eating good food, and BYOB, this is a great way to spend a Friday evening! Chef Sandy and host Jeff keep things entertaining as you learn how to cook the gourmet meal you're about to consume. The majority of the tables seat 8 so great event for couples or larger groups. If you have an opportunity to sit closer to the counter Sandy is prepping the food on I would recommend taking it; the only downside to the show was that sometimes voices didn't come clear over the speaker. Our close seats allowed us to hear all of Sandy' s commentary as well as her audience member participants (one if which was called up from our table!). I definitely plan on doing this again sometime! read more

See all

Attended the show earlier this year, but today i purchased tickets again on groupon and why not tell you all about it right? Chef Sandy is amazing, she is funny, gives attention to everyone and lets not forget how good her food is. my favorite part is that it is BYOB so two bottles of wine wont break the bank as you bring your own (if you drink two bottles of wine please take an uber home). was excited to see the tickets back on groupon as this is one of our date night spots. highly recommend the show to anyone. read more

Went to this show on a Friday night off a Groupon a friend and I purchased. We went for tailgating night. The show itself is a lot of fun and Chef Sandy is really funny and slightly crazy, but in a good way. Food was really good and the people at our table were friendly and fun to talk with. Down side is location, it's in the most random spot, inside a home store. Other than that had a fun time and would recommend checking it out if you have a chance. read more

We had a fun time on a Friday night with our daughter and her boyfriend. This was a totally different experience, definitely a notch up from just going out for dinner on a weekend night. We had fun! All of the positives mentioned in the other reviews hold true: Chef Sandy was entertaining, the environment was fun and different, the servers were terrific, we had fun with the other guests, the live music was a nice touch, and I have to say, Darlene's quick response to my questions beforehand was so appreciated. A few other observations: while the food was served varied a bit from what was advertised, that didn't bother us. When served, the main course wasn't as hot as we would have liked, and truth be told, we were a little disappointed in the dessert. All in all, though, we had a good, fun time and would consider attending again. read more

We had been given tickets as a gift. The dinner show was supposed to begin at 7pm. The show didn't start until 7:30. By then we had nearly finished our wine, but no food. The sound system was horrible, you couldn't hear a thing. The salad was drowning in dressing, the kabobs were over cooked and cold. Server complained that she was too old to be doing this and was glad it was over for the summer. I'm giving it 2 stars only because the Chef and sidekick were very friendly. read more

What a strange experience this was. The venue is in a design center. So make your way past the floor tile and kitchen sinks until you find the "set". The show/dinner room is packed. They probably sell tickets to about 15 more people then they should. Get there early or you won't get a good view of the show and be forced to crane your neck to watch it on a tv. I was disappointed in the lack of cooking tips. Maybe someone who has never stepped foot in a kitchen would benefit but there really wasn't much to learn. The food was just ok. The DJ, yes there's a DJ, plays music you might hear at a wedding during the show and dinner. So weird. I would definitely not pay full price for this event for what you get. Find a groupon or don't go. read more

She has her own show..so if your even on time you end up watching it on there closed set tv..if you go and your in the back you pay .wait for tv its free..assuming its true..the food is good..its announced as a dinner theater bit its not interactive read more

I gave a gift certificate to my sister for her birthday... Worst experience she has ever had. Over sold, small portions and an annoying commentator who would shut up. read more

Was so terribly disappointed. Food was mediocre, we were given NO instructions on food prep as promised. They ran out of the first course (fondue) before we even got to the buffet table. Total letdown. Was disappointed that this was affiliated with Foxwoods and Groupon. Plan on letting them know too. read more

We had an awesome time! The food was incredible, the service was great and best of all was the experience. Definitely will be back!

Terrible don't waste your time or money plywood on top of the tables covered up with a tablecloth folding chairs for seats way over cooked meat she should be ashamed to serve that cold crepes awful and unprofessional wait staff shame on them i would never go again!!! read more

For the price I paid for two sets of tickets from Groupon it was a good experience, but if I paid full price or even more than what I paid through Groupon I would have been really disappointed. Sandy barely cooked during the time we were there, most of the time was spent telling family stories, making jokes with the DJ, talking to her co-hosts and employees and roaming around the room touching and hugging guests...a little too much in my opinion. The food was so so. It was a lobster and clam - mussels bake. She started with coleslaw and passed a little bowl around that only one table got. Then they put out buffet style salad and there was not enough for all guests to have some. Then they put out some coleslaw to satisfy the guests who missed out on the salad. Clearly they didn't have enough of the food that was part of the show. She did give a good tip about using an egg to determine when the lobster bake was done, which was cool . We each got a half of a tail and one clam (big chewy sea clams not cherry stones as advertised), and plenty of mussels (in fact there were enough for many people to get 2nds and some 3rds!). The shrimp was good but really tasted like chorizo, which was not as good thing especially for those who aren't into chorizo. We were given one napkin each. Allowed one bottle of water per table! If they wanted people to bring their own water they should've told us that ahead of time. We expected desert and it seemed they weren't going to put any out but after most people left (clearly on purpose due to them not having enough) they put out a tray of obviously store bought coffee cake! Then we saw chef Sandy getting ready to go outside with a butt (unlit) in her mouth! We actually had a lot of fun mainly due to the lively environment, music, and the group we sat with who were fun and chatty. The byob wine helped too of course! It was a cool new experience and different from the same old, so I'd say do it if get a deal on tickets. Just don't have super high expectations on quality. read more

This was an absolutely terrible experience. What was listed on the menu was not what we received. For a $95 groupon we were given 1 lettuce wrap per person, a couple of fried wonton chips, and a scoop of "fried" rice which was reminiscent of the microwave bags you could get in the grocery store. The meal was served family style and at one point we were offered leftovers from another table. In an attempt to make us feel "at home" the host roamed the audience often touching and even kissing the male guests. There were no instructions as promised and it was impossible to see what she was cooking due to the set up of the room. This was hardly a $95 dollar meal, she isn't even a trained chef, and groupon and foxwoods are peddling a hack job who has no business instructing the public. read more

Exceptionally disappointing. First of all - the food was terrible. It was very low quality, mostly bread and not well prepared, and completely cold! For a cooking show to put out food like that is shocking. Secondly, the show itself was amateurish. Too basic in terms of culinary. Too disorganized. The sound system was not good. We couldn't see the chef doing things because sets of knives were blocking the view. She also did a lot of complaining (lack of counter space, camera work, no rolls for her pork sliders) and went on and on about it. She may have been trying to be funny but it didn't come off that way. The best part of the evening is that we really enjoyed the people sitting at our table. I was really looking forward to this and am disappointed that it ended up this way. If there is a positive, it's that these are all correctible issues. read more

The show itself was very disorganized. It started late, we had a fire alarm go off and had to evacuate the building til the fire dept cleared the place. Then when it came to the food, the portions were awful, lobster tail you couldn't find the meat. Stuffed clams without any clam. Mussels that were shells only and no mussels. The only good thing was the beer battered shrimp which we each got one, with the exception of the drunken ladies next to us who got extra of everythng and served by Chef Sandy instead of waiting in line like the rest of us. Definitely a waste of our time and driving an hour to get there. read more

A wonderful experience. Sandy is charming, intelligent, warm witty and a very talented chef. An evening of good food and new friends. Sandy has a wonderful way to make everyone feel like family. read more

Wife and I ordered tix on the recommendation of a friend but I wasnt really looking forward to this as it isnt my normal type of night out. WOW was I wrong. We had a blast ( maybe the wine helped a little) Seriously though the food was awesome, they had live music and the Chef Sandy was a really funny, energetic engaging host. We are definitely going back and this time we will be bringing friends. Glad we found this gem. read more

This was absolutely abysmal from the beginning (7 pm) until we finally walked out around 8:40. Lets start with Sandy and her demo's. She began by showing everyone how to make a chopped salad as if that were a big mystery to folks. She literally took some chopped lettuce and then showed us how to chop up a tomato and cucumber and then add some oil and vinegar. I couldn't believe my eyes. A 4 year old could have made the same presentation. She then showed us how to make pork sliders while constantly complaining about the lack of counter space (as if this was a new revelation) and poor camera placements. The level of disorganization was incredible! They didn't have necessary ingredients, were taking the wrong dishes out of the oven and then believe it or not, didn't even have a roll to place the pork sliders on. It was absolutely mind-boggling. They then brought out a loaf of French bread from the kitchen and gave her that. The entire presentation was given over the worst audio system I have ever had the displeasure of listening to. We then got a salad that was more yellow than green followed by our so-called dinner about 45 minutes later which consisted on this Friday evening of lent of a hot dog wrapped in dough, one pork slider with almost no pork, two potato wedges, and what was said to be a grilled cheese sandwich which was cheese that looked liked it came from a spray can on two pieces of white French bread. The entire plate was ice cold. It seemed as though not a single piece of food had seen the inside of an oven, or not at least in the hour preceding it being served. People were complaining all over the place. The food was of the lowest quality I have ever had in a restaurant setting. It's pretty obvious that this whole thing is on a shoe-string budget. And to think that this was a food show. If there is one thing you're going to get right, it should be the food. Absolutely awful, to say nothing of it's unhealthiness. If you were a vegetarian as my wife is then you were completely out of luck. Also, during our meal a toddler (2 or 3 years old) fell from her chair and suffered a bleeding wound to her mouth. Now if you're going to allow children at this event then you should have proper and safe seating available. There obviously wasn't any. Speaking of children, the host probably shouldn't be dropping a MF bomb while making her presentation either. Absolutely awful! There was no redeeming quality to this event whatsoever. Reading other honest reviews I should have gotten the idea. If you read any review from this night (March 9, 2018) that is higher than a two then you know they are completely bogus. I have a very hard time believing some of the glowing reviews and I'll just leave it at that. I have left hundreds of reviews over the years and have never left one anywhere close to this negative. I would avoid this event at all costs. read more

Can't agree with Lorie D more.The show was a complete let down.The only fun thing about the evening was the intoxicated young lady in the front.Portions were small and cold.Dessert consistited of a cut up piece of Danish.I have never had such a small piece of dessert at a dinner meal ever.Will not attend another show. read more

Friends and I went Friday night using a living social deal. We all had a great time and agree it was a fun way to spend a Friday night after a long week. Arrive early for best seating and enjoy a glass of wine (byo) and great conversation with friends while waiting for the show to begin. The set is a beautiful kitchen at the Galleria in Middletown so we got there early to browse kitchen flooring etc. since my friend is renovating her kitchen. It was a full house and we shared a table with some nice people. There are smaller tables as well where we saw some couples sitting alone and I think they were regulars. Good energy in the crowd though it was sometimes be hard to hear Sandy. Don't worry, she'll repeat it! The theme of the night was Mediterranean. The first course was a one of the best salads I've had, a Greek salad with thinly sliced potatoes, perfectly dressed. We learned about preparing lamb so it wasn't gamey served with basmati rice with parsley, lemon juice/zest and other spices. Greek olives complemented the dish. Desert was a puff pastry lined and rolled with brown sugar, nuts, etc and served like a large but delicate rugalach; delicious. Saving the best for last, chef Sandy IS the show and a delightful host. She is entertaining; both funny and witty, beautiful and humble. You eat and drink while Sandy prepares and educates on the 'how to'. She engaged the crowd, allowing someone to help prepare dessert, spoke of her love of family which clearly includes the many supporting members of her team. Sandy shared her love and support of Native Americans and the Pequot tribe fighting for recognition as well as protectors of animals. Rescue please or support however you can. She is also a talented pianist graduating from the Berkeley College of music. Music, food, people; it's all art, right? There's a lot packed into this 5.3 or so Italian frame and she'll completely win you over. This is her home, her sweet spot and we are all invited. Will definitely do it again. I found out her cooking show, Romancing the Pan is Saturday mornings at 9:30 on FYI channel. I googled the show and you can find recipes and view demonstrations online. read more