What an amazing experience team building with a cooking class Emily is such a good teacher she is…read morepatient and kind taught us the science the aromas and the art of cooking thank you so much for this amazing class and the food was delicious a chefs kiss!

I can't say enough great things about Emily and the class she hosts. I had a tough time finding the…read moreright cooking class in San Francisco that balanced quality and budget for my team--and Emily's class exceeded all expectations. She was incredibly accommodating and went above and beyond to ensure my team had the best experience possible. One of my team members is pescatarian and needed dietary accommodations, and Emily handled it seamlessly. That was a huge win! The feedback from my team was overwhelmingly positive: - The food was delicious - They picked up new cooking tips - The vibe of the space and Emily's hosting were top-notch If you're an admin like me or just someone looking for a fun, engaging team activity, I highly recommend booking a class with Emily. You won't be disappointed!

This is a gem of a find. Immaculately clean, each participatory class is lead by a gifted chef…read more I've been to several, the most recent centered on pomegranates. We made several recipes, were given copies to take home along with some pomegranate molasses. Our meal together was splendid.

I first took a knife skills class here and loved it. The space is absolutely beautiful. When you…read morearrive, they provide you with an apron and a name tag. And there are snacks and water for you to enjoy. The class size is small so there's enough individual attention. And at the end, you all sit down together to enjoy the your meal. It was so fun that I signed up for a Malaysian class, which was also great. I definitely will be taking more classes here.

I found this Pop-up event & thought its a nice idea. I t was a delightful evening, hands-on class &…read morethen we had dinner. The event held in the Chef's beautiful house & everything was well organized, well prepared & extremely flavorful! People at the group were very sweet & enjoyable to cook with. I highly recommend any event with Chef Mashav. She is really professional & knowledgeable!

What a fantastic tour by Mashav (the owner and the chef of Le Couloir)! Richmond neighborhood in SF…read moreis known for its mix of cultures, but Mashav masterfully uncovers all the hidden secrets and gems - Secrets only someone who lives in this community is familiar with. And she does that through food and hand-picked dishes that you will never uncover without a guide. Even though locations may change per tour, our group tasted a mix of cultures and got some stories behind the dishes, the restaurants, and their owners. Few examples - * Russian cuisine - Herring with a pickled onion on fresh bread * Indian street food - I was surprised how much I enjoyed this vegan street snack - I would have never ordered anything without meat, and I dislike spinach, but the fried spinach snack was mind-blowingly good. * Mexican - Quesadilla with plantain. Again, no meat but it was soooooo good. * Chinese - Glazed Pork and pork-filled bun I won't spoil the surprise for some of the other locations. And more, and more - Total of about 7-8 places. You won't stay hungry, guaranteed. The walk itself is not challenging; there are no hills to overcome, even though it's San Francisco. Don't wait - Just go!

Ayako was wonderful. She is very nice and answered all our questions. I went to the Japanese lunch…read moreclass, there were 3 of us in the class. The food was very homey, and I mean it in a good way. Prepping/cooking runs for ~2 hours and we ate for the 3rd hour. Food was delicious and healthy. Also prices are half what Le Cordon Bleu charges and she graduated from there. So it's like taking a Le Cordon Bleu, but paying half the amount. When it comes to food, I've been told that I have high standards and I say it's good. I'm going to see if I can attend her Brazilian and French classes. Highly recommend!

I recently had the pleasure of attending Ayako's Brazilian cooking class while I was visiting San…read moreFransisco with my husband during a work conference. I wanted to fill my days with some fun activities during the days my husband was away at the conference. I found Ayako's cooking class and knew it would be something fun and different from anything I have back home. Ayako was incredibly nice and inviting! She offered me slippers, an apron, and printed copies of the recipes we prepared. We cooked together and chatted along the way about different things to do in the city and food, of course. I learned some simple techniques for cutting vegetables I hadn't known before and I cook quite frequently at home. The food, conversation, and atmosphere could be beat! I would love to attend another one of Ayako's classes when I return to the city.

Came here for a team offsite for 20+ people. It was great to prep a multi course meal. Similar…read morefeedback to previous reviewers, the chefs didn't seem super friendly and happy to host us. With all the food cooking, the kitchen area got a bit smokey. I wish there was better ventilation. Overall solid 4 stars. We had crispy rice patties, veggie risotto, steak, and mini cupcakes. I would recommend for a team event. This was much better than the ramen making event with a different vendor we did as a team event last time.

To be honest, I expected a little better out of the full event…read more The Good: The recipes were easy and the food was good. There was enough space to go around and not be cramped (16 people on our team). They allow us to bring our own wine bottles. The Bad: The main chef was not very friendly. She was snappy, and sometimes upset when you ask her questions. She almost seemed like she did not want to talk to people or almost talking down to them. The other staff members were really nice. Out of 6+ ovens they had. Only 2 were working and NOT working properly. This is a cooking event space, and if there are no functional ovens, I think it defeats the purpose. In addition, most the knives were dull and barely cut well. You get to cook one of the 4 or 5 dishes. I would highly recommend you rotate the stations, and everyone learns a little more hands on. Way too much teaching compared to doing. Some might enjoy the simplicity, but for a high ticket price, I would expect more. I would say if they fixed the oven problem, and became a little more hospitable, then it would be an easy 5 star place.

This was my first experience using a private chef and I am so glad I chose Melissa. She was…read moreextremely responsive via email, but also willing to have a phone call when desired to help talk through planning. It was clear from early on she was knowledgeable in her trade and had great questions and tools to help guide us along. We wanted to do an Italian dinner for my dad's 70th birthday, and Italian showed up as one of Sweet Melissa's specialities when searching on Yelp-score! She provided me a sample menu with many delicious sounding options, but also was willing to customize to my dad's favorites. I host parties a lot and you sometimes don't really get to enjoy the event as you are working to get everything ready for your guests. Hiring Melissa allowed us to just enjoy the celebration. All we had to do was clear some space for her to work and she did the rest. She arrived about an hour and a half before the event to do her prep. She was as lovely as could be as was her assistant. The food courses were nicely timed with our three appetizers of brie and pear crostini, shrimp scampi bites, and caprese skewers ready as guests arrived and socialized. All three were delicious, but glad I listened to her recommendation on the crostini as it was so good. Everyone commented on how amazing the house smelled as they arrived. It was also fun watching her work in your house and getting freshly made food! Next was the big buffet of Caesar salad, pesto and tomato basil sauces pastas, roasted brussel sprouts with pancetta, chicken parmigiana, and Italian sausages in a balsamic reduction. The spread was beautifully presented and tasted amazing. There was plenty of food for all and I got such amazing feedback from our guests on how everything tasted. I would normally not of picked the Italian sausage in onions, roasted grapes, and balsamic wine reduction but Melissa told me it was one of her favorites dishes, and I think it turned out to be mine! So unique, so tasty and well executed. I had never had Italian sausages like that before, but hope to again. I honestly could say amazing things about everything we had. Melissa did not misrepresent herself in saying Italian is her specialty. My dad was SO happy and felt this evening was so special. Goal achieved! After the meal, she cleaned up so well you honestly would of never known she was there. This also included her boxing up any leftovers for us, which was a nice touch. Not having a big clean up to do after hosting the event was also amazing. I wish I could have a private chef everyday! But I highly suggest doing this at least for a special occasion and recommend doing it with Melissa. From looking at her website, she does all kinds of other cuisines that also sound delicious. She helped create the special, personalized, and delicious evening we were looking for!

I can't speak highly enough about Melissa and her personal chef service, but I'm going to give it a…read morego! We wanted to do something special for a milestone birthday party for our dad, and he just absolutely loves Italian food, particularly chicken parmigiana. We shopped around for anything from catering to personal chefs specializing in Italian food, and decided a private dinner made fresh in house was just the ticket. Melissa was very responsive via email, and indicated that Italian is one of her specialties. She worked with us to create a menu Dad would love, blending her own suggestions with a couple of special requests from us. On the day, Melissa and her staff arrived on time and got right to work preparing everything in our kitchen with a little help from her own tools. Throughout the event, she kept the space clean, the food line filled, and even did some bussing at the dinner table. She was exceptionally personable with us and the guests, and when she left, there was absolutely zero work for us to do. She cleaned everything, packed up all leftovers and stocked our fridge, and took out all trash. As far as the taste of the food, absolutely no complaints on this end! We had appetizers of shrimp scampi and caprese skewers while everyone arrived, and then flowed into a buffet style dinner. We opted for a ready-dressed Caesar salad, and her homemade dressing was spot on. For dinner, the highlight for dad was the chicken parm. Everyone had a wonderfully breaded chicken cutlet, adorned with fresh mozzarella and topped with a very tasty marinara. This along with her delicious take on Italian sausage in a reduced wine, grape, and balsamic sauce were amazing proteins. Pasta was plentiful as an accompaniment, both a fusilli pesto and papardelle noodles in marinara. For some veggies, she did a wonderful roast brussel sprouts with pancetta and balsamic. We had cake and ice cream for dessert, but I have no doubt if we'd asked her to do that, it would have been amazing too. All in all, I absolutely recommend using Sweet Melissa's for your personal chef and catering needs, you can rest assured you're making the right decision!

Highly recommend the pasta making class! Our group of 9 had so much fun for my husband's birthday…read more The host does a great job at explaining how to do everything. You make everything yourself from start to finish. At the end you sit down with the entire class and eat family style. We had a great time!

Took my first pasta making class yesterday!…read more It costs around $250 for 2 people. We made Tagliatelle al Ragu Bolognese and Bruschetta which took around 2 hours to make. Then we got to enjoy the fruits of our labor after. The instructors were super warm and knowledgeable. The food was absolutely phenomenal. Would definitely love to come back to try their Thai food class!

My wife and I took a cooking class with Douglas last night to celebrate our anniversary. We…read moreattended a class that had 6 people; all good friends of ours. Everyone attending had different levels of cooking skills, and all of us walked away with insightful learnings! Douglas taught us everything from essential kitchen tools to own; the importance and techniques of toasting spices; how to stage and time the preparation of an incredible dinner menu; how to prepare and cook restaurant worthy meats, and more! As a group, we were involved in all stages of cooking an incredible meal: pork tenderloin with peppered apples, creamy mashed potatoes, brocolini, green salad, and ginger cake with caramel sauce. With the wine that we all brought, this was an amazing feast! If you are looking to improve your cooking and entertaining skills, one of Douglas's cooking classes is a must attend! In less than 24 hours, I have spoken to numerous friends about this, and everyone wants to check out his classes now. This is a win-win for everyone; the idea of hosting an incredible dinner party is no longer an intimidating thought -- Douglas, you will be seeing us again! Thanks for a great class.

We just enjoyed a wonderful evening with Douglas at his home, learning to cook some delicious food!…read more I was given this cooking class as a birthday gift and really wasn't sure what to expect (I tend to see cooking as a bit of a chore) but the evening was just so easy and fun that we had a great time in this beautiful space! Douglas is a very knowledgeable and laid-back chef who can easily move between instruction, casual conversation, and describing the intricacies of why it's always best to do this or that in the kitchen. Plus the others who cooked/dined with us were a lively bunch we're glad to have met! I would highly recommend working with Douglas in any capacity, maybe even as a birthday gift as was my experience ;-)