Wow. 100% recommend this. We immediately booked again while we were there. Such a fun experience and it's nice that your group is by itself (others may be sitting next to you when you eat but often they were cooking while we were eating or vice versa). The class itself was just us. We were able to ask questions and felt like we gained knowledge without being overwhelmed. Everything was very smooth. It was nice because we made the first dish (and prepped for the second), then ate, then went back to cook the next and ate, and the third dish (dessert) was brought to us. I feel like this helped enjoy each aspect and not over eat. We were able to take home the food we didn't eat too. They also gave a little brochure of what we made so we could make again. Could not recommend more! Such a fun date/group outing. read more

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It was a fun experience and great food! Our chef, Mary, was fun and gave great instructions. We learned things we can easily use at home. And the portions were amazing! read more

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Took a cooking class here and it went fantastic. Easy instructions, friendly instructor, and delicious food!! read more

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Chef Fumi was amazing! Wow! Working in a restaurant is challenging and making it the best experience while ALSO serving excellent food can be missed too often in higher end restaurants in my opinion. Not here. Our Chef's passion for excellent food preparation was truly wonderful. She made our first experience in learning how to be better cooks simply a first class memory! The patience...the explanations...the reasons...the willingness to be humble while teaching, made us feel so good. The food was so tasty. All of it. The first salad course shown -- was simple to make -- and our favorite. We'll be back down from Ludington and I'll bring my office team too! Enjoy! read more

The Local Epicurian - Specialty Food Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

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Such a fun experience. The staff are all lovely and the food was delicious. You can select from different experiences and dishes to make. Prices start at a $90 simple pasta meal and go up from there. I think this is the perfect date night or family event for special occasions. I can't wait to go again! read more

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Found the cooking class from a local magazine suggestion. Went online to the website and reviewed all the classes we chose pasta 101 . Called, paid up front and classes were booked out 3 weeks. We chose a Sunday afternoon. The town is very eclectic where this restaurant storefront is located at. Parking is available but it's very compact. We had a large truck so finding parking was a bit challenging. This is a store location but also a cooking location. So when you walk in, you are able to purchase pastas, cheeses, wines, olive oil, many options are available if you did not book a class. Hopefully we did. When we were greeted we were provided with a wine liquor menu to start. This is also an option even if you are just shopping. The location is clean, well decorated, bright, smelled wonderful and overall very aesthetically pleasing to the eye. WOW! What a great interactive experience. We bought the class for two and when we arrived we had the class and the instructor all to ourselves. So it definitely made for a personal experience. Extremely pleased with the environment, all the attention to detail and friendly personalities. Bianca was knowledgeable, fun to learn from, helpful, and thorough on how to make the most out of pasta. Everything we made we were able eat or take it home if we couldn't finish. We were taught how to make a caprese salad. Then we were given space and time to eat. Then we were brought back and taught how to make ravioli stuff with cheese. Then we're giving the time and space to eat it. It was an overall wonderful dining experience. Great for many varieties of date night ideas, anniversary, bachelorette parties or even team building experience. The cost might seem expensive but for The quality of care, ingredients and time I highly recommend. read more

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I have been wanting to try this place for YEARS and am so excited that I finally got a chance to do this! It is $99/person and you have to reserve in advanced (and paid upfront) to select your menu and date! There are many stations for cooking and I think there was 2 other classes happening at the same time as ours. We chose the steak option, got to make our own pasta and enjoy dessert. I loved that they had a full market that you could buy your own wine (with a $10 corking fee) and enjoy those if you weren't interested in their bar or cocktail menu! Mitch was our instructor and was so fun! He was helpful but entertaining and we enjoyed the banter while learning how to make our delicious meal. I think the best part was that I got to learn new skills that I'm going to take back with me and try again! I would definitely say that this is more of a special occasion type of activity given it is a bit pricey for the experience, but still worth every part of it! I do want to try to make something else now that I know what the experience is like. read more

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We have taken at least six cooking classes and always request the fabulous Chef Fumi. She is knowledgeable, explains ingredients and techniques and we always have great food and fun. We enjoy a seasonal cocktail while we learn and eat. We have taken pasta classes, learned to cook duck, steak, shrimp and they have all been great. Each one I finish I say is my favorite. This is our favorite "night out" and have shared the experience with family members too. We find new ingredients, recipes and techniques we can try at home. Highly recommended! read more

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Absolutely obsessed with our trip the The Local Epicurean! I've wanted to go for a while, but I didn't really know what all the place entails! They have a full market of pastas, sauces, cheeses, spreads, and everything else you need to make your food-loving dreams come true, as well as an extensive bar and cocktail menu! We chose the Sicilian Scampi menu for our cooking course! This included making a burrata caprese salad, making the Sicilian scampi carbonara, and lemon basil gelato that was made in house! They even sent us home with the recipes so we can recreate it at home! (Unfortunately our personal chef Mitch could not come home with us to help us out next time ) I was a little nervous cooking in front of someone who makes food for a living, but Mitch made the whole experience very laid back and easy to follow! I will say our chef was the perfect pairing for us! Derek and I don't take ourselves too seriously, so we need someone who can go head to head with us in the joke making field (and I dare say, Mitch might have out done us???) We were also the last course of the night, so we were the only customers and it was very laid back! It was definitely a great time for us to go. We each enjoyed a couple cocktails throughout the process, including a peach bellini, a honeydew vodka something (sorry, I forgot the name!), a cucumber martini, and a basil lemonade. The cocktails were perfect! Delicious, fairly strong, and perfect for sipping on while cooking up some fresh pasta! Our menu also had cocktail pairing suggestions to compliment our menu, which I thought was a fun touch! The market is full of SO many goodies! Even if you're not taking a course, you need to check out the market! I was keeping ideas of gifts to give people the whole time, as well as making up a shopping list for myself! read more

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Watch out for gift card issues. We purchased a gift card, but was not given a proper gift card as the person said it no big deal we have you in the book for when you book a class. When we called to use the gift card the Owner said I was a liar even though I showed him the transaction on my credit card statement. Funny business practice because he could have honored the gift card and had a repeat customer or lost one. read more

Love this place so much we bought gift cards for the next private class when we we finished our first one. This is great for anyone who loves to cook, needs a date night out, or a family/friend outing. I was gifted a gift certificate here for my birthday and I chose the calabria lamb. To our pleasant surprise it is a private class (which still would have been fun with others but was nice to have the one on one attention). We had Sophia who was amazing! She did a great job teaching my fiancé and I on how to cook the lamb and make the gelato. Was one of the best meals we've ever had! Lastly, they make craft cocktails for you to enjoy while you cook your food. It did make it a little difficult when your food is sticking to your fingers, but it's all part of the experience! read more

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We received gift certificates here as a Christmas gift and used it to celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary. We felt right at home as Mitchell helped us get settled in with drinks. We then met Bianca as our instructor and she was a ton of fun and very knowledgeable. We then proceeded with our Umbrian steak dinner, making a Caprese salad, the pasta, pesto, and the steak. The food was outstanding to have fresh pasta and have the time to be creative with the food presentation was so nice. Prices were reasonable especially for the quality and quantity of food. We had such a great time I bought gift certificates to go back and do another meal! read more

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This was a WONDERFUL group outing. Mitch was a terrific instructor, and Zoe was a patient bartender. We were a group of 8 and had a perfect evening. The "Night in Naples" was delicious and so fun to make! read more

The Local Epicurian - Hold up that pasta! - Specialty Food Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

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this cooking class was so ridiculously fun! we did the three course umbrian steak class. everything tasted fresh and homemade. we loved our instructor, Bianca, who was super sweet and patient with us. all of the staff working that night of July 29, 2022 deserves a big applause for making us feel well taken care of!! amazing work :) on another note, i usually love getting their basil pesto. nice that i can freeze it since i don't usually use it all quickly enough. read more

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My husband and I just came here for the first time and now I can't wait to go back! We had so much fun! Our chef guide Mitch was funny and informative with everything we prepared! Not only was preparing all the courses a blast but the actual food itself was out of this world delicious! I'm still dreaming of the sun-dried tomato pesto sauce we made! If you are looking for a fun date or a large group setting def check them out! You will not regret it! read more

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Just took a cooking class with Fumi and 4 friends. The food was fresh and incredible. What a wonderful way to spend time with friends. Thank you Fumi for making our time so special. You were engaging, kind and a perfect host. We'll be returning soon! read more

I could not recommend a cooking class here more! This was my first time taking a class and Mitch was our instructor. He was very personable, friendly, and welcoming (as were the rest of the staff that interacted with us during our visit!) The layout of the class was very beginner friendly and Mitch made sure to check in and offer accommodations based on dietary restrictions, skill and comfort level, etc. He was also very informative on tips, tricks and techniques for recreating the dish at home, as well as just for cooking in general! The portion sizes were very generous and the ingredients were incredibly fresh. Our lesson was the 3 course meal of Panzanella Sala, Fog Smoked Risotto and Apricot Sorbet - all of which were equally delicious, perfectly balanced and filling! The Italian market they feature with fresh pasta, bread, cheese, to-go meals, spices, sauces and ingredients was also amazing and well worth the stop alone! All-in-all: great service, amazing food and thorough lessons all for a very reasonable prices. Thank you again, Mitch and team! Can't wait to book another class already. read more

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Management chose this location for our annual Holiday Party, and I could not be MORE THRILLED with the results! The positive environment, engaging & friendly staff, fine ingredients and thoughtful instruction made this year's event one to remember forever. Even the reluctant joined in cooking, and were entertained by watching. Our hosts had a sense of humor, were patient, and encouraging. The signature cocktails were amazing; and, the local to-go meals looked very affordable and delicious. The stylish environment around the dining area showed exquisite taste in art, glassware and vino bottles, accented by a cute bespoke ingredient-pasta shoppe. Upscale with a homemade twist, just brilliant. I was pleased they offered a vegetarian option, since one work mate and my wife may need this. We even made and judged dessert as a team! Suffice to say the best chicken parmesan I've had - better than even Kirby's in Grand Haven and rivalling Noto's at the Bil-Mar - was mine. KUDOS and WELL MET! We will be back. read more

We just came from our 2-hour class. Our instructor Zoe was fabulous! We participated in making pasta & steak! We had such a great time and we definitely will return sometime for another class! read more

AH-MAY-ZING!!!! This place is the so great! I'm so upset we had not done this sooner!! Great food. Great instructor (shoutout to Cam!)! Everyone was on task. Everyone was so fun, informative and friendly! If I could give 10 stars, I would! If you want something different to do, try this out. So enjoyed it! I can't wait to go back. read more

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Today while at the farmers market I stumbled upon a wondrous booth that had pasta and pesto. I tried some pesto and oh my goodness I had to have it. My mom was generous to buy me some. The man running the show was informative and kind. I am so glad this business was able to venture down to my neck of the woods and my mom is happy it's closer to hers. She can easily go the actual store and I can always come to the farmers market. My aunt also was excited to visit the store and took a picture of their sign to help her remember the name and where they are located. So now that I have my pesto I need to buy noodles from here. They all looked delicious and I have no idea how I'll decide which to purchase. read more

The Local Epicurian - Sign - Specialty Food Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

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I scheduled a team bonding activity here for my coworkers and myself. The staff were incredibly helpful and accommodating, and very responsive. Once the day arrived, they had us set up perfectly in the shop and they were incredibly hospitable. The place is clean and inviting, the cocktails are very creative and delicious, and we all had an excellent afternoon making our tiramisu! We will definitely be back! read more

My husband took a class here and after he was FaceTiming me to see if I wanted to buy anything. The man who owns it/works there came over and yelled at my husband that he could not take pictures?! Ok.... My husband said he's not filming he's just FaceTiming to see what to buy. The guy said "let me know if you have questions because that's not allowed". So of course, I was soured on the fun of spending a bunch of money on non-necessities in this economic climate. Told my husband to just put it all back cause I felt scolded for being interested in the products. In contrast, he went to Stoffer Home after and FaceTimed me back home in Chicago and the staff told him what a great husband he was and helped him get everything I wanted. I just don't know why you would be against someone even taking a picture of your food.... It's literally pasta and cheese... I mean, no big secret there. Because I'm petty, attaching photos he took of the super top secret selections. read more

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My husband and I did the Lobster Pasta Class for dinner that I had gotten on Groupon. We started making Shrimp Scampi Salad, and it was pretty good. Then we made the main dish - I find it really hard to call this a Lobster Dish because there was barely any Lobster in it. The one used was the smallest in the world (real fact), and we still had to break it apart a few times to put it over the cheese, so when it was time to eat I even forgot there was Lobster in it... I just tasted the cheese and the tomato sauce. It was fun to make the pasta, but we only used a small portion and the rest "usually gets thrown away" - most of us got out leftover uncooked pasta and brought it home. Since according to them hey usually throw the rest away, I'd think they could purposely add a little more pasta so everyone can take it home, just to make the experience a little nicer. They serve the main dish with a side of garlic bread. While the main dish was cooking, we made the Strawberry Tiramisu. It was pretty good. Overall it was an interesting experience, but I don't think $35 a person is worth the dinner/class. Maybe $20-25 tops. read more

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We held a team event here and it was INCREDIBLE! We had a ton of fun making tiramisu, cutting pasta, and cooking steaks. The energy and humor from our chefs was awesome. Everyone had a great time working together to cook a delicious meal. 10/10 recommend for a team building event, or just a fun activity with friends and family! read more

Attended the Asian Cooking Class with my family and it was a fun and upbeat class. The dish is customized at the end with the additions of custom veggies, flavors and meat. The meal was very tasty! It was fun stretching the noodles and feeling the texture it was suppose to be. Only downfall was how fast or chef was talking. I felt behind some of the time, but I can see why as we had a lot to get through! read more

The Local Epicurian - Specialty Food Near Me - Grand Rapids, Michigan

I and my daughters did a class recently to celebrate birthdays. Our instructor, Bianca, was great. She was knowledgeable, helpful, and engaging. The quality of the food was very good. The bartender was also engaging and had excellent input on drinks. The only reason I'm not giving 5 stars is that the online description seems misleading in that it appeared to our group that wine would be included with our meal. When we arrived and asked, we were told it was against MI law to include drinks for free. We paid for the class so how is that free? Other classes we've done have included drinks so perhaps it's interpretation of the law. Either way, I believe the drink situation needs to be clearly stated in your online descriptions. Overall, a fun and entertaining evening. read more

Great time!! Fumi was so much fun and we had a blast. We did this as a team event and would recommend.

Had a fantastic time at a cooking class here a couple weeks ago - highly suggest it!!!! It was very relaxed in that we got a lot accomplished but there wasn't any Top Chef pressure that we be perfect or anything. And the ability to order drinks to the cook tables was a sweet touch!!!!!! read more

My partner and I enjoyed a pasta making class here a week or so ago for my birthday. The person that taught us was very friendly and funny and we had a lot of fun. Following the class we were able to eat a three course meal and the pasta that we made ourselves. It started with a delicious caprese salad that was super fresh with their housemaid balsamic vinegar. Then they brought us out our pasta and we finished it off with some of their own homemade chocolates. They had a very delicious wine section and some really tasty looking cocktails. The store itself was really cool as well with lots of things you could purchase. We will definitely be going back. I highly recommend for anyone looking for a fun date night. read more

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This place smells divine, the minute you walk in. Super kind and helpful staff. Great cocktails and good wine selection. Wish we lived down the street so we could pop in and grab a meal to go or take a class. Hidden gem. read more

Visited their new location today for the first time and wasn't that impressed. I definitely liked their last location downtown much better. This east town location is much more cramped and crowded with product. I'm not a fan that everything isn't priced. You have to look around the crowded shelves for a little sign that said what all the pastas cost. We still couldn't find the soup prices and had to ask. Those small complains aside, we really enjoy the unique selection of pasta and soup as well as taking some group classes with family. Today, we tried some of the chocolates for the first time and enjoyed them as well. I'm not a huge dark chocolate fan, so I opted for the white chocolate coconut option and loved it. My family tried the salted caramel and pecan options and they enjoyed them. Overall, we will continue to shop here for pasta/soup as well as quick sweet tooth cravings. read more

Great store with hard to find items. Excellent fresh pasta. Very informative and accommodating. Amazing selections of dried and fresh pastas which I will be trying! read more

Pretty cool place and great drinks but the only thing is the extremely rude bartender, you know the one that wears pajama pants to work. He was extremely hostile- ignored my mom 3 times when she tried talking to him, scolded her when she said $5 martini instead of $5 Bellini (he must've been really offended by the miswording), and then ignored us as he cleaned up the bar and when he was finished he said "okay let's try this again" in a very hostile and contradictive tone- when we asked what he meant by that he said he had tried to talk to us before and we were busy. Then come to find out he got us mixed up with some other customers that had ignored him and so he was bitter and hostile about it and treated us poorly. After he realized he mixed us up with the other customers that peed him off, he tried to turn it around. The fact that he talks that way to any customer who isn't even being rude to him is DISGUSTING! I planned to get a couple rounds but I got my one drink and quickly left due to the horrible service and hostility. You can have amazing drinks, cheeses, and pasta making classes but if you have arrogant workers, that can really ruin the experience of the entire business and make it bitter. He's not helping the business. Will not be going back until he's not there. Lastly, for such a fancy and high priced place, you'd think the bartender would be wearing something better than pajama pants. I've been a server before and would never talk to a customer like that, especially if the customer was being kind. **update: After reading many other reviews about the rude owner, I'm really starting to wonder if the pajama wearing, arrogant bartender is actually the owner of the place. If so, WOW, that makes it even worse! I love supporting small businesses but not when they treat you like you're the scum of the earth that they don't want to deal with today. read more

Bought a bag of semolina flour to make pasta. Got home and found bugs inside of the bag. Found a tiny hole after inspecting the bag, and then a bug even crawled out of it. Went back and the worked seemed less than apologetic. I had to drive back to the store because the flour they sold me had bugs in it. read more

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I did a risotto cooking class Sunday 11/15 at 5pm and had the best experience. Unfortunately I forgot the girl who taught's name. But she made the class that much better. She was the sweetest, funniest, most personable teacher. I plan to get her name and book another class with her! read more

Just completed a ravioli class with Ryan. What a fantastic and engaging teacher! The food was delicious, the instruction was extremely enlightening, and the entire experience was so wonderful. I feel very confident to make pasta (both noodles and ravioli) on my own now! As a side note, my friend brought her disabled son to the class (last minute caregiver cancellation) and the entire staff was SO welcoming, hospitable and accommodating. They even set up a little pasta roller attached to a KitchenAid so that Adam could make some spaghetti noodles--that kid was beyond thrilled! And so was his mother that Adam was so kindly included. Great food, great class, great fun, and truly great people! read more

We worked with Local Epicurian to create a team building exercise for our Work from Home team. They were super easy to work with and the Tiramisu Challenge was a fun and delicious way for us to reconnect. Thank you LE!!! read more

Had a Groupon for the chocolate lunch. I called to ask a few questions about the chocolate lunch. The first woman I talked with, Hope, was short and rude. When I called the next day to make the reservation, the woman was helpful and friendly. The parking for a handicap mini van was challenging as there was ice and snow blocking sidewalks and parallel parking was impossible as there was a lot of snow build up on the street next to the sidewalk. When leaving we had to spend time in figuring out how to get the ramp out of the van again so the wheelchair could get back in. The parking issue was a downside to the visit. The chocolate lunch was delicious! The coffee with cinnamon and chocolate was great. The waffles, truffles, ricotta and chocolate dip was light and refreshing. My mom and I have a sweet tooth, and towards the end we had enough sweet! According to their website, there was also a deli. Apparently this is no longer true. Too bad- otherwise we would have had at least one more person come along. read more

I received a gift certificate last Christmas for a cooking class for 2. My wife and I scheduled for June15th. This was one of the worst experiences we have ever had. The instructor constantly corrected us like we were first graders. He was extremely rude and condescending. When you pay $200 for a cooking class you would expect it to be friendly yet professional. And it should be FUN. After 45 minutes we had had enough and confronted him on how he was treating us. We demanded a refund, and were provided one. I do not recommend this establishment at all. read more