I took my first ever Classpop recently and it was so much fun! I took the Craft Japanese Gyoza with…read moreChef Darren at Absolution Brewing Company. The class was for two hours and one ticket via Eventbrite was $65.86. All ingredients and cooking tools are provided. From the start to the end, I loved the whole experience. We made our own gyoza wrapper from scratch, chopped all the vegetables and made our own pork gyoza dumpling. Chef Darren was very helpful and patient. He gave us great tips throughout the class. The step by step guidance was awesome. At the end, we were all laughing and having the times of our lives. Best of all, we got to enjoy the delicious freshly made gyoza! I will definitely be taking the tips I learned from this class to my own kitchen! I definitely would want to do another class with Classpop! This an experience that I would highly recommend to anyone. It's a fun activity and you learn a lot.

I went a couple weeks ago with my sister's and we had a great time. The recipes weren't…read moreovercomplicated and can definitely beef replicated at home. Marc was a great instructor and did an amazing job at teaching techniques in addition toto the recipe and pivoted smoothly if things weren't exactly on track. I really enjoyed that you make a meal with other people then get the opportunity to sit down and eat the meal you prepared with them. It was a great bonding experience for me and my sister's who all have busy schedules. Although it was almost 2 hours from my home we will defintely be going back

Such an amazing experience from start to finish! The chef was not only incredibly talented but also…read morea fantastic instructor -- patient, engaging, and made everything easy to follow. The whole atmosphere had such a fun, welcoming vibe that made the night feel special. The food we made was absolutely delicious, and the drinks were just as good -- and yes, they're all-you-can-drink, which was a huge bonus! This is perfect for a date night, girls' night, or honestly anyone looking to level up their cooking skills while having a great time. I would 100% do this again. Highly recommend!

We had such an amazing time taking a cooking class here this past weekend with another couple! Yes…read moreit costs $125 dollars per person but you are getting an experience, lots of yummy food and wine! There were only eight people total, which made it feel really intimate and hands-on. We learned how to make pasta from scratch and enjoyed unlimited wine, honestly, what's not to love? The instructor Chief Marita, was incredibly friendly, down-to-earth, and shared some great techniques we'll actually use at home. Highly recommend!

Chef Gil is one of a kind. From his ingredients down to his plating he is very meticulous, and you…read morecan taste it in the food. He loves what he does and it shows in the way everything tastes. One of the best things about Gil is knowing that he only uses ingredients he trusts as healthy (or the better option). He does his research and you can expect nothing less than top quality when it comes to his cooking! His dishes are one of a kind, and he can make dessert taste better than its' sweet and sugar counterpart. Diet restrictions are no challenge for him either, and you won't find any other meals like his! Get your tummy ready cause you'll be in for a treat!

we had a birthday celebration and wanted to do something special without being in a loud…read morerestaurant. Gil and his team prepared an incredible night for us at our home. the food was delicious and it was 100% stress free! HIGHLY recommend! Look forward to using him again in the future. Thank you!

I just completed a 20-week cooking class at LA Cooking School and it was such a wonderful…read moreexperience. Our teacher was fantastic -- informative, patient, encouraging, and always so helpful. We learned essential cooking techniques, kitchen basics, and so many delicious recipes that I'll continue making at home. The class itself was equally special because we had such a great group of students and truly enjoyed learning and cooking together each week. I will genuinely miss this class and look forward to taking more classes at LA Cooking School in the future. I highly recommend it to anyone wanting to improve their cooking skills in a fun and welcoming environment!

Before writing this review I reached out to the instructor with some of my issues. She apologized…read moreand said she'd escalated my concerns to Pam, an admin who'd reach out to me. Five days later and no contact from Pam. I was so excited to take my mister to their Father's Day class. We're empty nesters and this was meant to be a special treat for both of us. He's not big on cooking classes but the posted menu was appealing and I promised to do all the heavy lifting. Ribeye Steak -- thought we'd learn some new techniques to elevate our steak prep game. Mexican Street Corn Dip and Homemade Tater Tots -- summer corn is a family favorite and the thought of making homemade tater tots was intriguing. Smash Burger Sliders -- wanted to learn to consistently nail that crispy exterior. Inexplicably, we were paired with another pair -- a single dad with an 8 yo kid. Neither the mister nor I wanted this but we didn't want to make a scene or hurt anyone's feelings. We didn't even realize we were paired with them until the chef pointed out that our mise en place tray was setup for four. Why?? 1. The Mexican Street Corn Dip which I think was supposed to be an appetizer, was completely omitted. However, we did make a grilled corn salad as part of the meal. There was no appetizer served when we arrived. 2. Instead of homemade tater tots we made potato wedges. 3. The team we were paired with was lovely. However the class was well beyond their skill level. So instead of taking on the bulk of the work for 2 people, I did the bulk of the prep for 4 people. The course description says there may be seasonal substitutions but these substitutions utilized the same core ingredients. This was more work than I anticipated and left me feeling a bit overwhelmed and behind schedule. This threw the timing off and my mister enjoyed his steak alone while I was still standing at a hot stove prepping food for 4 people. Not the fun afternoon of "us" time I'd envisioned. Overall this was a subpar experience in so many areas that mattered to us. Left me personally disappointed and apologizing to my mister for the poor planning and execution. Could have spent the same amount of money without the hour+ drive and had a better experience.

Chef Cregg made my first cooking class so enjoyable! He was super engaging and knows how to create…read morea space for collaboration and fun. We did his fresh pasta making class and learned how to make pappardelle topped with vodka sauce. The class was 3 hours long but time flew by because of how interactive he made each step. Would definetely recommend him and his classes. He was very knowledgeable and shared neat cooking hacks/tips for that could be applied to every level of cooking. You can tell he really enjoys what he does and that's always a bonus. He creates a very inviting space and in return it allows you to interact with your neighbors and share a meal at the end.

Chef Gregg was a wonderful professor and gave us lots of pro tips and engaged the class very well…read more The ravioli he taught us to make was delicious. Our only feedback is to give a better heads up about the length of the class, it was advertised at 2 hrs, but ended up being over 4. Would have been nice to know we should snack beforehand.

ILE, "home" in Igbo, is a Nigerian dinner theatre and tasting menu in someone's apartment…read more Nigerian and West African food is not new to me, so my review is based on my familiarity with various regional and tribal dishes that I love - my experience is beyond simply the recent popular fufu and egusi. There are two menus and service times: 1. A four (4) course dinner theatre experience for $120 per person that starts at 5 p.m. and 2. A seven (7) course for $220 that's at 8 p.m. I made my reservation for 2 via Resy for the 8; they ask you to arrive and wait in the lobby, but you aren't greeted and seated in the apartment till 8:30, and don't start eating till 9 - rather annoying of a wait time. My original reservation was for December, however, I didn't get to go until January due to a COVID-19 outbreak amongst the team. I did get an e-mail with a 15% discount for the delay, however, I wish I had remembered to bring that up to the team at ILE when I paid because they didn't take it into account with my final bill. Also, note to everyone, there is a 25% service fee - they do clearly advertise this when you make the reservation. Ultimately, this experience is for extroverts as dinner is at communal tables - I did know that it was a communal experience, but ended up being seated with two rather loud and extroverted couples at a table, which dampened our experience. The dining tables are in two areas - when you walk in through the door, to the right is the open space kitchen-dining area and to the left is the second dining table. This is dinner theatre via storytelling; the chef introduces each dish with music and story of that ties back to the ingredients - really cool concept and I did appreciate the narration style & storyline, however, it was a drag after the second dish. This entire thing could have been a 1.5 hour event, tops; instead, it was ~4 hours long, with each dish being eaten in less than 5-10 minutes - far too much time between the dishes. It's a BYOB establishment with no corkage fee, and they do serve a Nigerian wine for a charge per pour. Zobo (non-alcoholic) is served gratis - you can have as many refills as you want; for those who may not be familiar, zobo is the same as sorrel or jamaica; it wasn't too sweet and perfectly tart-y. Here are the seven dishes we had: 1. Starter bread, hummus, and chutney: The sweetness of the charred bread was quite well-balanced between the creaminess of the hummus and the sweetness of the chutney. Enjoyed this very much. 2. Shrimp salad: Enjoyed the jollof sauce but we only got a medium shrimp and a half; disappointed with that quantity. 3. Goat pepper soup: Pressure cooked goat with pepper soup poured into the plate afterwards. I wish there was more pressure-cooked goat - the quantity was not enough; that's how the pepper soup I've had has been. Enjoyed this very much despite the quantity. The soup was poured out of an IKEA plant watering can - I have the same one. 4. Nigerian snail: A bit overcooked; larger than Vietnamese or French snails, and slightly earthy. 5. Fish, rice, jammy duck egg, corn, and micro greens: I forget what it represented, but for the price of the entire event, there was barely any fish or duck egg; served in a cute pot that reminded me of my childhood serveware. 6. Jollof & beef: The jollof was smokey, but not spicy enough, with ribeye on a separate plate - loved the suya dust. You can add wagyu for another $35 or 75; we opted out to not upgrade - can't remember eating my jollof with wagyu before. Enjoyed this very much. The chef did later let me know as we were leaving that I could've asked for more jollof but were trying to balance quantities; I do appreciate that they wanted to avoid wastage, so don't want to give too much upfront and have it end up in the trash, but would have been nice to know while being served. 7. Oil cake with "custard" with berry coulis: Chef Eros said this a custard, but it really was ice cream in texture and consistency; the presentation reminded us of a wedding table decoration. It was all not too sweet, so that was nice, but too much show. Every other dish was so-so and lacking flavour and/or quantity. Service is pretty good - the chef's brother, Cortez, was our server; very attentive but not hovering. Since this is in a home kitchen, there are 3 folks working constantly in the kitchen, Chef Eros wondering around, and 2 servers-of-sorts; there are only 6 burners. Parking is scarce - you can e-mail ILE and ask them to reserve a guest spot for you for $15, and it will get added to your bill at the end. It might be worth taking an Uber if you prefer. Overall, while it was an interesting experience, it's not for me; the dinner theatre, communal aspect, long wait to eat, small quantities, and the price being far too high aren't it. I'd rather go to Veronica's or my mate's house. It's *perhaps* a good starting point for someone unfamiliar with Nigerian/West African food in an intimate setting.

Attending January 2023…read more ileishome is a much needed flavor in LA's tasting menu sphere. It is indeed in someone's apartment so I did have a little trouble locating it. There are two rooms and they both have communal table to sit at. The groups didn't really interact much when I went though Enjoyed all the flavors and the theatrics. The personal stories added an extra touch to all the food being served. That pepper soup was A++

I attended a party Saturday night and was so impressed with this catering company! Everything from…read morethe appetizers to the dessert was outstanding. I thoroughly enjoyed the food and the presentation. I did have the opportunity to speak with Elisabetta who owns the company. She was lovely ,and so joyful as she spoke about her company. I highly recommend hiring Think Italian! Events for your next party.

If I could give Elisabetta 6 stars I would. Our wedding food catering search was very short lived…read more We had our first wedding food tasting with Think Italian Events! and that was the first and last food tasting we had. Immediately after meeting her for our wedding food tasting, she won us over with her traditional home cooked Italian and her kind/motherly personality. She made our food tasting experience so easy; she never once pushed us or put any pressure on us (like most wedding vendors). Once we quickly finalized them to cater our wedding, she was an absolute pleasure to work with; she is organized, responsive, attentive, detail oriented and so incredibly sweet. She is very good about knowing your likes and dislikes and makes sure that you are 100% happy with your decision. We chose her, not only for her sweet demeanor, but her Italian food is top notch authentic ITALIAN. True Italian that tastes like a home cooked meal, which is hands down one of our favorites. Elisabetta did not make us your typical spaghetti and meatballs, she cooks much more! At the wedding, she served delicious bites for the happy hour portion. For the reception we had Veal Saltimbocca, Roasted Wild Caught Salmon, Eggplant Parmigiana, and so much more. Finally for desserts, we forgoed serving cake and instead had a dessert table serving her homemade desserts - Tiramisu bites, Panna Cotta and more paired with a coffee and tea table. We are so impressed and couldn't have chosen a better caterer for our wedding. The food, service, and everything all around was absolutely amazing. I would recommend Think Italian Events! to anyone who needs catering for any party, event, or wedding. We would even love to have Elisabetta come over and cook a homemade meal! Thank you to Elisabetta and crew - you made our wedding experience more than amazing and memorable. It's been a couple months out and we are still hearing about how delicious the food and dessert was. Now THAT is a compliment :)