Ever since buying a place a few years ago, I've wanted to learn how to cook. Not just to make it by without starving, but really learn how to make quality food at home--I'm a foodie after all. ;-) This is the best cooking class company I've taken classes at to help me move closer to my goal. Highlights: - Format: A combination of demo and hands on which is the perfect mix: "see then do" as they say. Thorough and educational with detailed information on not only cooking techniques, but also the equipment (helpful gadgets in some cases), ingredients, their origins, and health benefits. I left each class feeling like I was becoming a more educated and better chef already. I've been to classes at Home Chef (when it was in SJ), Whole Foods (Cup and San Mateo), and Sur La Table (LG), and while those were fun, I didn't really learn as much as I would have liked. - Teacher: friendly, approachable, easy to learn from, comical, seems to genuinely care about her food and the people in her class, and knows her stuff. Chef Suzanne Vandyck has the culinary credentials and has even authored a cookbook. She tells you little tricks here and there along with fun stories of her travels and related eats to give it a personal touch. - Environment: very casual and comfortable. Questions are encouraged throughout and you don't feel intimidated chiming in with one during the demo or while cooking. I've been to classes where you felt like you were learning from a cooking nazi: if you didn't use the right spoon or something she'd snip at you. I want to learn, but this is for fun. I like more hakuna matata attitude here. As Chef Suzanne says, "In a restaurant it has to be perfect, at home it's ok." :-) - International Themes: I took the Easy and Healthy Japanese cooking class but they offer Italian, French, Mediterranean, Spanish, etc. I was a bit weary of learning Japanese food from a lady from Belgium, but she had enough traveling, visiting with locals, eating, and cooking experience to portray the authentic styles. I lived in Japan for a few years and eat Japanese food a good deal and learned tons from her class. - Great recipes: everything that we made was scrumptious. I loved being able to know how to make the classic Japanese sauces (tempura, miso, etc.) There are always options either written down or noted verbal during the demo so you know how you can change it up to suit your tastes or ingredients you have handy. - Salads: when you sign up, you can see what dishes will be made and I was enticed by the entrees. After all was said and done I did enjoy the entrees like expected, but was surprised to be blown away by the salads. The watercress and then spinach salads with dressings we made on our own were amazing. - Recipe handouts: before class you get a few pages stapled together of the recipes of the day. The teacher not only includes pictures up top, but a nice little paragraph of the story and background about what the dish is. - Plating: after Chef Suzanne makes an item, she plates them on beautiful little authentic Japanese plates (since I took the Japanese class) and organizes the food so it looks professional and impressive. Since I want to be a Top Chef quality chef, I love learning these plating skills to make my dishes visually appealing and fancier than the average home cooked meal. 8-) - Leftovers: sometimes there's a lot of food, so if you bring a container you can take some to enjoy at home - People: After the demos we break up into groups and make a few recipes. I didn't take the class to meet new people, but I made some nice friends through the few sessions we've have. - Class time said 6-9:30pm which I was initially worried sounded a bit long, but we usually finished by 9 or earlier so I could make it home to watch Grey's just slightly delayed on TiVo. ;-) - Location: most of the quality classes I have seen are in the city which is hard to get to on a weeknight. These are held closer to home in Cupertino and Santa Clara. Lowlights (my flip side to highlights): - How much fun you have cooking depends on the group you end up in--just normal group dynamics and personalities, etc. - Not optimal equipment: this is where it's a pro to go to a specialty store like Sur La Table or Whole Foods: the equipment will be more top notch. Our class was at Cupertino High School which had dull knives, old silverware, etc. They also didn't have any chopsticks to use in our Japanese class, so we brought our own. - Sometimes she changes the recipe from what's written down so you just have to be aware and take notes on your handouts. - Some classes you get a snack pretty early on but others you don't get to eat until 8:30pm, so you may want to have a snack before just in case. I'm so happy to have found this cooking school and will be looking to take more classes in the future! read more

See all

Highly recommend Chef Suzanne and Worldchefs International! I've taken Italian cooking classes, garlic cooking classes and a team-building cooking class. All spectacular... Highlights of courses: *Picked up FANTASTIC recipes that I still cook today... *Learned how to use quality ingredients to make delicious dishes *Met some great people *Paid close to nothing to learn from a top-notch chef and her colleagues Minuses: *May be challenging if you are with a group of people whom are unaccustomed to being in the kitchen... Favorite dishes that I still cook today zuppa di ceci (Italian garbanzo bean soup), pizza margherita, paella (Spanish rice dish), chicken marsala, risotto, minestrone soup, non-alcoholic sangria, and flourless chocolate cake. read more

I love Chef Suzanne and Worldchefs! I just attended a birthday cooking class party and it was so much fun and the food was just delicious. We had homemade focaccia, grilled lemon herb chicken, Turkey tomato salad, and a delicious spumoni ice cream cake (the ice cream was made by Chef Suzanne with delicious Belgium chocolate). Everything was so healthy and yummy, well...with the exception of the ice cream and focaccia but so worth it. Chef Suzanne is really sweet and friendly and quite knowledgeable. She answered all our questions and really gave us great tips. I can't wait to have a birthday cooking class party for someone and get Chef Suzanne to teach us more yummy stuff. :-) read more

Suzanne Vandyck came to our home last night and prepared a wonderful cooking class and dinner party for 8 people in our home. We choose a Turkish themed menu from the extensive list of potential menus that Suzanne had emailed well in advance. Our menu was easily modified to accommodate individual dietary needs and the availability of seasonal ingredients. She brought all the food and we provided the wine, based on her specific suggestions for pairings, as she is an accredited sommelier. As other reviews on Yelp eloquently state, Suzanne is the consummate professional: knowledgeable, punctual, organized, patient, flexible, competent, pleasant, and thorough. She has a compassion for teaching about healthy, well-prepared food from all over the world. She has traveled extensively and speaks 4 languages. Although she has written 3 cookbooks about her native Belgium cooking, she is well-versed is all the world's cuisine and truly loves to learn about a each culture's contributions to cooking. This delicious evening with our gifted chef was a thank you gift from my brother-in-law and a very delightful time. Don't miss the chance to contact Chef Suzanne for a great culinary experience! read more

See all

Suzanne and her team did a fantastic job facilitating a cooking demo / class for our team of 30+ attendees. It was the perfect team building activity and everything worked out beautifully! Suzanne has so much experience and you can tell she loves what she does. The facility where we had the session worked out beautifully as there was ample space and plenty of natural light. The dishes everyone prepared were amazing! Everyone had a great time and enjoyed the delicious food. Our vegetarians, vegans, and Gluten-Free employees also had enough to eat as the menus catered to all diets. Thank you for a wonderful experience! You and your staff were wonderful! read more

After much research, the reviews on Suzanne and World Chefs were too much to ignore. So we hired her and her team to come to our house and conduct a cooking class and dinner party for my girl friend's birthday. There were 6 of us total and we all had a wonderful time. Suzanne was very well prepared and did a wonderful job explaining explaining the steps for each dish. She had a charming personality and was an absolute delight. The food was splendid, fun and unique. We all learned so much about Moroccan food, spices and culture. And the wines she suggested for each course paired perfectly. We will definitely be hiring Suzanne again and are considering a food travel trip with her. We loved the experience and highly recommend her. read more

1/13/17 This is to share our delight with the Worldchefs International team. Under Suzanne's leadership, the preparation, super-fresh ingredients, friendly asst chefs, and cooking demonstrations exceeded expectations. With our audience of 60 US and global managers, Chef Suzanne's deep knowledge of European, Middle Eastern, and Asian cuisines helped unite us all. Great international tunes, wine, cheese and bread appetizers and socializing balanced with teamwork and building of our cooking skills was great fun. The price was right as well! Thanks to you and your team, Eve M. read more

I have participated in events and classes hosted by Chef Suzanne for over 5 years now. At the dinner parties, the food is very elegantly presented, tasty, and healthy - which really is possible! The cooking classes are well-planned, full of information and are a great value. Chef Suzanne is originally from Belgium and even wrote a book on that cuisine called The Food and Cooking of Belgium. I hope to bring Suzanne in for some teambuilding cooking at my company. read more

Chef Suzanne is Amazing! Our team did a cooking class and had a great time preparing a meal together. She was thorough, well prepared, professional, and the food was fresh, healthy, and delish! She even accommodated people with dietary restrictions. My only recommendation would be for evening classes, have the appetizers ready so people can nosh during the cooking demos. This way we'll be much more patient students. Hands down the best cooking class I've ever taken. read more

I took a lot of Chef Suzanne's cooking classes including Moroccan, Tunisian, Ethiopian, Mexican, Chinese etc.and she consistently keeps the standard high. The last class in May was "empanadas" and it was fantastic. Suzanne brings fresh ingredients and is very clean. The classes are structured and organized. She first introduces herself and then people introduce themselves, including the reason for being in class. She gives printed recipes, and demonstrates some dishes. Then, people cook in groups in the assigned stations. At the end people eat the cooked food and take the leftover home. Suzanne is very knowledgable, and answers people questions. She gives useful information such as how to use a knife, how to chop an onion, where to buy the food, etc. The sessions are not only educational but are fun nights. I had positive experience in all her classes and definitely will go back! read more

I've attended almost 6-7 classes and Suzanne never disappoints. Some of my favorite one's were the Italian Risotto and Baking Series. Suzanne has a wide variety of classes to offer in Fall and Winter. She also has a wonderful assistant Nona who helps with getting things ready for the class. At all classes, she provides us with a detailed recipe sheet of everything she demos and we prepare. I can't wait for Fall to start so I can attend this year's classes! read more

I was very pleased with Suzanne's professional approach when I contacted her about a private cooking party for 6. She responded promptly most of the times. Sent all comprehensive information, cost, what's included, available times and choices of the menu ( for each course there were 4-5 dishes to pick, which was quite challenging to do, because all dishes sounded delicious). Suzanne set up quickly in our kitchen, and started demonstration with introduction of each ingredient. Most admiring part was how she handled my two boys 6 and 9 y.o. They are very curious, constantly moving, like eating, yet picky. Suzanne, was very patient, dedicated to them simple tasks and they loved participating, doing great job assembling olive crostini and fresh berries-yogurt-riccota-cookies dessert. They ate everything from appetizers, salad, couscous and fish. Well, dessert was not even my concern. I loved that our meal was flavorful, with a lot of fresh herbs, vegetables and almost no fat or sugar. We enjoyed the evening a lot and I will host another cooking class in my house with Chef Suzanne sometime soon. read more

Chef Suzanne is fantastic! I have been taking her classes for several years now and she never disappoints! Her food is extremely fresh, organic, and often comes from her own garden. Everything she makes is of high quality and delicious! Over the years I have accumulated many of her recipes and refer to them on a regular basis. In class she thoroughly explains the instructions and often gives helpful tips. I always look forward to her classes because I know I will learn something new and walk away with delicious recipes I will make at home for my family. She offers a wide variety of classes such as appetizers, breads, soups, salads, pizza, pasta, and main dishes from all over the world. Her classes and recipes are unique, flavorful, and easy to replicate at home. I highly recommend Chef Suzanne's classes-you won't be disappointed! read more

Suzanne is a great teacher and conveys her knowledge of and enthusiasm for food extremely effectively. i always walk away from her classes with some good ideas! read more

I have been taking classes with Suzanne for over 6 years. Suzanne is delightful with a wealth of knowledge on many types of foods, cuisines, and she also provides recommended wine pairings with the recipes. We have had dishes from Japan, Thailand, China, Italy, France, Belgium, Italy, Morocco, and Africa; all delicious! Many of the recipes have become my go-to recipes for quick and fast meals, fancy party meals and comfort food. Many classes have recipes with an appetizer, soup or salad with an entrée and vegetable and dessert. I love the classes that are hands-on, even the most novice cook can make and enjoy these recipes. I am looking forward to my next class! read more

Chef Suzanne is the best! I have taken several classes with her and they were all excellent. Recently I took her vegan class to be able to cook for vegan friends. I was a little skeptical because I thought the recipes could not be as good as non-vegan food. I was totally wrong. All the dishes we prepared were simple, healthy, and very tasty. I am planning to add them to my regular menus. Chef Suzanne is not only a great cook, but also a wonderful teacher who makes everybody feel comfortable. read more

It was a last minute decision last week for my department to do a team building event. I found Chef Suzanne via Google and Yelp. I was excited that she was available. One of the key items I look for in a vendor is a quick turn around time upon requests. Chef Suzanne exceeded all expectations and booked the venue for my department within 1 day. Upon arrival she had a printed menu with cooking instructions of all the dishes we were to learn that day. She is impeccable with the details she puts into her class. The cooking tips are extremely useful. Who knew there are 2 different types of rosemary?! She also gave us alternatives for gluten free substitutes for the ingredients. Chef Suzanne's passion for cooking and teaching clearly shines and it motivated my team and myself to not only start cooking but cooking better! Thank you for such an amazing experience! read more

I just attended my first cooking class with Chef Susanne and had a fabulous evening. The class was on "Moroccan Cuisine". Susanne prepared a full, balanced meal of 4 dishes : A chicken tajine, a carrot , raisin and nut salad , an apricot couscous and date and almond truffles, without forgetting the traditional mint tea The ingredients were very fresh , mostly organic and the whole meal was extraordinary flavorful and delicious. Susanne is a passionate and generous teacher: every step of the recipes is carefully explained, options are offered (for vegetarians , for example ) , equipment and ingredients are discussed. The atmosphere is very friendly , participants have a chance to prepare the dishes after the demonstration and the session ends at a dining table, beautifully decorated by Susanne and her assistant. If you want to share a fun evening with a friend , invite him/her to a cooking class by Chef Suzanne. You will not regret it. read more