Cooking Class - Traditional Creole Cooking

Excellent and fun experience. Chef Theo answered every question we had and made the entire experience fun and educational. He even gave us tips on other recipes while we talked.

Our evening with Theo was extremely disappointing and left much to be desired of the evening. While Theo is a friendly person, it was evident from the time we stepped into his apartment that he was not a seasoned chef and had very little idea of what an authentic cooking class should look like. His apartment resembled that of a college dorm (austere, alcohol bottles lining the floor, unkempt kitchen space, and a general sense of disorganization). The table was poorly set with a black veil thrown across the top and a plastic candle floating in a jar with water in the center. It felt cheap and thrown together. He also was not dressed for the occasion, as he greeted us wearing sweat pants and tennis shoes - appearing more like he had rolled out of bed than someone prepared to teach a class. He didn't really teach us how to do anything; rather he just had us stand and watch him cut veggies/meats and didn't narrate what he was doing. I had to ask him a few different times to allow us to participate since we had paid for a class. The kitchen was not prepared for guests as Theo's personal items were in the sink and the counter space was in some disarray. The ingredients were not all fresh or high quality either. The onions used had black spots on them and appeared to have been sitting in the fridge for a while and the meat was from a low quality food retailer. The final product (gumbo) tasted okay, but I'm gluten-free and made that clear to Theo beforehand through the messaging app and while present at his home...and he still used flour in the dish. My understanding is that, since I had notified him before the evening that I couldn't have gluten, he would have made the necessary arrangements - especially since he responded in the app saying, "We will make it work!" At the end of the night, Theo boxed up the remaining desserts we had made but kept the main dish remainders for himself, saying, "My roommate and I will eat it." It was food we paid for, but he kept it. We also had no idea he even had a roommate until said roommate came home in the middle of the evening and rummaged through the fridge while we were in the "class." All in all, it was an unpleasant experience and not at all worth what we paid. We felt ripped off, scammed, and insulted. This was our anniversary and we were excited to share a special experience together, but we left feeling like we had the wool pulled over our eyes for $85/person. I don't recommend Theo at this time. It should also be noted that another couple was there when we were and they promptly left after about 15 minutes. I've been in touch with Cozymeal and they've opened an investigation on Theo and our experience with him. Please beware and find a legitimate cooking class worth your money.

Absolutely wonderful experience. Chef Theo was knowledgeable, personable and an all around pleasant person to be around. My husband and I enjoyed the class and the gumbo was delicious! I will definitely book another class with him.