Cooking Class - Thanksgiving Culinary Essentials

The chef and staff were great - helpful and knowledgeable, and I did pick up a few new techniques. That said, the overall class setup left a lot to be desired. You share ingredients and workspace with another couple, which makes the experience feel more like group work than a hands-on class. If you’re not paired with another group, you get a much better experience and more food, which feels unfair given the $100 per person price tag. It was a bit awkward managing tasks with strangers, and not worth the cost in our view. Note: the class is hosted by Sur La Table, so you might as well book directly if it sounds like a fit for you.

My Grandson & I had a great time with Chef Ben learning about blanching green beans, double frying French fries, lovely sauces and the best ever searing a delicious steak. Thanks Chef Ben….it was a wonderful experience.

Chef Jailyn is very knowledgeable and fun to work with. Food was amazing.

Informative class. Format allowed us to bake using previously prepared dough and then create dough to leave for others. Plenty of opportunity to try a bit of every step even with 4 people per group.

This class was kind of a disaster. The chefs were very apologetic, but we started late, the dough from the night before didn't proof, the back-up dough they made got ruined because they put it in the wrong oven, and we wound up standing around for a lot of the class waiting to be told what to do. At one point we were told to go back into the store and shop while they figured out the next steps. We did finally get to make three breads, but they took an extra hour to cook and we were asked to stick around and wait or come back later to pick them up. Our instructor was obviously frazzled and struggled to explain a lot of the reasoning behind why we were using certain ingredients or what was happening in the cooking process (the main reason I took the class) unless prompted. For all of this, they gave us an extra 10% off in the store, which was kind of insulting considering how small the discount was and it required us to spend more money after a disappointing class. I would have much rather gotten a refund on the class or gotten a coupon for an extra class. I imagine it's not always this bad (because they told us it's not), but the cashier telling me I was getting "such a good deal" as compensation by being allowed to spend extra $ just to get 20% off on items I didn't need left a bad taste in my mouth.

Delicious recipes and plenty of individual attention and interaction in this small (5 participants) Japanese cooking class. Chef Lisa G. was terrific!

I recently took a group of seven to a ravioli cooking class at in Alexandria, and while the chef and support staff were friendly and knowledgeable, the experience fell short of expectations. The space was far too cramped for the 15 participants. Instead of working comfortably in teams of four as advertised, we were assigned two-person tables, leading to constant jostling and bumping into each other. When I raised this with a staff member, I was simply directed to check the event listing for team size details—disappointing to say the least. Timing was another issue. After completing the cooking portion in just under two hours, we were told to take a quick break, but it stretched to 25 minutes. When we finally sat back down, some of us had to wait another half hour as the pasta finished cooking, by which point the staff was already preparing for the next class. This led to a rushed end, standing to eat while being hurried along. At nearly $100 per person, I expected a more organized and comfortable experience. To management: please consider prioritizing guest experience over packing the room to capacity. This could have been a much better experience with a little more space and attention to timing.

I had a terrific time!! The instructor was extremely attentive and knowledgeable, and I learned a huge amount that I will try to apply to my own cooking in the future, I would absolutely recommend this chef and these courses to others!

Great experience

The experience was wonderful. Food was delicious. Learn some new cooking tricks I would recommend for a night out.

Fun class. Really nice staff. Thought however that we would learn more. Student teacher. No meal.

Wonderful class! Food was delicious, the team was great

It was a good class but we only did 3/4 advertised desserts

Great time, instructing, and food!!

Chef Chericia was so friendly and kind. She teach us how to cook and how to prepare everything. She was very professional and we have a lot of fun.

Great first experience

Fun class!

It was so much fun! Learned several techniques from Chef Chericia and the food was amazing. I would recommend this class.

Chef Chericia and Jake, the cooking instructors, were terrific! They not only shared valuable tips for cooking but also for prepping and cleaning the station. I was thrilled with the class and can't wait to sign up for another one. If you're interested, book your spot on a Saturday or Sunday.

It was excellent. It was very hands-on, and the class was small. Justin the chef that was the class instructor, was fantastic!

My husband and I had an enjoyable time. The food turned out excellent. Chef Joy and the others in the class were delightful to be around. Overall great experience.

I have taken many classes, this so far is the best, easy and delicious. The chef was so good and make it fun and easy!!

The instructor was fantastic!

Great chef. Fun ambience and learned a few things. Enjoyed it a lot!

My husband and I celebrated our anniversary with this cooking class and had so much fun! Would have been better with a little wine or champagne but it was great. We've already made a few of the dishes!!

Class was fun , my teen grandson loved it. We can't wait to do another class together.

This class was fun and educational for my daughter and her friend. They both learned some techniques and were given appropriate attention.

Our family of 3 (including a teen son) really enjoyed this class. The recipes were easy to figure out and make, and it's nice to have the book to refer to the 3 things we made, as well as all of the other content. Chef Kelley was very helpful, friendly, and encouraging with our son!

I had the greatest time at my cooking class! The food was so good and the chef was fun and and taught many helpful hints during the class! I will be taking a cooking class again very soon!

The class was great! The menu was delicious and doable at home. The instructor was spot on. Looking forward to doing the next class!

Fun class!

This was a fun and wonderful class. The recipes were delicious. Chef Chericia was a true professional chef. She gave little inside tips, was very good at explaining the recipes. I would take another class with Chef Chericia!

Excellent class. Good food, great instruction.

Terrific class taught by Chef Chericia! Can't believe I actually made edible crepes! The whole menu was great!

Loved the menu and the class taught by Chef Chericia! I have already made the entire meal for friends at home!

This class was great! Very informative and lots of fun, the instructors were very helpful (and the food was delicious!). I highly recommend this class and look forward to taking another class soon.