Cooking Class - The Essence of Italian Steakhouse - Date Night

44 reviews

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Holiday

$ 99 Per person

all-inclusive: 2-hour class, 4-course meal.

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Gift card can be used for any experience or cookware

What You’ll Do

Turn date night into a memorable Italian cooking experience.

Turn date night into a gourmet experience with this Italian-inspired cooking class in North Bethesda. Sear tender grilled steaks finished with a rich caramelized shallot sauce, then handcraft pillowy gnocchi tossed in brown butter sage sauce with roasted butternut squash. Refresh your palate with a crisp arugula salad dressed in lemon and Parmesan and end the evening with a silky vanilla-mascarpone panna cotta. Chef Paula or one of the talented resident chefs will guide you through each step. This cooking class in North Bethesda is the perfect blend of romance and flavor!

Tea, coffee and water will be provided. Guests are welcome to bring non-alcoholic beverages.

This class is suitable for ages 18+.

Your Menu

Dec 6th at 4:00 PM

Grilled Steaks with Caramelized Shallot Sauce
Gnocchi with Brown Butter Sage Sauce and Butternut Squash
Arugula Salad with Lemon-Parmesan Dressing
Vanilla-Mascarpone Panna Cotta

Dec 6th at 4:00 PM

Grilled Steaks with Caramelized Shallot Sauce
Gnocchi with Brown Butter Sage Sauce and Butternut Squash
Arugula Salad with Lemon-Parmesan Dressing
Vanilla-Mascarpone Panna Cotta

Dec 6th at 7:00 PM

Grilled Steaks with Caramelized Shallot Sauce
Gnocchi with Brown Butter Sage Sauce and Butternut Squash
Arugula Salad with Lemon-Parmesan Dressing
Vanilla-Mascarpone Panna Cotta

Dec 6th at 7:00 PM

Grilled Steaks with Caramelized Shallot Sauce
Gnocchi with Brown Butter Sage Sauce and Butternut Squash
Arugula Salad with Lemon-Parmesan Dressing
Vanilla-Mascarpone Panna Cotta

Dec 14th at 4:00 PM

Grilled Steaks with Caramelized Shallot Sauce
Gnocchi with Brown Butter Sage Sauce and Butternut Squash
Arugula Salad with Lemon-Parmesan Dressing
Vanilla-Mascarpone Panna Cotta

Dec 14th at 7:00 PM

Grilled Steaks with Caramelized Shallot Sauce
Gnocchi with Brown Butter Sage Sauce and Butternut Squash
Arugula Salad with Lemon-Parmesan Dressing
Vanilla-Mascarpone Panna Cotta

Dec 14th at 7:00 PM

Grilled Steaks with Caramelized Shallot Sauce
Gnocchi with Brown Butter Sage Sauce and Butternut Squash
Arugula Salad with Lemon-Parmesan Dressing
Vanilla-Mascarpone Panna Cotta

Dec 27th at 4:00 PM

Grilled Steaks with Caramelized Shallot Sauce
Gnocchi with Brown Butter Sage Sauce and Butternut Squash
Arugula Salad with Lemon-Parmesan Dressing
Vanilla-Mascarpone Panna Cotta

Dec 27th at 4:00 PM

Grilled Steaks with Caramelized Shallot Sauce
Gnocchi with Brown Butter Sage Sauce and Butternut Squash
Arugula Salad with Lemon-Parmesan Dressing
Vanilla-Mascarpone Panna Cotta

Dec 27th at 7:00 PM

Grilled Steaks with Caramelized Shallot Sauce
Gnocchi with Brown Butter Sage Sauce and Butternut Squash
Arugula Salad with Lemon-Parmesan Dressing
Vanilla-Mascarpone Panna Cotta

Dec 27th at 7:00 PM

Grilled Steaks with Caramelized Shallot Sauce
Gnocchi with Brown Butter Sage Sauce and Butternut Squash
Arugula Salad with Lemon-Parmesan Dressing
Vanilla-Mascarpone Panna Cotta

For public cooking classes, menu changes cannot be made. For private events, most dietary restrictions can be accommodated if noted prior to the event. Please mention this in the message field when you submit your booking request.
Adjustments cannot be made during the event.

Details

Minimum Guests 1
Maximum Guests 16
Meal Courses 4
Event Duration 2 hours
Labels Date Night, Gourmet, Holiday, Italian, Pasta Making
Additional information In this class you will be working hands-on in groups of four sharing work stations and equipment.

Meet your chef

Chef Paula or Resident Chef

44 reviews

In 2004, Chef Paula followed her passion for food at L’Academie de Cuisine, graduating at the top of her class in 2005. Beginning as a Sous Chef in the Executive Dining Room at the Washington Post, Chef Paula went on to spend a decade crafting regional recipes before advancing to Executive Chef. After a brief hiatus, her love for food drew her back to teaching, where she now shares her enthusiasm for cooking with each of her students.

View all of Chef Paula or Resident Chef's Experiences

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Cancellation Policy

Flexible booking: Cancel or reschedule this event's reservation for free up to 48 hours before the event.

What You’ll Do

Turn date night into a memorable Italian cooking experience.

Your Menu

Dec 6th at 4:00 PM

Grilled Steaks with Caramelized Shallot Sauce
Gnocchi with Brown Butter Sage Sauce and Butternut Squash
Arugula Salad with Lemon-Parmesan Dressing
Vanilla-Mascarpone Panna Cotta

Dec 6th at 4:00 PM

Grilled Steaks with Caramelized Shallot Sauce
Gnocchi with Brown Butter Sage Sauce and Butternut Squash
Arugula Salad with Lemon-Parmesan Dressing
Vanilla-Mascarpone Panna Cotta

Dec 6th at 7:00 PM

Grilled Steaks with Caramelized Shallot Sauce
Gnocchi with Brown Butter Sage Sauce and Butternut Squash
Arugula Salad with Lemon-Parmesan Dressing
Vanilla-Mascarpone Panna Cotta

Dec 6th at 7:00 PM

Grilled Steaks with Caramelized Shallot Sauce
Gnocchi with Brown Butter Sage Sauce and Butternut Squash
Arugula Salad with Lemon-Parmesan Dressing
Vanilla-Mascarpone Panna Cotta

Dec 14th at 4:00 PM

Grilled Steaks with Caramelized Shallot Sauce
Gnocchi with Brown Butter Sage Sauce and Butternut Squash
Arugula Salad with Lemon-Parmesan Dressing
Vanilla-Mascarpone Panna Cotta

Dec 14th at 7:00 PM

Grilled Steaks with Caramelized Shallot Sauce
Gnocchi with Brown Butter Sage Sauce and Butternut Squash
Arugula Salad with Lemon-Parmesan Dressing
Vanilla-Mascarpone Panna Cotta

Dec 14th at 7:00 PM

Grilled Steaks with Caramelized Shallot Sauce
Gnocchi with Brown Butter Sage Sauce and Butternut Squash
Arugula Salad with Lemon-Parmesan Dressing
Vanilla-Mascarpone Panna Cotta

Dec 27th at 4:00 PM

Grilled Steaks with Caramelized Shallot Sauce
Gnocchi with Brown Butter Sage Sauce and Butternut Squash
Arugula Salad with Lemon-Parmesan Dressing
Vanilla-Mascarpone Panna Cotta

Dec 27th at 4:00 PM

Grilled Steaks with Caramelized Shallot Sauce
Gnocchi with Brown Butter Sage Sauce and Butternut Squash
Arugula Salad with Lemon-Parmesan Dressing
Vanilla-Mascarpone Panna Cotta

Dec 27th at 7:00 PM

Grilled Steaks with Caramelized Shallot Sauce
Gnocchi with Brown Butter Sage Sauce and Butternut Squash
Arugula Salad with Lemon-Parmesan Dressing
Vanilla-Mascarpone Panna Cotta

Dec 27th at 7:00 PM

Grilled Steaks with Caramelized Shallot Sauce
Gnocchi with Brown Butter Sage Sauce and Butternut Squash
Arugula Salad with Lemon-Parmesan Dressing
Vanilla-Mascarpone Panna Cotta

Details

Minimum Guests 1
Maximum Guests 16
Meal Courses 4
Event Duration 2 hours
Labels Date Night, Gourmet, Holiday, Italian, Pasta Making
Additional information In this class you will be working hands-on in groups of four sharing work stations and equipment.

Reviews

Reviews guests left for other experiences with Chef Paula or Resident Chef

Zach

13 Oct 2025

Chef was funny and knowledgeable, wasn't exactly prepared for the class/recipe. Also admitted that he disliked baking + hadn't baked in a while throughout the class.

Lisa Banks

12 Oct 2025

Patrick was great. Kind, patient and knowledgeable about Thai cuisine. Class moved at a good pace and then set up was very bright, open and comfortable

Helene

13 Jul 2025

The instructor was warm, Knowledgeable and a great teacher. The class was wonderful and we learned a lot and had a lot of fun!! I would highly recommend the class to anyone!

Alexandra

05 Jul 2025

Our Sur la Table expert knife skills with Chef Johnathan was wonderful! It was very informative and we got a lot of chances to practice. Making a pineapple salsa was a nice final challenge. The location inside the Sur la Table restaurant was very nice and it was easy to see the chef as he demonstrated. We were allowed to take home the practice chopped veggies to make stock at home if we wanted.

Carolyn

26 May 2025

Fun small meal with great technique teaching

Kristen

23 Mar 2025

Really enjoyed the class and learned lots of new skills to practice.

Carol

08 Feb 2025

Egg yolk ravioli too challenging and wasteful of many eggs Bolognese sauce was good, papperdelle ok, neither really special though. Would be better as well if each couple had their own station of ingredients rather than sharing these and tools back and forth with another couple

Geneive

26 Jan 2025

The entire experience was false advertising. First of all, the person leading the class was not Chef Paul or a chef at all. When selecting a class, I based my decision largely on the chef. Second, the lesson was totally rushed. Some parts of the meal were already prepared beforehand. We were so rushed we could not even learn along the way -- or hear the instructor -- how we were preparing the meal. We were told to take the instructions home and read them later. As a result, the "class" was 1.5 hours, not two hours as advertised, with an 8-minute break so the potatoes could cook. I could have stayed at home and read from a cookbook and had the same experience. For $100 per person, it came up short and I would like a refund.

Eran

06 Oct 2024

The chef was friendly, polite and knowledgeable. He took us through all the steps carefully, and was very helpful. I enjoyed the session.

Nicholas

30 Sep 2024

It was an OK experience. I did learn a couple things, mostly what not to do. The most important lesson was that humidity and/or temperature significantly affects pate choux preventing it from thickening, resulting in runny, unpuffed pastry. So, our eclairs were a catastrophe. Not sure if we will be back.

Kerry

29 Sep 2024

Paid for a booking for 5 but called on Fri as one had Covid. Called again this morning as second person was ill. When I checked in chef was quite rude as the person I spoke to hadn’t told them. Also no one spoke to me about refund since first party size reduction was over 48 hours. When you pay almost $100 person you expect certain things. Safety is utmost. Took our mandolin protector to give to another group and told us offhandedly to use a towel. Spent 90% of the time dealing with that same group and got irritated when other groups asked for help. We had no salt and pepper, butter, some other ingredients were missing and again chef got annoyed with us. Unacceptable. Certain chefs may be great in the kitchen but not instructors. This was one of those occasions. Chef did not know recipe and so did not instruct well at all. Class ran over and recipes were not available. This class was disorganized and honestly expected much higher quality for . Will never attend or recommend this to anyone.

Zelalem

13 Sep 2024

they made it a great experience

Jessica

22 Jul 2024

No because the class was cancelled and I was not notified AGAIN, so I want a full refund and will never use Cozymeal again. Your communication is terrible and wasted my time

Monique

17 Jul 2024

Loved the experience! Chef was so personable and knowledgeable. Very warming atmosphere and recipes cooked and prepared were absolutely delicious. My only con would be the fact that you potentially have to share the space and foods being prepared with another couple/people. We were lucky enough to not have to do that but the other couples did just based on the way the stations were set up. But in all I would definitely return and enjoyed getting to shop afterwards.

Carol

04 May 2024

The chef was excellent and the food was very good. But we noted that two of the stations had one attendee. These attendees did not have to share the setups and food among four people, they each got their own. Therefore they had double the amount of food given to everyone else even though they paid the same price for the class. This is not fair. I felt like we we should have received our money back for half the cost of the food.

Maria DeBernardi Mocchetti

04 May 2024

Love it!

Natalia

02 May 2024

Awesome experience! The chef was wonderful, and the atmosphere was so funny and cozy! Strongly recommend!

Esther

21 Apr 2024

Lovely class!! Great food and learned a lot

Erin

23 Feb 2024

Fun class!

Adriana Vasil

29 Jan 2024

She was knowledgeable and patient

Paloma Arroyo LeFebre

26 Jan 2024

Chef Karla is awesome! She's so knowledgeable while also being a great teacher.

Amy

26 Jan 2024

Learned a lot and it was fun and yummy. Instructor explained things clearly and straightforwardly and was just a very chill person.

Terry

22 Jan 2024

The chef and the class was great. So often the experience depends on the people you are paired with. We were lucky this time.

Joyce

21 Jan 2024

Loved the class! Abrar was so engaging and had a lot of suggestions for even the most experienced coach cooks. She was extremely organized and watched over each couple as we made a French meal of scallops with sides and a Pear dessert. A really fun night out. Sur La Table’s test kitchen in Bethesda was large and accommodated the 12 participants. We ended the night with a wonderful meal and packed the leftovers to take home. I will definitely be taking another class.

Reviews Chef Paula or Resident Chef received outside of Cozymeal

Sergiu

13 Dec 2023

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

Susan

13 Dec 2023

Loved our cooking class. Learned A LOT ! Very hands on.

Oscar

13 Dec 2023

Great time! It was a simple enough meal to learn that helped us both expand our palette and culinary repetoire. Recommend for all. I would ask in the future exactly what you are going to learn.

Kevin

13 Dec 2023

Ethan's passion for cooking shows & made the class educational & fun! We look forward to seeing him again as well as the helpers. Thank you for sharing your passion to cook!

Sandra

13 Dec 2023

My husband and I had such great time. We have been wanting to take a cooking class together and highly recommend it.

Amelia

13 Dec 2023

Really fun and busy class making pad Thai, deep fried lemongrass corn fritters, shrimp curry, and enjoying coconut rice afterwards, in a group of 12. It was nice to review knife skills as well. Great date or special occasion activity

Colleen

13 Dec 2023

My husband and I really enjoyed this class. We both learned some things, and had a great meal at the end. We would definitely recommend this date night class.

Neal

13 Dec 2023

Love the class, and now is chef/instructor was great

Randy

13 Dec 2023

Chef was attentive and helpful. Would have liked to taste it (!), but a health emergency ended the class early. Still waiting for the recipes.

Gwen

13 Dec 2023

Great class. Learned a lot and the bread was delicious.

Matt

13 Dec 2023

As usual, this was a great experience. I would recommend their cooking classes to learn, eat great food, and have a great experience.

Ernie

13 Dec 2023

Overall very informative. Adult only class would be a nice option.. Chef had amazing experience, very informative and knowledgeable. Should have a 5 min late policy. Late guests distracting. Would have liked a little quicker pace. Overall Very great seat up. Definitely an experience.

Emilie

13 Dec 2023

Overall, the class was really fun! In a way I wish it was a tiny bit more challenging. It felt like we did a few knife cuts, then took a break and then cooked a bit before eating. All in all, I wish it had been a bit more difficult or ""fast"" pace wise. The food we made was really good, except for the pad thai which was disappointing. Also would be super nice to make a dessert!

Paula

13 Dec 2023

The class was easy to follow, and I feel the recipes will be easy to replicate at home. This class should be 3 hrs long, not 2. The dough didn't have enough time to rise and didn't have enough time to bake. My focaccia bread wound up burning because the instructor was moving on with the class and the bread didn't get out of the oven fast enough.

Judith

13 Dec 2023

Great class even better instructor. Also fun group of women

Kelli

13 Dec 2023

We had a great time! John was great leading the class and the food was delicious! Will definitely take another class!

Valerie

13 Dec 2023

The chef was very personable and knowledgeable. The class was fun and the meal turned out delicious. One wish was maybe a glass of wine with the meal.

Michelle

13 Dec 2023

We had a great time! Large group, very organized and fun! Food was delish! Never received the recipes from the class to make at home