Chef Jesse brings a rich culinary background to every class, shaped by experience in Michelin-starred restaurants, private chef work and operating his own food ventures. He has played key roles in opening restaurant and brewery kitchens, as well as developing diverse menus. Now instructing, Chef Jesse combines his deep knowledge and passion for food with a love for teaching, helping students master efficient kitchen techniques while making cooking a fun, engaging experience.
Flexible booking: Cancel or reschedule this event's reservation for free up to 48 hours before the event.
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WHAT YOU’LL DO
Get hands-on with summer classics rooted in fresh seasonal coastal flavors.
If you love cooking with the best of the season, this interactive cooking class in Naperville is made for you. With Chef Jesse or a resident chef guiding you through each step, you'll prepare cedar plank salmon with blackberry sauce, assemble a golden beet and haricot vert salad and bake soft focaccia with sweet onions and herbs. You'll wrap up the experience with a dark cherry hazelnut sundae while picking up practical techniques for flavor pairing and baking. This cooking class in Naperville is ideal for anyone looking to build confidence with seasonal dishes.
Tea, coffee and water will be provided. Guests are welcome to bring non-alcoholic beverages.
This class is suitable for ages 14+ with an adult present. Children under 17 must be accompanied by a paying adult. Class price is per person.
Your Menu
Jul 26th at 7:00 PM
Cedar Plank Salmon with Blackberry Sauce Golden Beet Haricot Vert Salad Sweet Onion & Herb Focaccia Dark Cherry Hazelnut Sundae
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.
ADDITIONAL DETAILS
No prior cooking experience needed
All ingredients and equipment are provided
Dietary accommodations available upon request
Private classes available for groups and special events
Chef Jesse brings a rich culinary background to every class, shaped by experience in Michelin-starred restaurants, private chef work and operating his own food ventures. He has played key roles in opening restaurant and brewery kitchens, as well as developing diverse menus. Now instructing, Chef Jesse combines his deep knowledge and passion for food with a love for teaching, helping students master efficient kitchen techniques while making cooking a fun, engaging experience.
Verified guest reviews for other classes with Chef Jesse
Ruth D.
Booked the class
Crowd-Pleasing Tex-Mex Favorites - Family Fun
with Chef Jesse
in Naperville (Downtown)
The recipes were good the prep went well but followed by a big disappointment in the fact that we then rushed through eating our meal standing up at prep stations.
aileen g.
Booked the class
A Night Out in Spain
with Chef Jesse
in Naperville (Downtown)
Awesome
Marci V.
Booked the class
Italian Favorites at Home
with Chef Jesse
in Naperville (Downtown)
Pan seared NY strip with Chianti sauce, gnocchi with walnut pesto, arugula salad with lemon Parmesan dressing and butterscotch budino. Chef Charlie was awesome! Hoping to get the recipes sent to my email soon. Thank you!
Nicole vallez .
Booked the class
Delicious Winter Supper
with Chef Jesse
in Naperville (Downtown)
This was not with Chef Jesse. I believe the chef's name was Charlie. He was very friendly and informative. My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and we will back for another.
Kathy B.
Booked the class
Tuscan Steak Table - Date Night
with Chef Jesse
in Naperville (Downtown)
We made a tuscan steak, with homemade, kale-pesto pasta, and an arugula salad with parmesan cheese and balsamic dressing. It was excellent! Our Chef, Will, was very thorough explaining each step, however, it was a lot of steps for the amount of time we had. We enjoyed it; especially my husband who is the cook in the family! My only complaint is that we had to stand to eat the meal, after already standing for 2 hours! After paying the total amount for the class, I thought we would be able to sit and savior the meal we just made; instead of rushing to be done and leave.
Tracy M.
Booked the class
Explore Classic Bread Baking Techniques
with Chef Jesse
in Naperville (Downtown)
Fun class but cannot replicate at home ... don't have all of the equipment necessary
Kate B.
Booked the class
French-Inspired Culinary Classics
with Chef Jesse
in Naperville (Downtown)
A wonderful experience for my grandson and I - and the food was delicious!
Marisa Y.
Booked the class
The Power of Homemade Pasta
with Chef Jesse
in Naperville (Downtown)
The class was great, however we never received the recipes for the pastas and the sauces.
DeEtta G.
Booked the class
Premier Grilling Techniques
with Chef Jesse
in Naperville (Downtown)
Claire is an awesome chef! Don’t judge how I plated my food, it tasted amazing. This was such a fun way to try new things and step out of my comfort zone. Highly recommend if you’re looking for a unique and delicious experience!
Michele S.
Booked the class
Summertime Pasta Specialties
with Chef Jesse
in Naperville (Downtown)
My daughter and her friend had a wonderful time! Definitely recommend.
Chuck M.
Booked the class
Celebratory Trattoria Menu - Date Night
with Chef Jesse
in Naperville (Downtown)
Class was easy to follow. Chef Will answered all our questions and was very helpful making class go smoothly
Pam B.
Booked the class
Vegetarian Mediterranean Feast
with Chef Jesse
in Naperville (Downtown)
Jesse was fantastic! Great class, delicious food. Highly recommend!
Zakyrah H.
Booked the class
Delightful Dinner in Italy
with Chef Jesse
in Naperville (Downtown)
Amazing experience! Learned the right way to make pork chops and they were the best I’ve ever had. Will be booking another class soon!
Walter K.
Booked the class
Love Italian Style - Date Night
with Chef Jesse
in Naperville (Downtown)
Still looking for the recipes. Chef missed opportunity to demonstrate the checking of the meat temperature. I would have used lemon zest in the risotto to enhance lemon flavor
Nidhi J.
Booked the class
Making Macarons Just For Mom
with Chef Jesse
in Naperville (Downtown)
Loved the whole experience!!!
Chuck M.
Booked the class
Fresh Pasta Like Mama Made It
with Chef Jesse
in Naperville (Downtown)
Chef Jesse class was great. very easy to follow directionsa nd answered all questions aand made sure u understood wht you were doing
Alex Messina .
Booked the class
The Perfect Ramen
with Chef Jesse
in Naperville (Downtown)
This class was a lot of fun. The chef was knowledgeable and easy to talk with. I really liked how the chef talked through some of the science behind certain ingredient choices or how particular ingredients interact to give a desired outcome. 10/10 would recommend the class
Victoria M.
Booked the class
The Perfect Ramen
with Chef Jesse
in Naperville (Downtown)
My group of 5 had a blast making ramen with Chef Will in Naperville. The recipe was approachable, we used some new tools, and spent time as a family cooking a meal. A lovely way to spend two hours. Tasty too!
Steve W.
Booked the class
Tasty Thai Dishes
with Chef Jesse
in Naperville (Downtown)
It was a fun evening. Chef Monsoor was knowledgeable and helped us becoming more knowledgeable on preparing and cooking the meal. It was a fun experience.
Krista .
Booked the class
Home-made Pasta 101
with Chef Jesse
in Naperville (Downtown)
Met expectations
Callum S.
Booked the class
The Perfect Ramen
with Chef Jesse
in Naperville (Downtown)
Had this as a birthday gift and loved it!
Kristen W.
Booked the class
Thai Greatest Hits - Date Night
with Chef Jesse
in Naperville (Downtown)
Chef Nancy was very good! I enjoyed this class a lot and the food was simple and tasty. I do wish there was a little more dialect about Thai food in general (main spices, history, common dishes) but maybe that isn’t typical of these classes. All around great date night!
J-Treme O.
Booked the class
Classic Hibachi Made at Home
with Chef Jesse
in Naperville (Downtown)
Jesse was fun. Our meal was great and he took the tip to answer any questions we had and give out good pointers on cutting and how to avoid mistakes with our fried rice
Michael .
Booked the class
Italian Favorites at Home
with Chef Jesse
in Naperville (Downtown)
Excellent food and great instructor!
Steve W.
Booked the class
Elegant French Supper
with Chef Jesse
in Naperville (Downtown)
The evening was great. My girlfriend and I both learned new things about cooking. Neither of us are big cooks, but we now want to cook more often. Chef Jesse made it a fun evening and the food was excellent. We’ll be attending additional classes.
Jeff K.
Booked the class
Sushi Making 101
with Chef Jesse
in Naperville (Downtown)
Chef Jesse was great! He was professional and very personable. My wife and I attended the sushi making 101 class, and Chef Jesse provided some great tips and tricks to making/rolling sushi - the number 1 being practice! It's a bit odd to share ingredients with others at your table, but for sushi it was fine and not a big deal. Overall, it was a great - and we took away some great pointers and ideas.
Jennifer T.
Booked the class
Breadmaking 101
with Chef Jesse
in Naperville (Downtown)
Great class
James B.
Booked the class
Fresh From The Field
with Chef Jesse
in Naperville (Downtown)
Fun informative!
Evan T.
Booked the class
Anniversary Dinner With the Chef
with Chef Jesse
in Naperville (Downtown)
This was an excellent class. Our instructor was very helpful, kind, and knowledgeable. The food was also delicious. Left this class with a full stomach and equally enriched mind.
Deborah L.
Booked the class
The Power of Homemade Pasta
with Chef Jesse
in Naperville (Downtown)
We had so much fun. It was a great class and the food was great!
Abraham A.
Booked the class
Romantic Tuscan Menu - Date Night
with Chef Jesse
in Naperville (Downtown)
The class was fun and amazing! The environment was warm and welcoming, and I learned a ton from our chef mentor! Definitely would try again!
Brad G.
Booked the class
Summer Grilling
with Chef Jesse
in Naperville (Downtown)
Great meal. Great experience.
Christine T.
Booked the class
Cook Italian - Family Fun
with Chef Jesse
in Naperville (Downtown)
Our Chef Wendy was excellent! She worked with adults and kids and everyone was engaged and enjoyed themselves. The only reason I did not give the experience 5 stars is because while we were listening to Chef Wendy, the assistants were cleaning pots and pans and utensils and their noise disrupted hearing our Chef. Chef Wendy deserves five stars.!!
Tyler .
Booked the class
Cook Italian - Family Fun
with Chef Jesse
in Naperville (Downtown)
TJ had a great time. He was able to understand Thank you very much!
Brianna K.
Booked the class
From-Scratch Pasta
with Chef Jesse
in Naperville (Downtown)
Great
Michael M.
Booked the class
Parisian Bistro Delights for Two
with Chef Jesse
in Naperville (Downtown)
Fun class. Chef was very friendly, gave clear instruction. Food was delicious. Will do again!
Jill S.
Booked the class
Flavorful Handmade Italian Pasta
with Chef Jesse
in Naperville (Downtown)
I enjoyed that the chef was knowledgeable and continually gave helpful tips throughout the class. I also loved how intimate with hands on experiences and choices. I was disappointed that we didn’t get the recipe of all the dishes we made.
Marianne D.
Booked the class
Latin American Dining - Date Night
with Chef Jesse
in Naperville (Downtown)
We really were looking forward to this event. Unfortunately, we were disappointed. There wasn't much "instruction" (chef did it himself or said mince that without instruction and didnt provide tips on best way to peel garlic as one example), resident chef speech was difficult to understand, did not introduce
new tools that could have provided more sales in the store. We had to ask for a food mover, for instance. The empanadas were undercooked and steak not made to our requested doneness. We had to eat standing up and not even a linen napkin but a flimsy cocktail napkin. Did not encourage team camaraderie to make it a more fun experience. Can you call him a chef when he is still in school? Definitely an experienced chef would have been ideal. The food was good and event space was pleasant.
VIKTORIIA K.
Booked the class
All About Pasta-Making
with Chef Jesse
in Naperville (Downtown)
My husband and I recently attended a cooking class led by Chef Justin, and while we appreciated his wide knowledge and the overall enjoyment of the class, we left feeling disappointed for a few reasons.
First, we found it frustrating that we had to share our cooking table with other participants. This made it challenging to fully engage in the cooking process. Additionally, we were only given the opportunity to make one pasta dough collectively, which didn’t allow each of us to have our own hands-on experience. We believe that having individual stations would greatly enhance the learning process.
Moreover, much of the food, like sauces, was pre-prepared by the chef. While we enjoyed learning about the techniques, we missed out on the practical experience of cooking those items ourselves. It felt more like a demonstration rather than an interactive cooking class.
Overall, while we appreciated Chef Justin’s expertise, the format of the class didn’t meet our expectations for a hands-on experience. We hope future classes will offer more opportunities for individual participation and cooking.
Jill & Chuck R.
Booked the class
Big City Steakhouse - Date Night
with Chef Jesse
in Naperville (Downtown)
Meal overall was good - the other participants were into it, however, our chef could've brought more energy - like she liked her job. We were all fun and ready to enjoy the experience.
Gabrielle H.
Booked the class
Sushi Making 101
with Chef Jesse
in Naperville (Downtown)
Went for a sushi class. Instructor was horrible and didn’t even know how to roll sushi. Taught us to roll the seaweed long ways instead of short ways so our rolls were huge and totally incorrect. We will not be back.
Jerry M.
Booked the class
Timeless Irish Flavors - Date Night
with Chef Jesse
in Naperville (Downtown)
Chef Justin was not our chef. The experience was not to bad, except we had a lot of Nats at our table, and a few got in our flower.
Rebecca P.
Booked the class
Homemade Pizza Workshop - Family Fun
with Chef Jesse
in Naperville (Downtown)
Chef was great! Food just ok, our group felt like we spent too much just to be pushing dough around. Couple of mishaps in the kitchen… small fire in the oven! Also not happy we weren’t allowed to take food home.
We ate so much with the other two courses we were full by the time the main meal was ready wasted a whole pizza. If I’m paying for supplies I should be able to take home what we made. Not sure if we would come back
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Reviews Chef Jesse received outside of Cozymeal
Anna
Amazing class. Chef and her assistant were wonderful! Highly recommend.
Micky
Great class. I learned a lot and class was very hands on.
Joyce
This was the first cooking class I have ever taken! It was very informative and I enjoyed the class . I will be taking more classes in the future.
Kathleen
We thoroughly enjoyed our class. The instructor made our class so much fun. The macarons were delicious. Looking forward to more classes.
Theresa
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.
Sharon
This was the first cooking class I took, it was great! Greg, the chef, did such a great job teaching the class. I'm looking forward to going to more classes.
Jenny
Loved the class! Chef did a great job teaching us these recipes. I can not wait to take more classes.
Jenny
Loved the class! Chef did a great job teaching us these recipes. I can not wait to take more classes.
Bob
Excellent class. Chef Michael made it fun and informative.
Jay
The class was really fun and informative. My girlfriend and enjoyed it as a birthday gift. We will definitely attend more classes in the future.
Anne
Absolutely loved the class. I'm an experienced baker and have wanted to make macarons. The instructor was extremely knowledgeable. I enjoyed the class so much, I'm considering taking the class again as it was so much fun!!!
Beverly
Fabulous class, food was fantastic and met some great people! This was my second class, I'm signed up for several others!!
Nicole
Super enjoyable class! Instructor moved at a good pace and food ended up tasting delicious! Will be back for another class for sure!
Kerry
I walked out with technique and confidence. I enjoyed the setup of the class and the instructor very much. Would take another class!
Aimee
Great class! So delish!
Sonda
Loved the class. I was able to make the croissants at home with ease. My family loved them. Looking forward to my next class.
Beth
Excellent instructor. Great hands-on experience. I was able to go home and replicate the recipes.
Lisa
Our instructor was super hands on - taught us some great techniques! Food turned out amazing. We were all impressed!
Kelli
I loved the class. The ladies I was paired up with were a little chatty so was hard to listen to chef! Before class I was very intimidated but after class I was I got this! Excited to try making fresh pasta my self! Great class over all would definitely take again!
Lois
The Instructor was "world class" with supportive instructions and humorous analogies. Considering taking the class for a second time.