Sur La Table Cooking Class

They offer a variety of different cooking classes. I went with a group of girlfriends and we had a blast. They also give you a discount if you purchase the day of the class. There are two class formats. Classes are 2 to 2 ½ hours in length. You will be given a tasting size portion of all the dishes prepared during the class. They will also provide you with recipes for all the menu items.
Hands On: These are full participation classes. Students take part in practicing techniques and preparing the menu items. Hands-​on classes are limited to 16 people.
Demonstration: Designed as an observation class, participants watch while chefs explain and show recipe preparation and cooking techniques. Class is limited to 32 people.
The tasting portions are generous and you will be full when you are finished!

I don’t do much «cooking» these days, and when I do, it’s pretty much limited to Korean Neoguri ramen or scrambled eggs… mostly out of convenience and always being short on time and imagination. After taking the «Italian Date Night» cooking class as Sur La Table, I was reminded how easy and how much infinitely better and satisfying cooking actual real food can be!
Our instructor for the class was Erin, and she was awesome! She started the class by explaining the importance of mise en place («everything in its place»), a French cooking concept that is very important in the baking that I do, but I rarely use in cooking for some reason. Basically, all the ingredients and tools we needed to create our gourmet meal were nicely organized and set up so that each component was ready to go and in reach at the right moment.
My group (my awesome siblings) and I tag-​teamed various tasks from chopping garlic and herbs to slicing squash to whisking to searing, etc. The only thing we didn’t have to do was the dishes, which was great!
The menu we prepared consisted of a Zucchini, Squash and Fresh Mozzarella Salad, a Farro, Tomato and Olive salad, Rosemary-​Crusted Salmon with a Mixed Herb Pesto and an incredible Lemon Vanilla Panna Cotta for dessert.
There was literally nothing in the preparation of this meal that was out of anyone’s skill range (again — I am an adult who eats ramen) and it all came together fairly quickly. The best thing I got out of the class is the feeling that I have no excuse to not put on more effort in the kitchen.
My favorite dish was the panna cotta. There were a few different toppings that were available for the dessert and, shockingly, my favorite was olive oil and sea salt. Yum!
Some things I learned from the class: visual cues that your zucchini is perfectly cooked, how to hold a knife like a chopping pro and, most importantly, uncooked farro looks like pinenuts but should not be snacked on.
The class is a little pricey — $ 69/​pp, but the dinner and hands-​on entertainment and education value makes it pretty reasonable. I would definitely take another class in the future!

Recently visited for a private group cooking class. What a great team cooking experience! We did a three course menu that we preselected. The chef and his assistant were wonderful hosts. They were very responsive to questions, engaging and flexible to make the event enjoyable. Everything was provided to make the meals. We ate what we made which turned out quite nice. They did give us a 10% off coupon good for 7 days after the class for using on anything within the store. They gave us a copy of the recipes that we made. They offer a wide range of public cooking classes.
I did browse around the store afterwards. Personnel were very helpful and willing to answer questions. The offer a wide range of kitchen products and appliances. Prices seemed competitive with any upscale cooking store. There were some nice sales going on at the time.

Reviewing the cooking class «Easy Meals for the Busy Cook,» gifted to me by the hubby this year for Christmas. (Est. value $ 70 for 2 hr class).
The demo kitchen is set up in stations with 2 – 4 people per for a full class. You get to eat dinner at the 6 – 8 p.m. class but they don’t tell you that ahead of time so I came already having had a light bite — wish I hadn’t.
We fixed four recipes, three meat-​based and one noodle. You can find out what you’re making ahead of time. I learned several good tricks (how to hold a knife like a pro, what kind of olive oil to cook with, how to get a good sear on fish) and felt prepared to tackle any of the recipes at home. Got a 10% off coupon to use within 7 days of class at the store, too.
The instructor (Sandy?) was fabulous and the two assistants were nice — helping us get four dishes completely made during that two hour period, even with a shopping break in the middle. I asked a lot of questions about terminology and techniques and the instructor answered them all well and clearly has a great culinary background. I didn’t realize how scientific cooking can be!

Just finished my first cooking class at Sur. the chef was great, very relatable. On the menu this evening as follows;
Arugula&fennel salad
Saffron Risotto
Chicken cacciatore
Tiramisu
Everything was hands on, with instructions continuing from our chef. Very basic. Even if you don’t consider yourself a «cook» everything was simple.
My only complaints would be that they had no ice. How do you charge $ 69.00 per person for a dinner, and not have ice for the h2o and the ice tea that you have now served at room temp?
Also they didn’t have any towels. Cooking is messy, I don’t care how good you are! And 1 sink for 16 people (plus the 2 ladies that were taking care of dishes) just doesn’t cut it. At the point where we were working with raw chicken no instructions were given on what to do with the cutting board/​knives that were used. Simple it may seem, but since we were also eating at our «station» with our plates sitting on our cutting boards it would have been appreciated if that could have been taken care of.
With that being said it was a overall good experience. It would be something I would recommend as a first date, defiantly different then the norm!

Note: This review is for the culinary classes at Sur La Table, not the store itself!
I recently tried out one of Sur La Table’s cooking classes. It was a lot of fun and went far beyond my normal culinary scope. It was nice having someone show me what to do and offer tips to correct some of my bad kitchen habits. The chef, Susie McCall, was very knowledgeable and helpful. My only complaint was that the class was divided into two stations, so we only had opportunity to learn how to make half of the menu.
We did the Bön Appetit: Classic Bistro Dinner. The menu consisted of:
Coquilles St. Jacques with Fresh Sorrel, Braised Chicken Legs with Mushrooms and Riesling, Potato and Celery Root Purée, Classic French Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette, Crepes Suzette
It should go without saying that the food was incredibly delicious, but really, it was! Who woulda thought I’d have a thing for celery root? The communication we’d received prior to the class was a little unclear though. It stated we would be «tasting» each dish, when really we were totally pigging out! There were 18 in our class and we made enough food for 25, easily. Everyone is given an apron to wear (and then supposedly return at the end, oops!). They also gave all the students discount cards to use in the store. Unfortunately, the cards were only good for 15% off on the same day as the class (which ended 5 minutes before the store closed), or 10% if used within 7 days.
At $ 69/​person, it was a little more than I had hoped to spend as this class was bought as a gift, but it was a fun & memorable experience for the whole fam so I really can’t complain. The kitchen setup there is perfect for a class this size, complete with TV monitors so you can see what’s happening on top of the stove from the other side of the room. I’d love to come back for one of the knife handling classes sometime.