Tspoons

…so happy that I’ve also been able to participate in the «Parent + Me» classes with my kids… They had so much fun! Each class was different — no recipes were repeated… I cannot say enough great things about TSpoons! Check them out, if you haven’t already — you will not be disappointed! Thanks, T & Danielle (+Maria)! Can’t wait for the next event!

Just attended the Parent and Teen cooking class and it was wondeful. The recipes were age appropriate, wholesome and tasteful. The instructors were knowledgable, patient and very nice. We can see that a lot of care and attention went into crafting the kitchen as it is very beautiful, well-​stocked and pristine. My teenage daughter loved the class, and enjoyed the food so we’ll certainly be signing up for the next class. The perfect date with my teen — teaching her how to safely cook wholesome and tasty food. Thanks Tspoons!

Went to the San Juan Capistrano location with my boyfriend last night for the surf and turf couples night. I am truly surprised by all the 5 star reviews. I had one of the worst cooking/​dining experiences EVER. I would never come here again, nor recommend this experience for a friend.
PROS:
1. Clam chowder and bread bowl — the only palatable food we made.
CONS:
1. There was a HUGE holiday celebration in downtown San Juan Capistrano last night. There was absolutely NO PARKING. My boyfriend and I were coming from out of town so we were not familiar with the area. We were driving around for 30 minutes trying to find parking, and thus were late to class. It would’ve been nice if tspoons warned us about this event beforehand so we could’ve left even earlier than we already did.
2. I had no idea we were sharing stations with another couple. I had this idea in my head that everyone had their own cooking stations for a more intimate experience. I signed up for «DATE NIGHT» and not «COOK WITH RANDOM PEOPLE» night. They should make that clear in their website. I tried calling 6 hours before the class to ask about this, and apparently they only answer their phone during class times. (?!?) We are not living in the stone age anymore, you can easily have your business line transferred to your cell phone so you are more accessible to your customers.
3. No where on the website or in the emails that were sent to me did they say ANYTHING about bringing your own wine. First we were stressed out finding parking, then we came late, then we find out we’re sharing stations. I needed a damn drink at this point. But no, we had to give everyone else the evil eye as we enviously stared at them laughing, having fun, and drinking their wine.
4. My boyfriend and I cook often. We didn’t learn anything new about cooking. Everything we did learn could’ve been easily read off a recipe.
5. Everything was rushed. There were way too many courses to make in an hour. If we made less, we probably could’ve learned a lot more.
6. There was a lot of time waiting around for clean utensils, waiting for our food, etc. When we were done cooking we were all tired and just wanted to eat, but we had to wait for them to set the table, prep the food, pass out the food, etc. They need more staff to help them with this and the night would go a lot smoother.
7. THE FOOD WAS TERRIBLE. The shrimp we made was WAY too spicy. The steak was RAW. No Chef T, it was not medium rare or rare– it was raw. Half the table sent their plate back because it was inedible. The chocolate soufflé was way too sweet… and I have a sweet tooth. This would make anyone’s teeth rot. And this isn’t all just my opinion about the food, it was the consensus from around the table.
Not the experience I expected from reading their website and reviews. I wish I could get my money back.

I loved the experience. If you are trying to impress someone, did something wrong, or just want to learn more about cooking, this is the place. My boyfriend loves to cook and I’m mostly the baker so I thought this would be perfect since I really do suck at cooking.
So I bought a French class for an anniversary present for my boyfriend. We were to make a French Baguette, Salad Lyonnaise with Poached Egg, Ratatouille, Chicken Cordon Bleu, Pan Roasted Herb de Provence Potatoes, and for dessert Crêpe Suzette. Some of these things the chefs did to save time, like the Pan Roasted Potatoes.
Our French Chef and Chef Thi were amazingly helpful and there was a sweet women there who basically cleaned up our mess (my apologies!) I forgot what the French Chef’s name was but he was really funny and lively. Everything was prepped and everything was cleaned for us. It was really worth $ 69 a person especially when you eat.
After all my blood, sweat and tears, everything was finished and we were seated at the dining table to enjoy our creation. They do serve wine with your meal but you can always bring your own. The chefs would assemble and garnish the food while you chat among your classmates. When the food came out, it was amazed that I actually made it. It does not look like any crap I’ve ever made before and it was delicious. You will be full; trust me.
I HIGHLY recommend this to everyone. It was an awesome experience and I would love to do it again.

Chef T is so cute! She is this petite little asian girl with so much food passion to share. The company name fits her so well… get it… tspoon for teaspoon… a small measurement tool! So cleaver! She has so much energy and so patient with the group. It was my REAL cooking class and I throughly enjoyed it.
My friend Christina signed us up for the Tapas class. We made fresh ricotta to make the sweet ricotta tart (we made the tartlet’s shell, too!), mozzarella to eat with a beef steak tomatoes and basil, fresh baked french bread to eat with the olive and tomato tapas. The mozzarella didn’t work out the way we expected, but it was edible. We had so much fun just cooking with other people.
We just got some more vouchers for their new facility that is opening in July 2012 in San Juan Capastrino. It’s a tad far for us, but we make it a BIG night out when we do plan to do it. =)
If you find a groupon, livingsocial, or any deal… DO IT! Get as many as they allow you to purchase at a time.

We attended the Date Night in Spain class and Chef T was amazing! I had a lot of dietary restrictions at the time and she was able to accomodate everyone one of them.
Chef T will turn you into a cook in 3 hours. You will be in awe with your cooking skills. My husband (who doesn’t cook) was eating the food he cooked and said, «I actually cooked this?!»
You cook yummy food, drink wine, and meet great people. It’s a great experience.

Incredible experience! I have been twice and had a great experience both times. I am a novice (at best) cook but Chef T explained the steps where I could easily follow and keep up. She is very personable and friendly.
I did 2 of the date night options and I can not recommend them highly enough.
The first step to cooking a good meal is popping open a bottle of wine, so bring a bottle with you! No corkage fee.
A+ for Chef T and her team!

Classes fill up fast, and their cancellation policy is very strict. You have to give a one week cancellation notice, otherwise they charge you an extra $ 25 fee if they can’t fill your spot. My boyfriend became very ill 3 days before our class, and when I called to try to switch to another day there was no customer service — just an annoyed person who explained their cancellation policy with a condescending tone because I just made their day that more difficult. I was so upset I decided it was useless to get their help, and just find someone else to go with me.
I attended Sushi 101 with Chef T leading our class of 10 people. The classroom is a lot smaller than I imagined, and it can be a little hard moving around. The beginning of class started well, but what was organized instruction turned into a somewhat frenzy. There was a lot of running around by the staff. Chef T is very knowledgeable in the basics of sushi, and had a lot of good advice. But when it came to giving advice on technique, she wasn’t very patient. It could have been because she was trying to yell over everyone’s talking to give instructions; either way I didn’t like the feeling of my impatient mother teaching me.
All our ingredients were prepared for us — measured, sliced, etc. All we had to do was the fun part — cook! We learned how to make mixed tempura, california roll, spicy tuna hand roll, and baked salmon and scallop sushi roll. Throughout class we were treated to endless sake. It was nice to meet new people, drinking & cooking.
The food was surprisingly good. I LOVE sushi, and I never thought basic sushi like a california roll or a spicy tuna hand roll could be so delicious. It really is true that food you create yourself tastes the best. It’s also nice that they email you the recipes from the class menu.
I enjoyed meeting new people whilst eating really good food, but the whole experience is overshadowed by the customer service and disorganized class.

Came here again for another cooking class, yes folks, it’s that good here!
We made: Soupe de Poireaux et Pomme de Terre (Leek Potato Soup), Tarte aux Fruits de Mer et au Citron (Seafood Tart), Poulet Cocotte Grand Mere (Braised Chicken with Bacon, Lardon, Mushroom), Apple Tarte Tatin.
We had a pretty rowdy class. It’s what happens when you have plenty of 50+ year olds with 4 bottle of wines. Thank goodness our Frenchman Chef Dominque put an end to that! Anyways, thanks again T for a great time, I do wish you a smooth transition when you move to a new location this year, can’t wait to eat in a dining room again! :)

T-​Spoons makes for an awesome date night. If any of you male Unilocalers are in the dog house, i suggest making some reservations. It like a get out of jail free card.
The first thing that i noticed about T-​Spoons is the area that its in. Your in middle of a residential street in Ladera Ranch, yet all the houses have businesses in the front of them. It was new and kind of cool.
As soon as you enter the front room, you are greeted to about 8 workstations that accommodate 4 people each. That means that you will be sharing a workstation with another couple. Be ready to put your friendly face on, otherwise your in for some awkwardness.
The little lady and I took the dessert making class, if you have a sweet tooth, this is the class for you. We made crème puffs, a meringue, cheesecake and a lava cake. It was all so damn tasty. Chef T and her sous chef Dominic are great. They walk you through everything step by step and really take the time to make sure you understand what you are doing and the reason behind it. They are funny and make you feel right at home. The best part of the whole class is eating while cooking, i felt like a little fatty the whole day, but it was so so so tasty. I highly recommend anyone to take a class at T-​Spoons. They have a variety of beginner and intermediate classes that appeal to a very wide spectrum. I myself would love to go back and partake in a few other classes.
In short, i highly recommend it and suggest saving this one for when your really in the poop my fellow Unilocalers.

I came here because I bought a Groupon and I was looking for some specific classes to learn a few things that I didn’t know. It turns out that I know more that I thought I did.
I attended the Seafood 101 course.
The menu for the night was:
Fish and Chips
Mussels in coconut milk and lemongrass
Angelhair pasta and shrimp scampi
Pan Seared Scallops Provencal
The recipes are simple and easy for a novice or even the casual cook. I was hoping for more complex recipes and techniques. The good thing for me is using someone else’s kitchen to practice cooking and not have to clean.
The classes are small, there’s 2 instructors, so there’s plenty of attention and assistance for any potential kitchen nightmares or fires.
Bring alcohol; take advantage of no corkage. Glasses are provided. It definitely helps between recipes or during instruction while you’re waiting to cook.
Chef T is enthusiastic and a great instructor.

Completely AWESOME experience!
I’m far from being a cook, baker or do anything creative. It seems like that part of my brain is totally out of commission. I actually surprised myself when I signed up for their Cake and Cupcake Decorating for beginners class. Don’t get me wrong, I’m completely interested in the idea of being good in the kitchen, but I have no idea where to start. I figured this would be a good way to start since I love sweets and the idea of being creative while decorating the creations I attempt to make.
A friend and I had signed up for this class together, so we met in front of Tspoons a few minutes before the class started. Tip, get here a few minutes early since classes start right on time. Chef T opened her doors promptly at 2pm. This particular class lasted 3 hours and cost $ 69, but it was well worth every penny! Also, classes seem to fill up fast, so register about a month in advance!
Chef T and her staff are completely awesome, very professional and kind. They show you hands on how to create your creation, one on one guidance and are very helpful. In the kitchen, they have huge tables that let 4 people work comfortably on. Maria, the «housekeeper», will walk around and clean the tables between our creations so ingredients don’t get mixed and we (the customers) don’t have to worry about dirty dishes. Awesome!
In today’s Cake and Cupcake Decorating class, we learned how to make professional/​wedding cake type flowers. Three different kind of flowers actually. One was made out of marshmallows, another out of candy and another out of this special type of dough (can’t remember the exact name now) that they use to make flowers on wedding cakes. It was SO fun! We got to use these to decorate two small cakes and one cupcake. Totally great experience for me and actually got me interested in doing more cooking or baking! And, yes, you get to eat what you make too in class or be able to take it home with you.
Overall, I totally recommend this place! It’s a perfect spot for dates, anniversaries, birthdays, fun girls day out, or just for a learning experience. After scanning their class list, I noticed they offer almost every kind of class you could ask for — from sushi making, to cake decorating, to learning to cook seafood, to learning to make a romantic dinner. Tspoons is for anyone and everyone! Go check them out!
Cheers!

Great for Date Night… I’m trying to get my Mom and sisters to go. they need to learn how to cook!

My wife and I had a great time here! If you come as a party of 4, you can have your own cooking table for yourself. The place is beautiful and the chefs do a good job of giving you tips on how to improve your techniques or what to look for when cooking that particular dish. We made French cuisine and we ate our meal on the front porch (which was surrounded with flowers and beautiful atmosphere as well). Be sure to bring your own wine — no corkage fee or anything like that. I will be back for their other class options, for sure.

I cannot explain how much I love this concept and specifically this place.
Totally recommend it for: special dates, anniversaries, birthdays for people who like cooking, even team building
Excellent welcoming staff that very genuinely make you feel like you have the potential for learning to be a grand chef. I mean we made Maine style crab cakes, chocolate and strawberry stuffed french toast, baked sausage manicotti, quiche lorraine, and meyer lemon raspberry meringue tarts. I never would have done these on my own but they took out all of the the intimidation and made it fun.

me, justin b., tawin k., and kristin a. attended the «Classics from Around the World» class ($ 69 regular price) hosted by Chef T. and it was a super fun experience! i had never attended a cooking class before so i wasnt sure what to expect since im pretty much a novice in the kitchen haha. classes start promptly at 6pm and tspoons is located in a commercial zoned neighborhood so be careful of all the roundabouts in the area haha. you can bring your own wine to drink during class. our class was 16 people total and you work at tables of 4 to get your food cooked.
i had some preconceived notions that we were going to do everything to make our meal so i was kinda disappointed to see that all ingredients had already been pre-​chopped and pre-​measured out for us, essentially leaving us the only job of mixing everything together in a pot and cooking haha. however all the recipes seemed easy enough to re-​create at home so even if we had to do all the prep work and clean up, i felt confident enough that it would turn out just as well on my own.
menu for the night were chicken potstickers, moroccan chicken, paella, pasta carbonara, and apple strudel. i thought we would have a real sit down meal with all the courses being served at once, but we ate as each dish was completed which probably worked out better anyway or else we would have had our dinner at like 9pm haha. all the dishes were super delicious and i left the class with tons of leftovers haha.
attending a Tspoons class is a fun and different way to spend the evening. Chef T. may be a little strict at the beginning since she has to be to keep everyone on track haha… but as the evening progressed, she was super friendly and helpful to our table. i would most definitely come back to take another tspoons class and learn more recipes!

My boyfriend & I came here for their «Date Night: Pre-Valentine’s» cooking class. It was a really unique experience that we both enjoyed so much ! :) I personally enjoy cooking & watching the Food Network. My bf, like most guys in the class, looked skeptical at first, but I can tell they ended up having fun haha. Just pick the types of food they would like, and they’ll be super happy.
Their date night classes are usually about $ 120 per couple, but we had a groupon for $ 39 per person. Amazing deal, especially for college students like us, but I would say the class is worth the actual price too.
They have a calender on their website that lists what kind of night it is/​what type of food.
Our Menu:
Wild Arugula, Gorgonzola Cheese, and Caramelized Pear Salad
Roasted Cream Corn Soup
Crispy Coconut Shrimp
Bacon-​Wrapped Filet Mignon
Bacon Charred Brussel Sprouts & Herbed Mash Potatoes
Warm Molten Chocolate Cake
Nights with an awesome menu like this books up fast, so you gotta get on it. We were actually on the waitlist, but we were the next couple up, luckily :)
It’s in the Ladera Ranch Business District, which I guess is a really nice neighborhood of small businesses. There’s two «round-​abouts» in the neighborhood, so it could get tricky, but just drive slowly and look at the street signs. We came 10 minutes early, but they had everyone hang out on the front porch. They invited us in right at 6p.m. as scheduled. (Ended a little after 9).
It’s a small class, 4 tables, 2 couples at each table. It was group-​work at your table which turned out to be really good. The couple across from us was nice. Every dish is made from scratch, which is not what I’m used to, sadly. I believe there was a chef, sous-​chef, and the owner? They gave us an introduction and some really helpful tips, and then we started on our own. They came around a lot to give us more tips and make sure we were doing everything correctly (we had the recipe/​instructions list for the items). We were encouraged to do tastings of our food along the way so that every seasoning was right. Everything was served to us at the end as if we were dining in as well. The chef served us everything in order. The salad, then the soup, then the appetizer, then the main entrée and dessert.
You can bring your own bottle of wine to drink the entire time, but they serve their own house wine for you. They also provide iced tea/​water, and coffee/​tea for dessert.
I’m just surprised at how well our dinner turned out. You had to make sure you waited in between ingredients, stir a certain way, add the right amount of seasoning, cook at a different heat, etc. The chefs and stuff were really professional, helpful, and kinda funny.
P.S.
Although cleaning up is part of the cooking experience, they left that part out for us so we could truly enjoy ourselves. They had a helper come around every so often to wipe up our table when we were being messy and put away the things we don’t need anymore. It was really nice !
You don’t have to be a «couple» to go. They have non-​date/​casual nights too. I think this would be fun to do with a bunch of your friends too.
Yayyy for a good start to my weekend :)

Came back for a second class over the weekend and had a blast!
Here’s what we made in our Cooking with Herbs and Spices class:
Lemongrass Chicken Soup
Indian Vegetable Curry
Herb + Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin
Herb Roasted Potatoes
Lavender infused Crème Brulee
My favorites were the pork tenderloin and crème brûlée. I would highly recommend a cooking class to anyone, even if you’re not a whiz in the kitchen. Chef T. is great about walking you step-​by-​step through the process and offering helpful tips about the cooking process. Fun thing to do with friends or for a birthday.

What can I say that Beverly T. hasn’t already said? First of all, you’ll be surprised at the location. Make sure you have your GPS ready. You drive through a beautiful neighborhood full of perfect houses with impeccably manicured lawns. Then you come to a street made up of businesses that look like they’re houses. It’s pretty neat. Ms. T renovated her house so that the entire downstairs area is the kitchen/​studio where the classes are held and she lives upstairs. The décor is modern, clean, yet homey at the same time. I loved the vibe.
Our group of 6 came here for my early birthday celebration because we found a great deal on Groupon (don’t know what that is? I suggest you google it, stat!). Our groupon was for $ 39, but each class is usually $ 69.
Miss T (the owner) comes up with her own menus depending on the season so that you can work with locally grown, fresh ingredients (let’s support small farmers). Look on their website for the schedule and what’s on the menu for a particular class. When we came, we got to make: Stuffed Artichokes, Risotto Primavera with Shaved Parmesan, Apricot Glazed Pork Chops and Vanilla Infused Panna Cotta with Balsamic Strawberries.
After you make your dishes, you get to eat your delicious creations! Everything was sooo delicious and easy to make. Miss T brings on different chefs to help her out with her classes. We got a bonafied French chef who had amazing knife skills. Seriously, who knew there was a «right» way to cut vegetables.
We all learned so much in the 3 hours (6−9pm) that we spent here even though most of us cook on our own on a regular basis. I loved that she encouraged us to taste everything and adjust ingredients to our tastes. She said all recipes can and should be modified because everyone has a different preference for how salty or sweet they’d like things.
She really allowed us to make each dish our own. We were so proud at what we had accomplished at the end of the night. I’d love to come back for her other classes! This was an unforgettable experience for all of us! Thanks T and Chef Extraordinaire.

I had the BEST time here. Not only was the food delish, but the staff and all around experience was amazing. Don’t be alarmed when you’re driving to this place. It’s in a neighborhood and it’s in a house.
My good friend decided to have her birthday celebration here. Our menu for the evening was:
An evening of spring inspired dishes to celebrate the start of the season. Come celebrate with Tspoons and new friends as we make and dine on Stuffed Artichokes, Risotto Primavera with Shaved Parmesan, Apricot Glazed Pork Chops and Vanilla Infused Panna Cotta with Balsamic Strawberries.
(Vegetarian options available)
ABSOLUTELY delish.
They use local and fresh ingredients. The encourage you to taste and really make the dish your own by adjusting measurements and adding other ingredients that may not be called for on the recipe. The best part was that everything was so easy! It made me start thinking about how I could modify the recipes at home.
We start off with a pineapple rum cocktail, cutting board, knife, mixing spoons and the evening’s recipes in front of you. Don’t worry if you get the recipes dirty/​wet from food prep. She will email them to you.
The key is to just have fun, allow the instructors to guide you and teach you.
The instructor said that there are typically 12 people in each class, but we were lucky to only have 7. There were 6 of us friends plus one other person who gelled really well with the group.
What a great place for private parties, showers, and family fun! The owner mentioned that if you are interested private party, it is best to contact her at least 2 months in advance. Depending on your group’s budget (cost per person), she will be able to work up a menu. So even though it says $ 69-​$ 79/​class, she’ll be able to work with something around $ 50.
Expect to be here for 3 hours. This includes prep, talk, and eat.
The one minor suggestion I would make would be to number the steps in the recipes. It was a little difficult to follow the recipe while monitoring food.
Highly recommended.