Hipcooks

«Great Learning Experience, While You Eat, Drink & Laugh»
My wife and & I attended the Hipcooks Cooking School on 30^th street in San Diego last week and had a wonderful experience. Hipcooks has 3 hour long classes which have a variety of different Menu themes you can pick from. The classes cost $ 65 unless otherwise noted, and has a 14 student per class limit. This Hipcooks venue is a perfect size and makes you feel very comfortable, and relaxed. New classes are posted around the 1^st of each month on their web site,
. Class attendance is by pre-​registration only and there are No walk-​ins. What you will find at Hipcooks is a fun environment with hands-​on experiential learning, were they focus on healthy, fresh, organic and local foods. The class my wife and I signed up for was «The Cocktail Party «, which included a wide range of small snacks, hors d’oeuvres, and cocktails. The Hipcooks class staff consisted of Erin H, who was in charge of teaching all the Food menu items, and Aaron F., who handled all the Cocktail Drink preparations and instructions. And Jess C. who was running around all over the classroom assisting everywhere she could to make are 3 hour class more enjoyable. The entire Hipcooks staff was so professional, very organized, super friendly, and made you feel like you had know them for years. Hipcooks also has several new Kitchen Utensil items like the type you use in the classes for purchase. Also after the class, Erin H. who taught all the culinary parts of the class, and displayed an incredible amount of cooking and leadership knowledge, will send everyone in the class all of the recipes used in the class, via your e-​mail, If you want to spend a nice educational, tasty, fun, and relaxed evening with some friends and loved ones, then Hipcooks Cooking School would be a great place to visit. You will not be disappointed !

My boyfriend and I came here for our anniversary. I thought it would be fun to stray away from the typical «order and eat» style celebration. We did the Mo’rockin’ Spice Trail. We were daring in using the spices provided. It was nice because everybody got to participate and waft the steam to their noses so we could add what we thought was needed. With everyones input, the meal turned out great.
Pros: collaborative, fun, and delicious.
Cons: it was super hard to find parking for our 6:00 pm on a Friday night time slot. We probably parked a good 4 blocks away. I didn’t like how the spices were passed around for everyone to sniff. By the time it got around to everyone, i was hoping this wasn’t what was going in the food. Just uncomfortably yucky to me.
I would definitely recommend it. Its fun for all.

This place was amazing. I’m glad I chose cooking lessons as a valentines gift. Erin did an amazing job teaching the course and making us feel comfortable during the entire lesson. Food was also amazing, as well as the wine.

I figured we would all have our own stations and really COOK our own food. The experience was more like being in the audience at a cooking show. Shit was overly expensive to watch this boring guy talk about his cooking skills.
If you are going to be in front of a crowd at least try to entertain us and be a little less serious. Some humor would of gone a long way. Would of enjoyed it much more it I laughed 1 time. And 2 glasses of wine? Don’t be stingy with that.
Food was tasty though! Well the cake not so much but the chicken and pesto was delicious.

This was my first cooking class ever an it was given to me as a Christmas gift from my boyfriend. I absolutely loved it! Peter was an amazing host and chef. Extremely knowledgeable about the techniques that comes with cooking. The food was delicious and the company was fantastic. Definitely taking another class!

THEME: Una noche en España (One night in Spain)
DURATION: 3 hours
Here’s the breakdown of how it goes:
— Sign in
— Store belongings in shelves
— Wash hands
— Put on apron
— Class begins, introduce yourself
— Follow instructions
— Learn some useful techniques as well as interesting tidbits about food
— Eat and drink between preparations
— Mingle and converse with others
Roxana (sp?) was great. The class we were in was probably the biggest number they’d allow for a time slot (14). She was very patient with us. Yeah, we were all a bit chatty, but it’s fairly common, especially for a Saturday evening.
DO YOU NEED TO ALREADY KNOW HOW TO COOK? No. The instructor facilitates the process of preparing these delicious dishes. Through teamwork, everybody contributes through individual tasks such as beating eggs, stirring sauce, sauteeing onions, or the task I was assigned (preparing sangria). Rather than actually teaching us how to cook, the purpose of Hipcooks is to basically encourage and infuse curiosity in cooking fun and non-​complicated food that impresses others. It’s a different approach to high school home economics. Some people are more visual and/​or hands-​on in terms of learning, and reading long complicated recipes aren’t for everyone.
Just an FYI, many of these classes tend to be mostly female. My class in particular had only one male. Me. Although I contend that the male-​female ratio should never deter anybody from having a great time (because I absolutely did), it’s worth a mention for the curious.
If the price for it is a bit steep, take a crack at finding online deals for this place on Groupon.
For a discount or not, it’s definitely worth a try. Come hungry and eager to participate.

i finally used a birthday gift certificate from one of my besties! i just attended the thai one on cooking class last night with a friend and it was great!
i’m going to set the expectations for this class so people understand the way it works & there won’t be any disappointment or freaking out over sanitation.
there are no knife skills in this particular class & mostly everything is prepped for you by the staff. it is a group cooking class & group cooking style so you do eat things other people in the class have touched. for instance they do ask that you separate herbs from stems and the spring rolls we made as a group we all were able to roll a few, i ate a few that were prepared (thus touched) by others.
the instructors emphasize food/​kichen, tasting food properly, sanitation & hand washing and of course there is a sink and towels to wash and dry. they mention if you touch your hair or phone or go to the bathroom to make sure you wash your hands even if it means multiple times throughout the class.
if you are a sanitation freak or just weirded out by eating food other people prepare for you then this may not be the class for you. better you book a private class or a personal chef to come to your home or something.
i’m still alive even though i ate the food we prepared as a group (note the sarcasm*). if you eat out at any restaurant the cook may sweat in your food, maybe scratch or touch their face, anything you can think of behind the scenes, it’s a fact of life.
okay so end rant: we ate so much and learned so much and the assistants & instructors ran the class like a well oiled machine and at the same time it didn’t feel rushed. they we’re friendly and nice. we would learn/​cook/​eat at the group table and repeat for a total of 4 courses.
the class included the following foods:
— pad thai with tofu
— spring rolls
— green & red curry
etc., etc.
i think it was a unique experience and recommend it for anyone open to a group style cooking class.

So, this was a birthday gift for me. My Bestie and I attended the Thai cooking class. The instructors seemed enthusiastic and organized. We were instructed to wash our hands and get an apron. They use. dish towels for drying your hands for the kitchen and bathroom. You will see why this is disturbing with a group of 16 strangers.
We went through the introduction of ingredients, flavor profile etc. That was fun. Then the bowls of ingredients get passed around, people putting their hands in, snapping photos with their cell phones, then putting their hands in the bowl.
Instantly, it became a turn off. Cell phones are one of the dirtiest objects around. When my friend asked one of the instructors about the hand washing or asking the guests to refrain from using cell phones, she said she can make the suggestion but they can’t force people.
So we left. Part of cooking good hygiene, preventing cross contamination and education people about that. I was looking forward to the class. Now I know their expectation of cleanliness and I won’t be back. Even restaurants use disposable paper towels for hand washing or a hand dryer.

AMAZING!!! …and so much fun, too!
Peter was absolutely wonderful as our host and master chef. He was so friendly and knowledgeable. We loved the atmosphere and the others who attended our class. The quality and flavor of the dishes were outstanding! Even the ones I was skeptical of… Absolutely delicious! We can’t wait to sign up for another class!
Tonight’s class was Jamaican Me Crazy. We highly recommend it!

I took my boyfriend here for a cooking class date and we had the most amazing time with Roxana as our instructor! Absolutely loved her! My inner chef alter ego got to come out today. Anyway, this isn’t the type of class where you sit the entire time and watch the instructor do a demo, but rather everyone in the class gets involved every step of the way. The class sizes are up to 14 people and you end the day eating the meal you cooked with your classmates (family style) and some wine.
We went to the Pasta in Casa 3 hour class where we learned to make butternut squash ravioli, lemon ricotta carmelle, fettuccine in a smoked salmon vodka cream sauce, and rotollo with mushroom and spinach — all completely made from scratch. Let me tell you, kneading dough is NOT easy! But the work is all worth it, because eating that fresh pasta was like nothing else I’ve had. They provide all the ingredients and the cooking supplies… all you need to do is show up and be ready to learn. Everyone in my class was extremely friendly and we all worked well as a team. Everyone takes turns taking up a task — whether it’s running the dough through the pasta machine to mixing the lemon zest, ricotta, and mint, to grating the parmesan — you will definitely get the chance to do everything.
During the last leg of the class, we all sat at a nicely prepared dinner table and got to eat what we all made! There was more than plenty to go around so don’t worry about leaving hungry. Some of us even got to have seconds. And Roxana was more than generous with the wine and always kept our glasses filled. I can’t wait to come back for another class! They also do private events, such as bridal showers… hmm I might be back for mine sometime in the future!

First and foremost, I have never been to Hipcooks and I am certain a cooking class experience would be a great evening for any participant. My disappointment is purely with policy which, under our circumstances, I view as completely and inappropriately rigid.
Let me explain.
My daughter gave us a gift certificate for Christmas a while ago and we finally scheduled it. My wife of 32 years and I were really looking forward (especially given recent circumstances) to our cooking class date which was scheduled for 6 – 9 PM yesterday, especially given recent circumstances. Unfortunately, as often happens in life, my 87 year old father-​in-​law, who had been hospitalized for a week but appeared to be on the mend, took a bold and significant turn for the worse. My wife asked me to call and cancel our date.
I called and explained the circumstances. The person (who shall remain nameless) was appropriately expressed condolences but stuck to the policy of no reschedules. Please find their policy copied below.
«NO EXCEPTIONS!» says it all (note the exclamation marks). Having been a policy-​maker a good part of my life, I can tell you that every case must be viewed as unique and to stick to such a rigid policy, under any circumstance, is most unwise and business-​foolish.
I would highly recommend the policy-​maker at Hipcooks review this policy. I no longer have an appetite to have any association with Hipcooks and the persons who write rigid policy and then execute that policy without any deviation in a manner which is frankly heartless…
HIPCOOKS POLICY
«Cancellation and Make-​Up Policy:
You may cancel your class up to 48 hours before the class start-​time to receive either a make-​up number or a refund. (If you choose a refund, a $ 5 per person processing fee will be removed.) To do this, hop onto
and choose the cancel/​reschedule option on the menu bar. So make sure to save your Cancellation Code!
If it is past the 48 hour mark and you find that you cannot attend, you will still receive the class recipes but your money/​option to reschedule will be forfeit. Please note: You may always send someone in your place!
PLEASE DO NOT ASK US FOR EXCEPTIONS! We shop and prep for classes well in advance, so we cannot make exceptions to the policy!»

This was my first hip cooks class. It was «persian immersion.» Robin was a fantastic instructor.
The only thing I would be mindful of with one of these classes is time. The class started a little after 6:30p.m. We made three dishes and dessert. When your weeknight bed time is 10:00p.m., and the class doesn’t end until 9:45p.m., it makes for a long day.

Yesterday I took my friend to Hipcooks for an early birthday celebration. They were having a tapas class which is just our style. First, the class is all hands on, which I really appreciate. Also, is is much less expensive than other cooking schools in San Diego ($ 60 for a 3 hour class which includes a large dinner and some wine). The class size is small (we were about 10) which made it possible for everyone to be involved.
The classroom is warm and comfortable, and we enjoyed the variety of salsa and tango music playing as we cooked. We learned a few new techniques as we went through each dish, and also learned to use some new cooking equipment. The instructor was good at making sure everyone got to be involved in the parts they wanted to, and we got to taste some of the ingredients along the way.
The classes are like a little party… as we all introduce ourselves in the beginning, work together along the way, and sit down at a beautiful table to toast and eat together.
My favorite part of the tapas dinner we made was the olive oil ice cream and red wine syrup… something I definitely will make again!
We had a blast… and I plan to be back for another class in the future.
Oh, and they sell really cut aprons there!

Really cool class! Excellent experience! Amazing staff and super cool space! we did the romantic dinner for two class and had an excellent teacher. She was the kind of person I wish I had met outside of this cooking class so we could be besties forever. lol. Really great people. the food we made was excellent and I really learned a lot. I don’t want to be anything but positive and complementary for Hipcooks, but just so you know, there’s usually two people per cutting board meaning you’ll prolly have to share the cooking experience with fellow classmates a lot. I’m just saying this because if you go to this class alone, you should be prepared to meet new people. It’s a very social experience, which is one of the reasons I think it’s so great. I just think there are some people who want to learn to cook who might not be so social. Just saying. Excellent experience and I highly recommend everyone try it!
Also, the price is a little high ($ 60 for 2 – 3 hours) but if you consider the teacher’s time, the facility, and the actual food you use, it makes it a pretty good value.

Hipcooks in North Park was «as good as it gets». Of course a review about a cooking class needs to start with expectations. If you go to Hipcooks you cannot expect to become a master chef. There is just not enough time for that. The class I attended was geared toward everybody between absolute beginners and enthusiastic hobby-​chef. The absolute beginner learns how to cut vegetable and how to stir hot milk or caramelized sugar.
If you know all those basics already, well you still get your money worth. Just book a class that promises you dishes you don’t know yet. We opted for Spanish dishes and were amazed what Peter and Roxie came up with. I knew next to nothing about Spanish food except maybe tapas and Sangria. Here, we created ten different dishes, drinks included, in just three hours. I learned a lot and got great tasting food. We will certainly come back for more.

For $ 60 for 3 hours of cooking education/​entertainment and basically all-​you-​can-​eat food, this is a home run.
Bought a gift certificate as a present for my girlfriend (and myself, as I was going to go too), because we both love to eat (obviously), watch Chopped and other cooking shows, and attempt to cook, ourselves. We checked their schedule and both decided that their Thai cooking class called Thai One On (1 of 3 Thai classes they offer) had a great looking menu. And since we both love Thai, we signed up.
Got there a few minutes early, washed up, grabbed an apron, chilled out and walked around the small studio, which had a dinner table for 14, a main island cooking/​chopping station, a sink nearby, and a restroom.
Peter, our instructor, started with introduction, then explained what we were going to prepare and eat that evening. He went over a basic introduction to tastes and explained how the already-​half-​prepared ingredients in front of us fell into the categories of sweet, spicy, sour, salty, etc. We passed around each ingredient, like Tamarind, or Tumeric, and smelled or tasted it to really learn it individually. This was my favorite part of the session, as I do not consider myself an expert in any regard to seasonings/​flavoring, and this is a great way to learn how to use each ingredient.
We worked as one large group, getting basic assignments (i.e. — separate these, mix these, cook this, etc.), then after we finished preparing each course, we brought it over to the table where we all sat and ate.
The recipes were emailed to us the next day for us to try at home.
Definitely a great experience, and a great meal, with lots to learn and that extra encouragement which will lead to us cooking more at home and feeling more confident about it.
The class we took had no knife-​learning skills, which I wish we could have learned, but I see that they do offer this in some of their other classes.
It is by no means a sophisticated approach to culinary arts, as you do not go highly in-​depth into any aspect, but I mean that as a compliment, as most of the interest we had in learning was the big-​picture elements and the practical abilities to repeat these within our house, rather than in a commercial kitchen.
So I would say that if you have no real cooking education, like we were lacking, and you want some of the preparation/​cleaning/​selection elements to be done and chosen for you, this is a great experience which will allow you to be absorbing the information, tasting the food, feeling like you’ve contributed, and confident in attempting to further your cooking personally (if starting from bare essentials), then this is a great way to spend 3 hours and a dinner.

I recently had a wonderful tapas cooking class experience after receiving a Hipcooks class a Christmas gift. Right off 30^th in North Park, Hipcooks boasts a bright, lively environment and a clear storefront so pedestrians can peek in to see what’s cookin’. The «Mas tapas por favor» class had about 13 students, chef Peter and a an assistant (forgot her name). Peter was extremely knowledgeable about every dish, ingredient and cooking method. The cool part about this class is that we had somewhat free reigns if we wanted to adjust the recipes, add certain seasoning, ect. Peter made us all feel at home and was very sure to tell us WHY we were using each technique so there was a good amount of culinary knowledge being thrown around but in a laid back environment.
Here’s the menu:
Fried chick peas
Patatas Bravas with orange saffron aioli
Ceviche and mango salsa on mini tostadas
Jamon y Queso empanada
Stuffed piquillo peppers with quinoa y Manchego cheese
Red Onion and Olive Salad in Endive Boats
Beef and lamb meatballs in tomato anchovy sauce
Olive oil ice cream with red wine syrup
After spending 2 months in Spain this past summer, most all of these dishes seemed familiar — and the flavor of them lived up to the real deal! Peter also told us when to splurge on ingredients and when we could save by buying frozen/​canned ingredients. I was slightly disappointed when we did not make homemade empanada dough but instead used store-​bought dough (but to be honest, after baking them off I really couldn’t tell). I’d say the main drawback was that the preparation of the dishes was not done by all the students but each task was delegated to one of us while everyone else watched and listened to the instruction and specifics of the dish. I realize that this is probably the most time and cost efficient way for everybody to learn but it was definitely something I noticed.
Overall, Peter was highly engaging and for 60 $, the food and experience lived up to my expectations. We were offered rose and red wine with our meal and were followed up with a thank you/​recipe email. I would highly recommend this place for somebody looking for a fun foody night, date night, our fun class with friends. Check out their calendar — they have tons of unique classes offered throughout the week!

My husband and I came here for a Sunday Funday healthy eating adventure and we got, just that!
The instructor and staff were super nice and accommodating. We went for ”Endless Main course Salads” and let me tell you … It was endless! And amazing!
Peter, the instructor, had us very involved from start to finish of creating 6 amazing salads. My husband isn’t very adventurous when it comes to food (more of a meat and potatoes kind of guy) but let me tell you how much he loved every dish we made.
I read past reviews complains about ‘doing chores and having to cut up food’ and ‘not having a glass of wine the minute you walk through the door.’ I disagree a 100%. The staff is trying to teach you to use a $ 125 knife to cut and chop up your creation. Who wants to be tipsy and sit out on that! Nobody.
We are already planning our next Hipcooks class! I highly recommend everyone To try it!

Overall I had a nice time with my husband here (some friends got us a class as a wedding gift). The staff was nice and the food was EXCELLENT.
We did the paella class: marinated octopus salad, seafood paella, chicken-​chorizo paella and natilla with orange-​red wine reduction. Super tasty stuff, especially the paellas and the octopus appetizer. I can’t wait to make it all at home ASAP, especially now that I know that it’s possible to get that crispy paella crust in a non-​stick pan. (Who knew?!)
However, I agree with Juliana P. that there were some misses with the class that bugged me. In the spirit of constructive criticism, here are a few suggestions for improvement:
The biggest thing is that there should be a welcome drink. Getting your guests a drink upon arrival is, like, Hosting Events 101. I totally understand that they don’t want people to go overboard, but they are incredibly stingy with the wine. I’m not a boozehound by any stretch, but it was almost awkward how little wine was flowing. I probably had less than the equivalent of one glass over a three-​hour period… and the first tiny pour wasn’t served until about an hour into the class).
Water and iced tea are available too, but they weren’t actually offered up until I asked. Anyway, one of my favorite cooking class places often does a simple wine and cheese or crudite course to start. It’s welcoming and I appreciate that.
My other gripes are more minor. The cooking is a group effort, so it’s not as hands-​on as you might expect. I got to do a ton of the actual stirring and cooking, while some people didn’t get to do much at all. If I hadn’t been doing anything I would’ve been pretty bored just watching. And they should really get enough stools for everyone. They might not fit around the table perfectly, but I think they should at least be available.
So there are some issues that could easily be fixed (and I hope they address them), but the food definitely made me a fan of this place.

Came here with a co-​worker for Turning Japanese night. Perhaps I was confused in how part of it was advertised, or didn’t look into it that much. My co-​worker had wonderful experiences in Oregon doing this, and I will note that our experience wasn’t TERRIBLE, just not worth the cost or time spent. I was SO excited beforehand in anticipation and looking at tons of classes on their list to do in the future, but I don’t think I’ll go back.
Aside from some annoying classmates (I know I can’t hold this against Hipcooks), there were four big misses from my expectations to how things really played out.
1. This matters the least, but, you basically crowd around this big counter and all get assigned different chores. I imagined for the price that groups would be at their own cooking stations learning to prep and cook from beginning to end. Most was pre-​done or done by someone else in the class.
2. They say they serve drinks with the meal – if you count thimbles of beer. I understand not wanting to get people intoxicated, but for the price, at least one beer would have been appreciated. Everyone kept asking, and they were pretty rigit on this point. It is NOT a «happy hour» like activity. (Despite some instructors ripping sake shots in the back).After a while I could have really used a drink…
3. BECAUSE we barely ate for the first two hours and then were stuffing our faces at the end with left over food. The appetizers were the least appealing part of the meal and we spent the largest portion of time on them – maybe they should have these (simple) appetizers pre-​made for people to enjoy as class gets kicked off and let people mingle. This would make it less awkward AND hunger inducing. I imagine, despite their warnings, class always starts late because there is rough parking and traffic in this area. The main reason I can’t go again is because I’d probably actually die of hunger building up to the meal.
4. Classes should not be listed as vegetarian, vegan friendly unless there are substitutions FOR EVERY DISH. Or they should charge less. I felt horrible for my friend who came along (after being told she could be accomodated) and literally ate cucumber rolled in cucumber for one course and nothing for others. It wasn’t bad, it just isn’t a $ 60 meal or experience.
The teachers were really nice and friendly. I actually really enjoyed them in our one on one conversations. I just feel the place needs to advertise what the experience is more clearly. Obviously other people LOVED it (some said they had come several times). Hint: they were also the annoying people in the class.