Sur La Table Cooking Class

I purchased a large gift card for my 74 years old mother for Christmas so that she, I and her 25 and 14 year old granddaughters could take a cooking class. I thought a cooking class for three generations of cooks would be the perfect Holiday gift. Of the four of us, my
14 years old daughter is the most interested in cooking, and quickly becoming the best cook.
I went into the Scottsdale Kierland store where I bought the card to sign up for a French cooking class for the four of us. However, I was informed my 14 year old could not participate because they had a strict policy limiting cooking classes to 18 years and older. This is an absolutely terrible and short sighted policy. My 14 year old represents Sur La Table’s future generation of customers. Instead of furthering her cooking skills, and becoming acquainted with the store’s products, neither she nor the rest of us will take a class as I asked for a refund of my gift card.
I understand some 14 year olds may be immature (as are many 20, 30 and 40 year olds). However, there are many very mature teenagers with a true interest in cooking. If someone is not behaving will or acting safely, then prohibit their further participation in the class regardless of their age. A policy of blanket excluding them from cooking classes is both short sighted and unfair. We will not be purchasing any future family cooking classes from Sur La Table, and will avoid making any other Sur La Table purchases.

M fiancé and I took a cooking class tonight! It was so delicious and w learned so much! We highly highly encourage taking a class with chef Natascha! She is so full of energy and takes the time out to be personable an interact. Wonderful experience! Thank you Natascha for making our Friday night amazing!

My wife and I attended the Seafood Cooking class on Friday ⁴⁄₀₄. I have participated in other cooking classes previously which were good but not great.
The Chef Meredith Green was great, she connected with the class, was informative and made it a very participatory experience.
I learned an awful lot in two hours and had a delicious dinner as an additional bonus. I will definitely be back for future cooking classes.
Thanks to Chef Meredith for a great experience!

A 2 hr Homemade Cheese and Dairy Workshop! Seriously would you not be impressed if your dinner host served you homemade mozzarella in the caprese salad?
My bf signed us up, and I wasn’t aware of how much he dropped on the class until I saw the cooking class calendar. At first I had my doubts b/​c other classes I’ve taken has primarily been watching vs hands-​on. I’m hooked, hands-​on is way better than just watching food programs… The class was worth every dollar…
1. Hands on made 2 types of cheese, mozzarella and queso blanco or ricotta. Honestly I don’t think you can learn this simply by watching, how do you know when the curds have really formed until you’re sticking your face in a steaming pot? And squeezing the whey… when is too much too much, it’s not like you get feedback by just watching… ;)
2. While participants are actively working at our group stations, demos are going on… homemade butter is simple, crème fraîche I’ve always paid too much for. These are skills I can keep for a lifetime.
3. Our class was served tasty tidbits throughout the class, ie. freshly made compote butters on artisanal bread… and at the end, it was a huge hors’derves extravaganza… incorprating our newly made mozz, ricottas, butter… etc… that was filling enough we cancelled our dinner plans but don’t bet on that one.

Cooking can be fun, especially when someone else is doing it. It also helps to have kitchen assistants who pre-​chop, organize, and clean up afterward!
This is what I have decided after attending a recent class at Sur La Table, an event to highlight a few recipes from the Junior League of Phoenix cookbook Pomegranates and Prickly Pears.
Chef Dan was awesome — he worked the kichen area with speed and skill, preparing portions of the various recipies simultaneously. We could see everything he was doing in a large mirror and on two TV screens. Cooking, making jokes and answering our (sometimes ridiculous) questions all at the same time. Since this was a demonstration rather than a hands-​on class, all I had to do was sit back and enjoy each item as it was completed. While I am not sure if I would try to make any of the dishes on my own (crepes look very difficult!) I did enjoy the tips & tricks he explained, including how to slice an onion without crying.
As an added bonus, after the class he found us wandering in the store (my friend was intent on taking advantage of the 15% off coupon) and offered us a sample of a new cookie recipe he was trying out. Why yes, I’ll take two!