Cooks and Books and Corks

After a great long weekend @ Napa, my wife and I finished the trip with a cooking class at Cooks, Books, & Corks. My wife cooks a lot… I used to cook and today provide more of a su-​chef aid to my wife. Prior to the class, I spoke to DJ to set the menu to make sure there are no allergies issues.
DJ and Kent met us at their beautiful home. We heard dog barks, and asked if they can release their dogs. Such a treat… four lovely German Shepherd that were with us the entire time.
Everything is very organized, clean, and very very yummy. But the highlight of this cooking session is the wonderful company of the two chef. It was a great way to end our Napa weekend.
I highly recommend this treat if you like to cook, drink wine, and enjoy the company of two charming people.

Our evening with DJ and Kent was the first stop of our Napa trip and it set an amazing tone for our vacation! Prior to our trip, I spoke with DJ who then emailed me to ask about food preferences, allergies, etc. On our arrival at there beautiful home in the hills, DJ met us outside and walked us through there garden where they grow a lot of the herbs and vegetables they cook with.
The evening started at 5pm with a Sav Blanc on the patio overlooking breathtaking views! They take all the pictures for you. They are both very warm and talkative people so we got to know each other pretty quickly. We then aproned-​up and headed to their chef’s kitchen (I could only dream of this in my home). They had homemade Brie with almonds and grapes to pick on as we worked.
We first made a pizza that we enjoyed in the kitchen while chatting. We then moved onto preparing the appetizer and portions of the entry (the protein was seasoned and mostly done prior to). Dessert we actually made from start to finish. Meanwhile they document it all with pictures and the vino flows! After your «hard work», they serve you 3-​courses with wine pairing while they discuss the wines and the winemakers, which they have a close relationship with. They also do a salt tasting and showcase the salt boxes Kent makes from scratch (available for sale of course).
Just as a background, I’m no master chef. I cook on a regular basis and host dinners from time to time. If you’re looking for an in depth cooking experience where you learn advanced techniques and prepare every aspect of your meal, this is not for you. This is more of a relaxed environment where you get your hands dirty and definitely learn new techniques… but you’re really there to enjoy a great meals that you played a role in and have a good time with good company. It’s pricy but definitely a worthwhile spend for the experience.

I am actually shocked that the one other review of this place only gives it three stars! This was an absolute highlight of our recent trip to Napa. DJ and Kent give private cooking classes in their absolutely gorgeous Napa hills home. Before we began, we sipped champagne on their balcony to take in the view. They actually have vines growing below their house from which they will soon make balsamic vinegar! We also harvested some basil that was growing on the deck.
When the class began, most of it was hands on. Some things had been prepared ahead of time simply because there wouldn’t have been time to do everything. Also, some things were prepared while we were working on more interesting things. It actually didn’t bother me that we didn’t participate in every single aspect — we were there more to have a fun and enjoyable cooking experience together rather than to learn every technique and do everything ourselves. I thought it was a really great mix of hands-​on and also having really delicious food cooked for us.
When it was time to eat, we sat at the table and they served us and provided wine pairings! Then we all sat and talked until it was time to leave. Kent also loves woodworking and we ordered custom-​made salt boxes from him which will hopefully soon arrive with our different salts. I would and will absolutely go back!

I don’t believe their website adequately represents what they do. It is not good value for your time or money.
The good:
the chefs take copious photos of the session and do send them to you right away. The do have a lovely view from their house. The wines served with the meal were good. They seem to be nice people. The salt tasting was interesting and helpful.
The mediocre:
menu items seemed disjointed and not designed as complementary. Also rather uninspred, except for the dessert. They spent too much time talking about themselves and not getting to know the class participants. The talking time should have been spent hands on in the kitchen. The appetizer was bland.
The bad:
everything seemed rushed. The chefs either would start or finish the items without letting you know it was happening. A dish of butter beans was almost completely prepared until we caught sight of it and asked, hey what are you doing there? Instead, one chef showed us ‘how to cut corn nibs off the cob.’ This easily could be done by a novice participant. The protein was spread with an already prepared garlic type spread that participants should/​could have made themselves.
They also sautéed kale behind closed doors instead of letting us add the oil or any component. This could have easily been done by a novice and should have been part of the hands on portion. They also would start to show you something and then just do it themselves. Example: pizza. She showed us a dough technique and we could have been given a small piece of dough to practice this ourselves. Disappointing: sauce had already been made, herbs already chopped. iI was nice that they ushered us in to the dining room for the salad –but then they closed the door to the kitchen and we heard much laughter while apparently they finished the meal.
Another example: we would have loved being called in to the kitchen to see the butterflied roast being carved, or to help with the plating.
The dessert was delicious and an accessible recipe, they did let us pit the cherries and every step of that. It was a shame everything on the menu was not of that caliber.
See also my review of the Parent company that booked this vendor, they are unresponsive. Don’t use Eptiourean of Colorado