Hands On Gourmet

Attended a corporate event here and was surprisingly delighted by the open space, organization, and delicious food partially prepared by us and the staff. Everyone was very friendly and knowledgeable and we had a great experience, with leftovers to take home too! Apparently they post all their recipes online as well so there’s no note taking necessary. Would definitely recommend it as a fun birthday or team event. We prepared some Italian and Mediterranean cuisine options, but it’s great they have a variety to choose from.

Thank god this was not a «corporate bonding event»… but a birthday?
Why what a great idea… and better yet a surprise birthday party. (oh the look on georgie’s face… priceless).
The space is large and open allowing 30 – 50 people to cook in groups of 6 – 8. No one is bumping into one and other. The equipment is top notch and a blast to use… especially all of us frustrated wanna be chefs.
The sit down meal (which the table reminded me of Jesus’s last supper… althoug George was not crucified) was fabulous. The space is big enough so it does not get too loud and there is plenty of space to stretch out.
The employees there are warm, approachable, and fun to work with. All accouterments are clean, sharp, and ready for action.
Make sure to have plenty of booze and drinks readily available.
Free and plentiful parking on Illinois ave.
Highly recommend.

HOG is ridiculous. Their customer service was great. The space is absolutely gorgeous. The chefs are knowledgeable and a blast to spend the day with. When I was planning a team bonding activity for work, I had high hopes and they were exceeded on every level!

Great team building experience.

Our staff had a great time cooking Cuban food with Hands on Gourmet last week! I don’t know about cost since our HR Manager booked this, but we are a small non-​profit so I’m guessing
A note about the parking: Everyone had a really hard time and we started late because a lot of people were circling looking for it. Take advantage of their proximity to the Caltrain, the 22, and the 48 and TAKE PUBLIC TRANSIT! I biked and they were nice to allow me to put my bike in their locked storage room (I called in advance to ask).
We had time to just mingle and nibble on crackers, cheese, dried apricots, and cheese at the beginning. Some of the staff were already doing basic prep.
Once everyone arrived, we got our aprons (which we could keep). All four chefs introduced themselves and explained what they’d be cooking. We counted off to split up into teams, but did some swapping.
Here’s the menu we made:
This was all really fun! We were able to jump around and help out with miscellaneous things. The chefs did a really good job making sure everything ran smoothly, getting to know us, and teaching us some basic techniques. They have a point-​and-​shoot camera that’s meant for anyone to pick up and take photos (and the chefs jump in and do this as well). You can definitely take initiative and do more and learn more, or step back and jump around and take lots of photos like I did.
By the way, they also post the photos from that point-​and-​shoot onto a Flickr page for us to access afterwards.
The chefs were also great at taking what we’d cooked/​cut up and whipping it up to have beautiful presentation. It made us feel extra special about the food we’d made.
We passed around appetizers as we were cooking, and even though everyone got really stuffed on fried pork belly, fried yucca, and ceviche, we all sat down to a great family style lunch. They also provided boxes and bags for our leftovers, which there was a ton of!
The whole thing went from 11am (chef introductions around 11:30am) to 2:30pm, when they had to prep for another group about to come in.

Our company of 15 people had a super time at Hands on Gourmet. It was a terrific team building and fun social event. The whole experience from the first contact with Molly making an enquiry through finishing our dinner together was excellent. We created a menu with Stephen and thought about the style of the event, we had our company logo added to the aprons, plenty of wine and everyone had all a great time. Our chefs who worked with us that night — Dan, Byron and Paula — helped us, were funny, patient AND competent. Big thank you to them!
The space is lovely and the meal was delicious. Overall highly endorse the company and success of the event.

Came here with my team from Salesforce for dinner. The chefs that helped us with everything were very informative and fun! We had our own space to ourselves so we can have wine, dine and enjoy each other’s presences. We had Moroccan food, which was amazing, especially the bread & dessert, which was prepared by my team: p Definitely a fun experience if you are looking for a group activity.

Most corporate team-​building events just make me wish I had the day off instead of «building camaraderie» with coworkers.
This one was easily the best team-​building event in my 20-​year career as a professional. My coworkers and I had a splendid time.
Other reviews here offer plenty of good details about the experience. I’ll add that the staff is excellent & the price per person was reasonable, for a corporation — I think it was under $ 100 — esp. since you get a heavy-​duty apron to take home.

I was skeptical of taking a cooking class with such a large group size, however, was blown away at HOG’s setup. Each station was meticulously organized, allowing team members to freely work on their dishes without being overwhelmed. Our team chef, Rachel, was extremely helpful and hospitable. She guided us through the cooking process for our team challenge: gazpacho and croquetas de jamon. The facility was clean, which made a huge first impression. The stations were set up in a large, well lit room, with wonderful views of the bay. There was wine, cheese, and crackers set up for us to snack on before we began our team challenges, while everyone was provided with an apron (a keepsake). The challenge was simple enough to follow, as we all had a blast cooking with each other, and sampling the other teams’ food. I highly recommend HOG for team building activities with coworkers, or just a private event with friends and family! Thank you, HOG.

Great open and friendly atmosphere! Had a group of 50 break off into teams and compete in a friendly cook off competition. The most fun I’ve had cooking in quite some time!

This is a professional kitchen for anyone to come and make great food and not be intimidated if you don’t cook. They walk you through it! I was so impressed by their style, friendliness and layed back atmosphere. The menus were complex but they make it seem easy. We came for a work team building venture. We bonded iwith our team but EVERYONE had a great time. I learned a lot. (there is more than one way to skin a cat!) What better way to connect than with FOOD! I would highly recommend this for any group or company!

I attended my company’s annual event here at Hands On Gourmet; It was by far the most enjoyable I have been to. Hats off to the staff… Great Time, Great People, Great Food. Not sure if it gets better!
Noël Carter

Like the majority of reviews on HoG, I went here for a work event and it was great. The food for the evening was Greek-​inspired dishes and the HoG team was pretty fantastic. They were all very accommodating to our desires to keep the alcohol flowing ;) Also for our event, this place allowed for byob and provided a great space to test folks’ skills in the kitchen. I kept my distance from the grill, but learned a few helpful tips to take home into my own home. The food was all very tasty and there was plenty to go around too. The menu items along with the fun atmosphere really makes this place worth the repeat visits.

Went for a team building event.
Great atmosphere, kitchen, music, and chefs to help you out.
We cooked Cuban food :)
I would love to try other dishes…
Too bad they don’t have prices listed for the events up front on the website.
Wish they had individual cooking classes as well.
Sort of in the sketchy neighborhood…

Great team building cooking event, whether you like cooking or not. You don’t need to have any experience or skill at cooking as they have a chef at each station to show you what to do and then each person gets some hands-​on experience. We made appetizers (fried calamari and eggplants), pasta from scratch, meatballs and sauce, chopped salad, grilled steak as well as a delicious dessert dish. We were treated with a great cheese selection with wine and crackers as soon as we walked in. Also throughout the prepping process we kept nibbling on what we had cooked so by the time lunch was served we were pretty much full (and some folks drunk). Still everyone had a fantastic time; even for those who had never cooked anything (other than boiling water) in their life…

My department recently had a team building event with Hand On Gourmet and I must admit, I was initially a little anxious. My cooking skills are… well… virtually non-​existent. Thankfully, my mind was set at ease after the first few minutes. The food we made was absolutely delicious and it was a lot of fun to hang out with colleagues in a unique setting.
I’d absolutely recommend it for a great team building experience.

After wrapping up another eventful day and working up an appetite, my company and I headed south of Market for a lesson in cooking and team work.
While the idea of cooking for each other seemed a bit questionable, we were pleasantly surprised in more ways than one. Located in the Dogpatch, a once gritty working-​class neighborhood turned hip hangout spot, Hands On Gourmet awaited us on the fourth floor of an unnamed building down a long, empty hallway. All skepticism melted away the moment we stepped foot into the expansive, brightly lit kitchen. Smiles spread from ear to ear as we hung our coats and huddled around a stainless steel table stacked with cheese, crackers, wine and beer… lots of beer.
After making ourselves at home, the chefs welcomed us and offered an overview of what we would be making: a complete Peruvian meal. We were divided into four groups, each with a respective chef and dish to prepare.
Team 1: Appetizers galore! Ceviche de Mariscos and Chicken Empanadas
Team 2: Corn soufflé and ensalada Limena
Team 3: Beef a la Plancha, Papas a la Huancaina (my team!)
Team 4: Dark Chocolate Mousse with Alfajores Cookies
The result? A delicious meal cooked with love and team work. Thank you to the chefs at Hands On Gourmet for the wonderful experience!

Way fun company team building event in this large, bright, art filled commercial kitchen. We had 7 entrée station choices, arrancini, bistilla, tuna tartare, crab cakes, tamales, pad thai, and vietnamese beef salad. A dessert station featured italian ricotta donuts and chocolate mousse.
When guest chefs arrive, wine, beer and appetizers are neatly arranged and ready for your enjoyment. A customized hands on apron is also provided.
I chose a station for an item i wanted to learn to prepare. Our chef leader had prepped the marinated protein so we were able to chop ingredients and then pan fry the bistilla rolls. Spices were blended on the spot, and we learned about harissa.
We could help another group with a more complicated preparation, if desired, or just drink wine and chat. The chefs were so well prepared overall, if no one chose to assist we still would have eaten wonderful food in record time.
The hands on gourmet is a guaranteed great experience. You eat and mingle and learn cooking techniques you can revive on your own.
I was told they will arrange an event for 6 or more, perfect for a birthday or company event. I’d love to return, you will love it too!

We had a team bonding event at Hands On Gourmet today, and it was a blast.
Cook in groups while fun, knowledgeable, professional chefs lead you every step of the way. Then you get to eat!
Great recipes, great staff, great meal. It all added up to a great experience.

This review is long overdue. We had our company holiday party here a couple of years ago and we all had a blast. First you pick the type of cuisine, which we selected Moroccan. Then, you’re broken out into teams to work on the appetizer, main course, and dessert. The instructors are great, providing tips and training for lifelong skills. The kitchen is enviable, with a fully stocked pantry and refrigerator, and all of the equipment and gadgets you could imagine. The staff also chronicles the whole event via photos, so you can re-​live the experience months and years later. You also get access to the recipes of the meal you feasted on.
We all had a great time, bonding over food and enjoying each other’s company. Highly recommend HOG for any team building, corporate, or casual event. Two enthusiastic thumlbs up!