Sur La Table Cooking Class

Review of Cooking Class: I took a lite Italian cooking class there in January and was very pleased with it. It was well-​organized and fun. Much of the prep was already done when we arrived which allowed us to focus on certain techniques rather than be bogged down by chopping and cleaning. We made 4 delicious dishes in the space of 2.5 hours. Wow! There are definitely things I took away and am putting into practice at home e.g. baking in parchment paper. I would definitely do this again.

Don’t understand all the bad reviews? Yes it was my first time here but I think our chef teacher Eric and his assistants all did a great job at our «Fish» class.
When you first get to your class they ask you to wash your hands and put on an apron and name tag. They had a plate of crackers and a red pepper hummus for us as well as use of their Nespresso coffee machine or cold filtered water. You then pick a cutting board, 2 people per board. The chef teacher went around and asked us what the last thing you cooked or microwaved… lol. Their was a few people who said microwave pizza.
We then gathered around the main counter to watch Eric explain how to debone a fish and properly filet. He explained what we would be making in our teams and thoroughly explained step by step what we would be doing. I had a great time and loved every dish we made. It’s a fun way to spend with friends, on a date or even by yourself.
I love cooking and I love eating, best of both worlds here!!!

*Cooking class review only* I took the 4 desserts class this morning and was not impressed. The instructor was unorganized; the group had to wait for supplies because not everything was prepped beforehand. As a result, the class was about 2 hours and 30 minutes long AND we didn’t get to cover all 4 recipes in depth (the instructor did not even instruct on one item and cluster the class into 2 groups of 8 for 2 desserts!). The class was also not as hands on as stated in the course description. With a full class (16 ppl), you are lucky if you even get to use the kitchenaid.

*Cooking Class Review Only*
I signed up for the Paella class at the Union Street location. Our group (11 people) were split up into 3 teams: one group was to make traditional paella, one group was to make sauteed chicken over steamed rice, the third group (ours) was to make a rice/​tomato/​artichoke casserole. The instructor was the only person in the room who had the written recipes, and we had to rely on her to simultaneously teach 3 teams making completely different dishes. Of course this didn’t work. Add in the fact that the instructor was also unfamiliar with the recipes, and how to cook them. Of the three teams, I think everyone ended up leaving ingredients out, because the instructor wasn’t familiar with the recipes, and was being tasked with helping 3 groups cook at the same time she was supposed to tell each group when to add different ingredients. At the end, our dish (rice/​tomato/​artichoke) was burned black on the bottom (we were told not to stir), watery on the top, and unevenly cooked (some rice was perfect, some rice was crunchy). The format was so weird – not being given the written instructions, etc. I was also surprised by how rushed Sur La Table was to get us out of there. This class was not 2.5 hours. It was 1 hour and 15 minutes! They do all the prep work ahead of time, so all we did was add ingredients to a pan and watch it burn (since we were specifically told not to stir).
I am heartened to read other Unilocal reviews about excellent cooking classes offered at the Palo Alto location, but I would caution others to avoid the Union Street venue.

COOKING CLASS REVIEW ONLY.
Let me save you the trouble by saying don’t come here. If you really want to go to a sur la table to take a cooking class go to the one in Palo Alto.
I walked into the classroom with my mom ten mins before class started. This lady who is apparently the boss of the cooking classes (brown short hair) gives me the «look» and the rolls her eyes. I asked her if it’s ok we come in. She says «no, we’re still setting up and getting the class ready.»
When class actually does start, we get settled, etc, and the instructor begins teaching however there were lots of times where we were just waiting for utensils and baking items (which the boss lady was supposed to prepare and set up apparently). The instructor kept on looking and re reading her papers (never happens at Palo Alto) because she didn’t know what she was making next or what she was putting in. There was one point where the instructor handed out cold, rock hard butter because there was none of the room temp left.
They also wouldn’t let just take any of the desserts we made because it was a health code violation. But I take my food home in to go boxes all the time at Palo Alto.
The only upside to this was that the class turned out to be three hours long due to all the mishaps and waiting and the forcing myself to eat all the desserts I made.
All in all, save your money and time. They don’t got their shit together.

Cooking Class Review Only!!! Bought a class on sale and was excited to take it on my coveted day off. While en route to the class (40 mins before the start of the class) I get a call saying the class is cancelled because the teacher is having car trouble but that they will refund my money and/​or reschedule me for another Wednesday. I call back to get my money refunded and am told she was in a car accident. While I truly hope the instructor is ok, I am turned off by their business practices. Not sure if I’ll try another course because of my first impressions. I definitely wouldn’t recommend it to others at this point. I would have been very, very peeved had I paid full price for this course and or decided to take the day off especially for this course.

REVIEW OF COOKING CLASS ONLY:
I was really disappointed by this cooking class (Macarons). We booked this class over a month in advance at $ 69 per person for me and two friends. A friend of mine was in town visiting, plus it was my birthday gift from my roommate.
First we arrived together (on time) only to be separated from one another. We purchased this class to take together, so that was disappointing. Then, we asked the instructor if we could somehow pair together and she bluntly said «No. We are working in teams of 4 like I said in the beginning.»
Her attitude didn’t stop there. Throughout the entire class, she was condescending and had a pretentious attitude. I’m certain she thought we were idiots. I’m taking this class because I want to learn, not because I want you to do it for me and have me watch. She did several steps herself and basically all I did was pipe the macaron onto the baking sheet. She acted like she did NOT want to be there.
Overall:
–Teacher was rude and unaccommodating
–Not enough supplies for our class, which means not enough interaction with actually making the sweets
–Not worth the price

This review is for Arielle, the main cooking instructor at Sur La Table Cow Hollow. I’ve now been to two of her classes — the knife skills class and Indian cooking class. She is a patient, knowledgeable instructor who is easy to understand and has a plethora of knowledge. I highly recommend any classes she teaches — her communication skills are excellent and she can answer most any question you may have!

***NOTE: COOKING CLASS REVIEW***
I purchased two cooking classes for my fiancé for Christmas, which we used last night for a sushi class. The quality and value of the class were terrible. The issues were as follows:
1) The teacher said we chopped too quickly so the class would be much shorter than usual — it lasted about 1.5 hours, which INCLUDED a 10 – 15 minute break after we’d only been there 20 minutes because the teacher hadn’t prepped everything in advance. He should’ve taken the extra time to explain his recipes and techniques more clearly but maybe he had plans later that night??? Not impressed with his teaching skills (his actual teaching time was maybe 15 minutes at most).
2) The teacher said he didn’t expect so many people (even though we had all registered!) and therefore ran out of sushi fillings extremely early. Only 1 of the 4 people sharing our spicy tuna got to use it and we didn’t get to make a California roll (as advertised in the class description) because there was no avocado or crab.
The class was definitely not worth what I paid for it, not to mention the fact that we have had far better cooking classes at other venues in the city (and for a cheaper price). I would NOT recommend cooking classes at this location.