The Pantry

I took the Winter Greens class with my mom last Saturday. I got her this as a Christmas gift. I’ll start out by saying the food was DELICIOUS and I’m overall glad I took the class. I learned a lot of helpful tips and also was able to learn new recipes using greens I don’t normally cook with. The teacher was great — I liked him a lot and he was super encouraging and knowledgeable. The setting is adorable — would have loved to be there on a nice sunny warm day to sit outside and enjoy the food.
The only downside to it was that you don’t really get that much hands-​on work throughout the class. Our class made several dishes — risotto, collard greens, biscuits, bean & escarole dish, and panzanella salad — but all I really ever did was cut a few onions and rip a couple greens’ leaves up into bite size pieces. For the most part, I just watched other more aggressive classmates & the teacher cook. I really do wish the class was structured so that you each personally make your own dishes. I feel like I’d learn better that way and it would be more fun. Not sure if I’d take another class again — considering it was $ 80/​person, but I am definitely glad I tried it.

Took a class here. The content of the class itself was okay but slim. Around what you’d expect to learn from watching a good half hour cooking show. Five recipes, two of which were interesting and unusual, two of which were very pedestrian, and one of which was copied near-​verbatim from a cookbook. Very modest amount of knowledge transfer for a three-​hour class.
The cooking tasks were half done ahead of time, and half distributed among the ~15 people in attendance, so there wasn’t much hands-​on work, either. For the cost and nuisance of getting a spot in the classes, I’d expect something with more concrete value: practice with specific ingredients, techniques, or tools rather than just chopping a few common vegetables.
There were also quite a few people who looked like they’d never been in a kitchen before, enthusiastically but haplessly making a mess of food that would eventually be on your plate. There was zero feedback or quality-​control by the instructor, so people who mangled their tasks will go right on thinking they did things correctly.
The prepared food at the end was nice, but eating food we didn’t make for the last 20% of the time drove home that these classes are much more about being in the Delancey cooking class scene than they are about actually learning to be a fundamentally better cook. This felt like dropping the cost of a very nice dinner to watch a cooking show, spend 10 minutes actively cooking, and then attend a spartan party with a bunch of self-​absorbed strangers.

Update: 1.28.2016
The class was fun and the setting was really classy.
I went to a Badass Bartending: Winter Craft Cocktails class and Anna is a great teacher. The drinks were really interesting, tasted great, the lesson was fun, I liked the recommendations of types of booze. The reason why it’s not 5 stars is because you’re paired into groups of two. I went with someone I knew, so it was ok, but if you go alone or in an odd group, you’ll be paired with a either a teacher or a stranger. Again ok, if you’re cool with strangers. The problem with the paring is, if you’re with someone who wants to do all the mixing and shaking, you won’t get to. The class was 80+ and for that amount, I’d like it to be more hands-​on experience.
Also, the introduction took forever. Asking everyone their name, and why they’re interested in drinking a cocktail is a huge stalling technique. And there’s always that one person who loves to talk about themselves. To be honest, I don’t care about anyone else’s name, I just wanted to learn how to make something cool/​tasty. I would have a hard time selling this class to the C-​level people I work with. I’d suggest it, with these details.
To my Gluten Free Peeps:
The last bit of information, I am gluten free, it sucks, and I knew going into it, the I wouldn’t be able to taste all the drinks. No problem I get that. However, I had emailed ahead of time to ask about the snacks they said they’d provide. Great, they had gluten free snacks. Major problem, cross contamination. If you’re not first in line, then everyone is touching their bread spoon/​fork to the cheese and back and fourth. A GF person cannot eat anything that is gluten free if this happens. I asked if they could separate snacks on the side for me, which they did, after a discussion about cross contamination. Which is honestly, annoying. The person that was helping me, was very nice too, I have no issues with her, but having to explain the details of an allergy, is beyond time consuming.
FYI — It’s impossible to get a class. Have fun trying. I’ve been trying for 2 years now. I’ll change my review when I actually get in and take something. The wait-​list sucks too. Maybe, if you’re online at the moment the class comes open, maybe you’ll get lucky enough to get the class.

I love the Pantry! I’ve taken classes here for over two years now and truly believe they deliver the highest quality cooking classes. They are aware that it’s hard to get into classes, and they’re working on it! The best thing I’ve found is to follow them on Facebook, where they announce when classes will be released — so you can quickly sign up through their online scheduling system. The wait list also works, so if you really want to get into a class it doesn’t hurt to put yourself on it.
People may balk at the price of the classes, but you’re getting about 3 hours of instruction with carefully vetted instructors (some are involved in the Seattle food industry and can give you great insight), a delicious meal that you just cooked and two alcoholic beverages. All the classes are hands-​on and interactive. The classes are also very diverse, some are heavily technique-​based and some aren’t. The results are always the same — I go home with a satisfied belly and confidence to recreate the things I’ve learned in class.

I went with my co-​workers to a daytime cooking of Spanish Street foods. This place is a lot of fun. We began this experience and finished it with a lot of good cheer. It definitely does not feel like a lesson as much as a culinary experience with yourself in the front, cooking!
Our course with Spanish Street food was informative to say the least. We learned about the use of chilling the filling of pastry so it does not melt the butter in the pastry dough and deep frying churros without splattering oil everywhere. I was also surprised at how laid back the instructor was. And I’ll say this again, at no point did it feel like a class, as much as playing and cooking with friends. The instructors at Pantry really know how to bring the fun out of cooking.
In the end, the food was pretty good. Since the instructors provided the ingredients, prepping was almost too easy. This is the part where the instructor’s knowledge of ingredients makes the difference between good and excellent. Without their choice of delicious ingredients, the food would have been mediocre. The preparation and cooking does factor into the quality. But overall, the skill level of participants does not matter.
I think the Pantry deserves a 5 star because of how fun this experience was for me. I would gladly go back again with friends to cook something wonderful!

Took an Indian cooking class here which was informative and a lot of fun. The class pace was a little fast, but that way we got to see more recipes.
This place is tucked away behind their restaurant, but which their instructions they emailed it was easy to find. Parking was not (on a Sunday night) We had to drive around several times to find a spot.
The one negative was that the food was super spicy so I couldn’t tell if I would even enjoy the dishes if I made them again. I know it was Indian food, but teaching a class to beginner cooks I think they should have toned down the spice level… a lot.
The room the class was held was comfy, wine was offered when we arrived and again during the sampling of the food at the end. The instructor was informative and helpful. I would go again, but to a class that wouldn’t be as potentially spicy.

I love learning new things and was intrigued when I read about classes at the Pantry at Delancey. I signed up for the Hawaiian Luau class with Sarah Wong (she’s amazing, I feel lucky to haven taken a class with her) on a whim and I’ve gotta say, I’m really glad I did. I loved the class, but even more than that, I loved the location! The back garden walkway leads you into the kitchen of your dreams, well at least it’s the kitchen of my dreams! I wish I could spend every weekend in this community kitchen meets cooking school, but they sell out so quickly it would be impossible (not to mention quite costly). The cost may seem a bit high, but the quality of the food, knowledge of the instructors, and the amazing experience with Seattle food lovers just like you makes it worth it.

Have I not yet written a review for this wonderful place? We first found it from taking classes from one of the chefs at Pantry at our local PCC. She was an amazing chef and instructor and mentioned the dinners at Pantry. Since then we’ve been to several. All have been FABULOUS and we have met so many kind and wonderful people attending. We hope to get to more in the future. Pantry at Delancey, you have a wonderful staff! Your dinners make such a great date night out. Everything is so good. We just attended their spring dinner, amazing!

We came down for a team bonding/​work event for the savory pies class and it exceeded expectations! I was a little wary when we were told we would be out at Delancey for 4+ hours taking a cooking class. I really didn’t know what to think when they dropped that bomb on us, even though I had heard great things about the restaurant itself.
Brandi (head pastry chef) was awesome! She quickly brushed aside any doubt in our minds as to what the experience would be like. Her energy and passion for pastries and cooking shined through with her personality.
We were told not to worry how inept or inexperienced we were with making pies. She was right, there really wasn’t anything to worry about with the amount of good instruction and guidance throughout the course. Her team was able to monitor us as we made the dough/​crusts for the pies. It was fun learning about all the intricacies of dough making, pies, baking, etc.; not to mention the pies turned out to be amazingly tasty (didn’t know I was capable of such greatness! Well, probably 99% of the credit goes to Brandi and her staff).
Coming in not knowing what to think, our whole group was blown away by how much fun we all had. I would definitely recommend The Pantry at Delancey for anyone looking for a good time learning about food!

Did a cocktail class here the other night featuring Anna Wallace of The Walrus and the Carpenter. She has been in the restaurant biz for 10 years and really knows her stuff. This is the first EVER class I’ve taken here, and I really enjoyed it!
We made four different cocktails, and were provided with food pairings that Anna thought would be good with them. (They were!!) They gave us the recipes for all the cocktails we made and the food we snacked on, which I appreciated. Here’s what we made:
Pomegranate Champagne Cocktail — with gougeres (big cheese puffs)
Norwegian Wood (also with the gougeres)
Spiced calvados punch (calvados, lemon, ginger syrup) — with spiced cocktail nuts
Y’ule flip (rum, OJ, ginger syrup) — with lemon-​glazed pistachio-​cranberry shortbread
First off, I’ll say that the champagne cocktail (brandy, grenadine, prosecco) was my least favorite. It was a bit too sweet for me, but the great thing is that Anna really taught us how to modify the recipes to be more to our tastes: more or less sweet, bitter, etc. So I know how I could improve upon it, and I would definitely try another variation on it.
We also got recipes for making our own syrups and garnishes for the drinks we made.
The DeLancey space is great — there’s a huge table with plenty of seats (though sitting in those for 3 hours really made my upper back sore) and a big ol’ gas range/​oven to use for classes. It can be tricky to find, but they had placed a sandwich board out on the street so people knew where to go.
My only complaints:
— Everyone had to share a shaker/​mixing ingredients, which was ok for my husband and I (since we drove, we didn’t want to get too tipsy with 4 full drinks each) but possibly kind of awkward for singles having to share with strangers.
— For the price, I was expecting some ingredients or a shaker to take home or something. I have done similar classes which, though not quite as long, sent us home with a jar of pickled fruit, simple syrup, bitters, etc. That would have made this class even better.

I’m wavering between a 3.5 and a 4 so I rounded up. I think once I have taken a couple more classes (It’s definitely good enough to take more classes!) I will be better able to properly give this place an even more accurate review.
I came for a pork bun cooking class and had fun. It is family style, you get to know each other pretty well by the end of the night. They start with recipes printed and pencils for you to take your own notes. They do a lot of the prep work for you and then we work together to get the dishes out on time. The pace seemed a bit rushed, but I suppose that is to be expected with so many dishes. We made everything for the dinner, the pickled veggies, the meat, the bread, the fresh pepper spicy sauce, and the tea eggs. Everything tasted great, but a little too sweet for my taste. I think I would have preferred if they gave options for altering the recipes for different tastes.
Signing up for classes can be tricky as they fill up really really quickly, but I managed to sign up for a couple more classes (this time with some friends). I’m hoping to have more information so I can update my review once I have taken those classes.

I really had a great time here. I took a cider tasting class, I’ve been very interested in cider recently as I’ve found I have a bit of a gluten intolerance. There is a HUGE world of cider out there, far beyond the Angry Orchard and Woodchuck’s ect.
The setting was very farm-​style, warm, inviting and friendly. My biggest complaint was the HEAT. It was mid-​August I believe and an evening class but I was overheating, while wearing a skirt and very light shirt. The windows and door were open but the room is just behind the kitchen to an adjacent/​attached restaurant and I don’t think that helped any. It was difficulty to drink cider while feeling very over heated. The tall, long, wood table was beautiful but the metal, backed stools were far from comfortable. While I love the class and I would try something again (also I think the price was fairly decent $ 45 I think it was) I was very very uncomfortable the whole time, I had to continuously fan myself with the paperwork and I was visibly sweating… awkward. At least I wasn’t the only one. I’ll schedule during the cooler weather next time.

I’ve been on their mailing list for awhile now but I never seemed to jump on the gun quick enough when they released their schedule (it usually sells out in minutes!). After having pizza at Delancey (next door) a few months ago, I decided I had to be more quick-​acting and signed up for a summer fruit-​themed family dinner. What a delight!
We started with appetizers on patio (three different kinds and they kept replenishing the plates). It was paired with a refreshing sparkling rose.
A word to the wise: Pace yourself (on both food and alcohol as there is a lot to enjoy ahead of you).
After appetizers in the pretty garden, we had a nice toast and went inside where we sat at long (beautiful) table.
We enjoyed amazing courses (all centered around our theme of fruit) with delicious wine pairings (one local white from the NW and one Greek red).
I loved the pace of the meal (nothing was rushed so you had time to enjoy your food and chat with the people around you. It also built anticipation :))
We finished off with an amazing dessert and delicious coffee.
I’m glad we arranged a DD as we left full and quite perky.
The only thing I wish we could have done was have everyone say their name when we first sat down since the group/​table was quite big.
The owner/​pastry chef Brandi was super nice– The Pantry at Delancey is a great place to enjoy amazingly good food in a fabulous community atmosphere– what a great addition to Seattle.

Recently went here for mother’s day for the crêpe class, and it was so much fun for the entire family and so much good food.
It was a great mix of instructional teach and watch the instructor make and example of so of the home-​made nutella sauces and hands on of us make the crepes our selves.
We made a 3 different type of crêpe and vanilla crêpe with Carmel sauce and apples, a whole wheat crêpe with nutella, and a buck wheat crêpe with cheese and ham. All were amazing and something I feel like you can make at home as well. There was lots of food the entire time so go there hungry.
I wanna go back and take another class there. Very fun and earned a lot of great skills!

Love. Love. LOVE! LOVE The Pantry.
I was lucky enough to have a friend request that I join her in assisting one day over a year ago. Since then I’ve witnessed countless fantastic classes from Turkish, Belgian, Thai Street Food, Southern Home Cooking, Christmas Gifts, Halloween Candy, Rabbit is the New Chicken, Dim Sum, Malaysian Noodles, South Indian, North Indian, Eggs Benny, French Supper, Food in Jars, Moroccan, Summer Salads, Acid, Gluten Free Baking, Greek Small Plates, Fat, Savory Pies, Ramen, Cassoulet, AND Food Photography. You know, to take awesome pictures of all the fantastic things I can now make.
Wow that’s a list.
The instructors are always fantastic and the ladies running the show have created a fantastic community and conversation around both lost and new arts of cooking. The space is lovely and feels like home no matter what time of year! I strongly recommend attending one of their family style dinners! Not only will you make new friends around the big, wooden table but you’ll be spoiled rotten with tasty treats and flowing beverages!
I’m grateful to have found The Pantry, treat yourself and a friend to a class or few. You will leave satiated and satisfied!

I enjoyed my cooking class here and learned the basics of braising as well as some great tips. I would recommend for people to come, as you will certainly have fun.
My main suggestion, though, would be to modify the recipes so that they are healthier. For instance, all of our recipes were extremely heavy on the salt, butter, cream, and fat, and their excessive use actually detracted from the essential flavor of some of the main ingredients, such as the brussel sprout and lamb, for instance. It is really easy to make a dish taste good with fat, but in this day of promoting healthy eating (think Michelle Obama!), it would really be great to have a cooking class that teaches you to make delicious meals that are also healthy. And it can be done.
Regardless, I learned the basics of braising and modified the recipes they gave us to suit my own tastes. Thanks!

I volunteer at the Pantry on a regular basis, and I look forward to every class. Olaiya, Brandi and Paige are all super friendly and knowledgeable. The space is amazing, I always wish my own kitchen was as lovely as theirs. I learn something every time I go, from learning where the best place to buy a chicken (local farmer’s market), how to brine and roast… or one of my all time favorites was the Knife Skills class. Learning how to dice an onion in a quick way without tears — a useful skill that I use all the time. The food is amazing — roasted beets and arugula salad (with homemade mustard vinaigrette) or braised short ribs over creamy polenta. I also love that they bring in guests to teach various classes (usually following a recently released cook book).
It’s a wonderful concept, an inviting space filled with friendly people who love food as much as I do!

Chop, Sauté, Eat.
A variety of hands-​on cooking classes from cheese-​making, jam-​making, pies, thai-​street food and more. Sign up early or get yourself on a waiting list. These classes are hard to get-​into, and rightfully so. They are chock-​full of tips and are extremely interactive.
In my class, Thai Street Food, we learned techniques to clean/​grill squid, prepared fried chicken wings, a red curry, sticky rice, and betal leaf appetizer. Becky, our teacher, was meticulous, knowledgeable, and energetic. There were 12 of us that worked together to prepare this extensive meal from scratch. At the end, we savored the bites that we worked so hard to make. It was a 3 – 3.5 hour and very reasonably priced.
These clases make great gifts for both the amature and curious chefs.

The Pantry gets me excited! Olayia Land and her partners have created the ultimate cooking school and community kitchen.
In a cozy, white washed kitchen, entered through a back garden walkway, you’ll feel like you stumbled upon your own personal kitchen nirvana: enormous wood farmhouse table, vintage Le Creuset and catering size All-​Clad lining a commercial grade Garland stove, beautiful farm fresh organic food, and lots of smiling fellow Seattle food lovers.
Arrive to a glass of good red wine (why haven’t other cooking schools thought of this?) and look forward to being introduced to fantastic recipes and some insider locavore tips on Seattle’s best farm fresh ingredients in a relaxed and friendly environment. The Pantry at Delancy offers expert, relaxed instruction in one of the most intimate cozy settings you could imagine. Bring your appetite, because class ends with a glass of wine and a farm-​style dinner where you eat all the dishes prepared with your fellow classmates.
There is already a lot of buzz on this place, so do get on the mailing list. Some of their popular classes fill up within 30 seconds to 3 minutes of their posting online,
Real innovation is happening in Seattle fellow food lovers, and its happening at the Pantry at Delancey.

I LOVE the idea of the Pantry — a local space dedicated to teaching food craft and exposing folks to all the local, organic goodness that the region has to offer — and in theory it has surpassed all of my expectations.
The Pantry plays several different roles to further its basic mission. They teach awesome, yet genuinely unique cooking classes (Homemade Halloween candy? Cure your own sausage?). They have all-​evening family-​style dinners that show off various local foods. I heard they are even planning to source some homemade ingredients for Delancey’s amazing pizza!
My wife and I went to the Apple Harvest family-​style dinner last week and had a wonderful time. The food was amazing, and it was great meeting and talking to the other guests. I loved the soup (apple & celery, with some sort of pesto garnish — I never would have guessed that it would make a good combination, but it was delicious!).
We also volunteered to assist the pizza class (taught by Brandon of Delancey fame). My experience was nothing like j. m.‘s. Everyone who worked there was courteous and generous with their time. That said, teaching a cooking class is hard and a lot needs to happen behind-​the-​scenes to make things feel easy and seamless for the guests. If you want to learn the material, you should just take the class. Assisting is a nice way to see how the Pantry works, pick up some of the content, and build up credits to use for other classes or family-​style dinners. But I definitely wouldn’t recommend it as your first introduction to the Pantry. If you really want to see what the Pantry is about, actually take a class or go to a dinner.