Let’s Cook! Santa Cruz

Had an At-​Home lesson with Patricia and it was great! She was fun and obviously a great chef and instructor. She brought some food out of her own garden to cook up. It turned out great and we got lots of leftovers too! Yum!

Take a class here! Our instructor, Eric Carter, was so informative and generous. Made us all feel comfortable and able to ask any (stupid) questions! :-) I cook a lot but definitely learned some excellent techniques and valuable tips. Highly recommend.

Think hands on… think fun and engaging for all ages. Think delicious food!
If you’re looking to broaden your cooking skill set and have a blast doing it, then Let’s Cook Santa Cruz is the cooking class for you. Catering to both the beginner and expert, Let’s Cook offers a well rounded assortment of classes, appealing to any age.
Take me for example: I’m 34, male… and a foodie who had never taken a cooking class prior to Let’s Cook. I love to eat and love to cook but only know the (very) basics of cooking (Hence my interest in finding a good cooking class). Instead of watching a YouTube video or reading instructions off a website, this class instantly transformed me and my fellow learners into sous chefs, where we were learning and cooking side-​by-​side with Let’s Cook’s high-​caliber culinary crew. The best part about the experience is that there is no pressure. If you prefer to watch others get their hands dirty, that’s ok. And if you’re covered in flour by the end of the course, that’s ok too. Cooking is fun and the Let’s Cook staff are there to remind how fun cooking can be.
And don’t be shy… ask questions. You have an all-​access pass to a staff who are friendly and knowledgeable.
Taking place in a spacious professional kitchen, the experience is all-inclusive…except for the cleanup. LCSC has an incredible staff that do all the heavy lifting and cleaning so you can focus on… that’s right, the cooking. I’ll say this again… you don’t do dishes. For some, that’s worth its weight in gold.
The kitchen is incredibly clean and inviting. Lots of shiny tools that I’d never seen or heard of before… by the end, I knew what a ricer was and how and when to use it.
So…if you’re looking for a great cooking class, Let’s Cook Santa Cruz is for you.

This was my third class here and again, I was not disappointed. Patricia and her staff are so warm, friendly and helpful. The full on commercial kitchen is spotless clean and it’s fun to be able work in that kind of environment. And you don’t even need to do your own dishes!
I really like Chef Eric’s teaching method. He is laid back but professional. And he does not hesitate to answer questions or help when you are at the stove and unsure of something.
I will definitely go back. In fact, I have already registered for the sausage class coming up in March. Can’t wait.
It is a fun, informative experience and would highly recommend giving it a try.
Kudos to Patricia and her staff…

If you are thinking about taking a cooking class — sign up with Let’s Cook!
My husband and I have taken the Knife Skills class and the Sauces 101 class. Wow! Eric is amazing and we really enjoy the time with him. We learned so much in both classes — it was worth the money (plus you get incredible food).
Eric talks through the key learnings for all recipes/​content (sauces & knifes) then you break up into stations to practice knife skills and to prepare ingredients. For the Sauces class Patricia and team had the brilliant stroke to then have the whole class watch the preparation of each dish with commentary and learning. This allows for optional learning conditions and ultimately was the thing that we absolutely loved.
Around the same time (because we liked the Knife Skills so much) we took a Sur La Table class in Los Gatos and there is a striking difference between the two approaches. At Sur La Table we took a seafood class was supposed to be «Hands-​on». The chef cooked all the seafood and the class cooked fried rice (seriously). That plus the endless marketing — which included a 15 minute break to shop the store with a 10% discount… not what we paid for and we were incredibly dissatisfied with the content.
It seems that Let’s Cook! Santa Cruz has the goal to transfer as much knowledge in the short time of a cooking class — exactly what a cooking school should be!
I’m sure there are people who are better suited for mostly-​demo, marketing-​type classes like that at Sur La Table, but we are not those people. Instead we enthusiastically endorse and recommend Let’s Cook! Santa Cruz… just plain awesome!

I just took the knife skills class and it was first rate! Eric was a great teacher and we all learned very quickly. The vegetables that we sliced and diced were all used to make three delicious soups that we all devoured.

I also took the Sauces 101 class and have to echo earlier sentiments– its a very welcoming, cleanly functioning space and Chef Eric was well versed, professional, friendly, etc. I learned a lot. There were notes with the recipes and taking pictures were also allowed to help document what we needed to learn. I liked that we could choose our level of participation because I think some people might be afraid of being put on the spot and/​or accidentally ruining the dish.
I will be back for more classes!

I took the «Sauces 101» class – the very first cooking class I’ve ever taken. I was excited that the class was taking place at a commercial kitchen, and I wasn’t disappointed – the kitchen was fully functional, the pantry was stocked, and jazz was playing quietly in the background. The Let’s Cook! staff made me feel welcome right away (even though I somehow broke one of their corkscrews while opening my wine – yes, you can bring wine, beer, sake, or another beverage).
Chef Carter taught this class as well, and he is a great teacher – very patient and an excellent communicator. Patricia and the Let’s Cook! staff were constantly available during our hands-​on portion of the class, answering questions, demonstrating techniques, fetching dishes and ingredients, and cleaning up after everyone.
After Chef Carter demonstrated how to make Hollendaise sauce (and the class demonstrated how to eat Hollendaise sauce with carrots), we broke up into teams and began created the three main dishes of the night: a beef dish, a fish dish, and a chicken chicken, each with a different sauce. After we were done cooking the dishes (and yes, we cooked the dishes, for the most part; Chef Carter was there to help and advise only), we got the sample what we had eaten. And oh it was good!
Chef Carter ended the class by creating a dessert sauce that goes wickedly well with berries. Absolutely wickedly well. It was a great way to end the evening.
I’m going back in January to take the Knife Skills class with Chef Carter. I can hardly wait…

I just took the Mediterranean cooking class and throughly enjoyed it. Lots of little culinary tips were provided that made the class extra special and a delicious, flavorful full dinner created. The roasted chicken we made was right up there with the best I have ever had. Can’t wait to try this at home!
In addition, the staff and Chef Jonathan were genuinely friendly, helpful and fun.
The classes are not expensive and you get alot for your money. As word gets out about Let’s Cook Santa Cruz, they will become very, very busy.

I’ve been to a few cooking classes in the past and have never had the experience I had tonight at Let’s Cook. This class was the best ever. The instructor was very knowledgeable regarding French cooking. Did I mention the class was Romance France? The Let’s Cook staff was very helpful and accommodated our every need. I can’t say enough about this cooking school. It’s an experience like no other. I’m so glad Santa Cruz finally has a cooking school of this caliber. I’ll be taking more classes in the future.

I am so excited that Santa Cruz has a cooking school like Let’s Cook! I took the first class offered which was the Knife Skills class. It was taught by Eric Carter, the Director at the Cabrillo Culinary School, and he was an excellent instructor. We learned about the different kinds of dices and slices, all about how to properly hold and use a knife, and also learned some useful tips on cutting veggies.
I loved the hands on aspect of the class. We broke up in teams to practice cutting vegetables that would then be used to make a few different soups — potato leek, minestrone and carrot tomato. It was fun and educational!
I’m already signed up for the Chicken 101 and the Chocolate! Chocolate! classes and expect I’ll be signing up for me. They have added a lot of great classes through April. Sign up soon because the classes fill up quickly!
I also want to mention all the people involved in making Let’s Cook happen are really nice people. There was Patricia, Heather, Max and (I think) Dana on hand during the class to help answer questions and provide some assistance along the way. They made everyone feel welcomed and part of the family. Can’t wait to take more classes!