Cambridge School of Culinary Arts

Better than I could have imagined! Learned so many different/unique appetizers, all delicious & upgraded from any cheese ball or dips. Got to practice pastry skills! Feels great to be in the kitchen. So happy to see Chef Simone, he made the class fun, informative & kept us all on time. Excellent instructor for skills as well as background of all the recipes; where they are from, how to use them, options. Thoroughly enjoyed the class, would recommend to everyone.

Attended a knife class today with another couple. We had so much fun and learned a lot. Chef Ali was great to learn from, very patient, made the class fun and so much more. If you're intimidated about working with knives, this class is for you. Come prepared to cook what you cut as you have a yummy dishes to try at the end. Thank you, Chef Ali. Can't wait to sign-up for another class!

This was a fantastic experience for my daughter and I. We attended the pasta workshop. The process was seamless with Chef Anthony. He did an excellent job from his explanation and instruction, to having his eyes on everyone and knowing when to step in to assist. I would highly recommend spending a day exploring what they have to offer here. You won’t regret such a wonderful experience.

I just completed Cooking Techniques II with Chef Diane and am taking away countless tips and new skills. Diane is a professional, talented, and outstanding instructor! She creates a warm, supportive environment with fun and camaraderie, all while enhancing cooking techniques. I highly recommend CSCA and Chef Diane!! I will definitely sign up for another course with Chef Diane!! Thank you, Diane!!

We had an absolute blast at our cooking class. Chef Jerome was super knowledgeable and took the time to show each group different skills throughout the entire night. Everything was delicious and we are already talking about taking another class! Would recommend to anyone looking for a fun date night or just want to better their cooking skills!

We joined 4 other couples to make a multi course Italian meal. Chef Anthony was so entertaining and knowledgeable. He kept the class light and fun and went with the flow. Each couple picks one or two dishes to make and then everyone sits down to a whole meal. No cooking experience necessary, they have everything there and guide you through the preparation. A really fun evening that was so much more than just going out to eat. Highly recommend!

Our teacher Chef Nyssa was fantastic. The class exceeded my expectations in so many ways. When the class started, we were asked what reasons brought us there. I had a couple of things, but my number one thing with how to cut an onion without crying the new techniques that I picked up enabled me to chop up two onions in fact, and didn’t cry once. The knife skills I learned I’m already having a positive impact in my preparation of meals that I cook at home. The wide range of produce that we ended up chopping in class was used to prepare a number of meal options which we all shared together at the end. I highly recommend this course, and hope to take others at this Institute in the future.

Chef Kayla was awesome! She explained every step of the process in a way that was easy to understand, she answered any questions we had, and was always available for assistance when we needed it. My bagels turned out far better than I thought they would and they tasted amazing. I would definitely take another one of her classes. Thank you Chef Kayla!!

Great place to take a class. Enjoyed 'soups and stews' class with Chef Heidi and her student assistants. For some great recipes and tips- enjoyed cooking and enjoying soups with my classmates. There were about a dozen of us.

Fun classes filled with hands-on experience! I don't like that you only get to do 2 out of 12 recipes, but I guess you learn along the way. Good for getting to know other people! At the end you sit down and eat the food, and dan even take the leftovers home. The recipes are fairly simple to follow, even for beginners. They were all good, but extremely heavy and oily. I'd like it more if instead they out together a couple menus that went well together and mimic how that particular culture really eats. I also think some of the recipes were americanized... would be better if all were authentic from the cul

We signed up for this class on my birthday and it was a phenomenal way to spend four hours of the day! We did the Pasta Workshop - Hand Rolled class on a Sunday morning at 9:00 AM and signed-up for it about 35 days prior when there were only 4 slots left. I would be timely with signing-up for classes ahead of time by a few weeks frankly, as these classes sell out quick! Upon arrival, they asked what class we were in and would walk us to the proper area (as there were 3 classes going on at once in the different parts of the school). The CSCA provides you a very easy to read instruction guide for the day in terms of how to create your pasta dough, how to make various shapes, and how to create a sauce (that you get to take home as well for future use). Our instructor was amazing and provided a lot of great anecdotes regarding his experience cooking and provided footnotes for optimization of cooking recipes. The cost of the class was well worth it as you got to use a professional kitchen, eat a full meal, and have 2 servings leftover for home. Of note, we probably needed closer to 4.5 hrs to truly finish cooking as there were some steps that could be optimized, but overall everyone else finished cooking prior to us so we might've just been a little slow. The class had 12 students total and didn't feel overcrowded at the desks where we learned and chose what pastas/sauces we wanted to make, neither did it feel crowded at the preparation tables as we made our pasta dough/shape. The first hour was essentially a walk through of the CSCA pasta instruction guide. Would HIGHLY recommend bringing a pen or pencil to write notes on the instruction guide, as the chef gave out great tips for us to do this at home, but we didn't have anything to write down the information with. After that, we made our pasta doughs in the kitchen and set them to sit for a bit. Then we went back into the classroom area and decided as a class what pasta shapes & sauces we wanted to make; the chef highly encouraged we try to make different sauces as we would get to try everyone's pastas at the end. There was a wonderful variety of sauces we could make, including vegetarian/vegan, meat, seafood, and cheese ones. Once we all chose as a class what each of us would be making, we got to work on beginning to make our sauces & pasta shapes for the next 3 hours. The chef was attentive to each of us, providing real-time feedback to us individually as well as tips for the larger group. You certainly need to not be afraid to ask questions on your food, on where something in the kitchen is or how something in the kitchen works, not just to the chef but to the people in your class as well. The chef does a great time keeping you true to the time limits you have left and steps in to help where people needed it. After we finished cooking, we were told to put all of our cooking utensils/pots/pans/cutting boards in the sink for CSCA to clean, allowing us to go enjoy our food in the classroom with everyone. They provided lots of to-go containers for everyone as well to put leftovers in (which there were plenty of). Tips I would say for the class would be that you should show up at least 15 minutes ahead of time, absolutely wear closed toe shoes & clothes that you wouldn't be devastated about getting stained, be sure to bring a pencil/pen, and maybe a bag to potentially carry your leftovers in after you leave. Most people in the class came with someone else they knew, but there were two people who came by themselves. There were both newcomers as well as people who had taken prior classes. Great insight that the chef told us was that if you have a larger group of people you'd like to take the class with, he said you can email the school and inquire about scheduling a private cooking class session for your group and you even get to choose what cuisine you'd be looking to cook. They also have night classes that included wine if you're looking for that sort of a cooking class! Overall, it was a semi-challenging for my cooking levels but a fantastic experience and I would do it again in a heartbeat!

We loved this experience! Booked a cooking class with my wife for her birthday as a gift, and I'm glad I did - we had an amazing time and would come back again! We did a Friday night class with Chef Anthony that Spring Seasonal menu. The way this class works is (For the Couples classes) is we split up the whole menu, and each couple chooses 1-2 recipes (1 main, and 1 easier recipe ideally). It pays off to arrive early to get the first pick! It was super fun making everything, the Chef and sous-Chefs were always circulating in the kitchen to help us out with techniques and questions. We learned how to make a tart with cream filling and rhubarb and strawberry topping which turned out fantastic!! It inspired us to try to make this at home which we are going to do soon! Really enjoyed the experience and then eating the meal family-style at the end, and trying everyone's dishes that you've been seeing them make at the station next to yours!

Jared, whom I spoke with on the phone. Is a gem! He was so cordial, informative, and forthcoming with what to expect from various classes and types of classes that are offered. I was not only very valuable information but also very enjoyable to speak with him! Made us even more excited about taking a class soon! There is a very nice variety of classes and some of them sell out fairly quickly. The process to register is quite user friendly and there are some deals and discounts on certain classes. We haven't taken the class yet but will provide another review after that! 5 stars for Jared!

Took the six week cooking essentials course and enjoyed every moment of it. They showed me how wrong I was doing everything and that if I actually paid attention to cooking times, measurements and how to cut properly, I could make pretty awesome things and still keep all my fingers. Chef Chris taught our six-week session and I really appreciated his mix of helpful instruction and annoyance at our stupid questions. That's what I really want from a cooking class, to feel just dumb enough that I actually learn something. Each week was a different cooking technique, we had a little overview of it and then paired with another student to pick something to cook out of the list of recipes. Pretty much all the recipes looked delicious, so it was kind of torment picking one. But we all got to try what each other cooked in the end, which I'm not going to say was the best part, but was the best part. It's just a fun thing to do on a weeknight and I highly recommend. Everyone is impressed when I whip up one of the recipes and now I feel reasonably confident they're not faking it.

The most FUN corporate outing we have had! Jerrod Perry, Director of Recreational Classes was so knowledgeable and helpful in planning, coordinating our private cooking classes/choosing our menu etc. Super nice guy. Our group arrived for our private cooking class. We chose their fall seasonal menu and added on charcuterie/cheese boards. The fall menu was really lovely and everything complimented each other very well. They allowed us to bring our own wine. We reserved 2 kitchens with 2 chefs. Both of our chef's, Burke and Anthony were just excellent. They both know what they were doing, clear on instructions2, funny and were really good at multi-tasking. They were able to ensure everyone was doing what they needed to do and staying on top of us and making sure our cooking was going smoothly and correctly. We had a couple of vegetarians in our group and the chefs were really accommodating. They were also super mindful and sensitive of people's allergies. I was happy to see the kitchen was clean, organized and properly sanitized. The experience was so great for group. I found myself making a recipe with a colleague that I hadn't caught up with in some time. This is a great experience for strengthening bonds with your colleagues. We got so many cute pictures and video of our group in the kitchen. Not able to share the group photos out of privacy for our group but highly recommend the experience at Cambridge School of Culinary Art!!!

Really enjoyed learning to make croissants earlier this summer. Easy to enroll, knowledgeable staff and a great learning environment will keep me coming back for more. Highly recommended for anyone looking to learn how to make tons of tasty things!

We had a great morning at the hand rolled pasta class. It was fun to pick which color and shape we wanted to make as well as the sauce. This worked well as we got to try everyone else's pastas. All of the chefs were helpful and made the class fun. Highly recommend but make sure you go on an empty stomach.

Honestly, if your spirits need a serious lift during these troubling times, do yourself a favor. Book a private class at CSCA for your own special group. Everything about ours seemed incredibly magical. Start to finish.: From the stellar venue, itself, so welcoming and fine. And the Parisian menu we'd chosen, simply divine. Every step was pre-organized, and beyond our belief. Each dish pure perfection, (to our astonishing relief). And Chef Anthony --the genie--always appearing with help. All of it so wondrous, something's rhyming it on Yelp. ‍

From beginning to end the experience we had at this wonderful cooking school was the highlight of my week. The staff and owners treated us as if we are family. I would not hesitate to give this experience to my friends and family. The food we made with Chef Anthony was by far more delicious than a 5 star restaurant. I recommend the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts and I would give them a 6 out of 5 stars. ~ Paulette Prucha Lancaster Ma

Our group of assorted foodies had a fun evening preparing recipes. We gathered ingredients and began chopping, stirring and mixing under the gracious supervision of Chef Anthony! After cooking the assorted dishes we sat down to a white table cloth, delicious dinner. From the knowledge I gained, I'm ready to try Beef Wellington in my kitchen. Thanks to our host Randy and Sean of CSCA.

If the food wasn't edible at the end, I would have only been left with the flavor of my tears. Our chef was charismatic at the beginning of the FOUR hour class only to do a complete Jekyl/Hyde flip in the kitchen. After conning us in at 6pm and making us feel like we would be laughing and sipping wine while the 12 of us labored over a 5 course meal, the wine flow stopped just as abruptly as her friendliness. There was a helper who knew just about as much as my middle school cafeteria ladies. We were told we didn't have to clean "anything" and then were constantly berated to "TIDY UP THE WORKSTATIONS". This was a couples class that was more trying of a relationship than the IKEA warehouse. Only come here if you want to be gaslight and walk away with a deeper understanding of why everyone in food service is addicted to nicotine. The extent of the "teaching" came in the form of a packet filled with recipes that we just read and tried to figure out in our respective couples. When something was confusing or executed wrong the chef did not take the time to demonstrate, explain a skill, or meet us where we were at. Moreover, there was only 4 bottles of cheap wine for 12 people over the course of 4 hours. Madame chef made a little comment about how fast the wine was consumed over the four hours of reliving my abandonment issues. I've worked in an emergency room trauma center and the only thing I walked away learning was that being an ER nurse during a pandemic is not the most toxic work environment. Save your money and your sanity and just watch a YouTube video.

I helped organize a private gathering with friends and we selected the fall menu, it was awesome. We were able to cook everything on the menu. Complete and utter chaos in the kitchen turned to heaven on our plates. We were with chef Sharon, she's awesome. It was her first time with a group who used sign language, she did great. No awkward moments and everyone had fun. Very informative, laid back and helpful. I'd love to return for another course and hope to work with them on an Italian gluten free meal. If you haven't taken a course here it's a great way to spend an evening. It's byob and very laid back. I must admit I worked harder than I thought I would and wouldn't make the dish I made again simply because I draw the line at two step processes for my meals when cooking at home. The recipe we did had a four step process but it was amazing. I appreciate my chefs who cook for me when I'm eating out even more now than I did before. Fun worthwhile experience.

I took a techniques six week cooking class with Chef Matt on Saturday mornings. He was awesome, funny (loves the Patriots) and taught us so much about cooking. The basics class was super informative, starting with knife skills and moving on to eggs, soup, dry cooking, braising, sauces, etc. Every class ended with a wonderful buffet type experience and it was so nice to not have to clean up all those dishes (thank you to the staff!). Created beautiful, Instagram worthy, very yummy dishes. The group I was with continues to meet occasionally for potlucks or restaurants. I also took a 4 week baking class, which made me learn that baking is not for me. There were issues with lack of crucial ingredients and being asked to move forward anyways. So 2/4 weeks, my baked goods were not good and I threw them away. I felt like I wasn't doing most of the baking, the instructor was (measuring ingredients, taking things out of the oven without timing, etc). In the end, I learned some new things. Other people enjoyed the class and had better baked goods. Overall I highly recommend these classes!

I wanted to do something different for my friends Bachlorette party. I thought up of a cooking class to start our day. I looked around for the longest time for the right place, when the Cambridge School popped up. The price and option of private parties won me over. I booked a private party class with Simone and I am so glad I did! We were able to choose a menu, and cook a few different meals! Chef Simone was incredibly fun, helpful and wonderful! I learned so much about cooking and everything was delicious. All of us ladies had a wonderful time. I'd love to come back for other classes just for me or book more parties in the future.

Couples cooking class tonight and it was fabulous! Two couples, one chef, 4 dishes. Fantastic fun and learned quite a bit. We will book another class

We made chocolate chip cookies/ white cookies and we had banana bread with chocolate chips with more quick bread! There are also peach cinnamon filling for our scones! I met so many nice people and I had Chef Carol and Sydney! They were super duper nice and the experience in general was fantastic and I hope to clone next summer!

Have taken multiple cooking classes. The classes are fun and educational. You don't have to do any dishes or bring any gear. Great way to spend an evening with friends and family cooking new things. Be sure to bring your own containers for leftovers after class!

My sister received a certificate for a cooking class, so together we visited for a 'couples night' class (LOL). I thought it was going to be a bit more learning, but really you get assigned (or choose) a recipe from the menu and are sent to the kitchen. We had a blast, the food was delicious, and the idea is great...I think most of us in the class felt decently comfortable in the kitchen so it felt like a dinner party with strangers, which we loved. However, I'll advice that if you're more of a novice looking for instruction you may be in a bit over your head.

I am so disappointed with my experience in Chef Sharon's Vegetarian Grilling "class." This "class" is really more of a hectic, shared facility rental. Upon arriving, we received a packet of recipes, all of which were available online via thekitchn.com. I was surprised none were original recipes from the chef, but that's not a huge deal. The chef then gave us some brief pointers while we were seated in the dining room, which really weren't helpful at all because we didn't have the ingredients or equipment in front of us yet. We then discovered that we would all be making one recipe each, not all of them, which was a bit of a let down, and had I realized that, I would have chosen a different recipe with more components. We were then let loose in the kitchen. No instruction or grill safety tips whatsoever (isn't that kind of a liability?)! Find your own tools, find your own ingredients, decipher the recipe yourself. This was so incredibly disappointing.. I anticipated learning lots of helpful lessons and techniques from the chef. Instead, we were left to our own devices with a recipe off the internet. We also needed to wait our turn for the grill, which seems a little silly given this was a Grilling "class". Lots of standing around.. waiting.. wondering if we did everything correctly. When all of the dishes were complete, we got to enjoy them in the dining room. Given the price point of this "class", I would have expected a cloth napkin and drinking glass, as opposed to a paper napkin and single-use plastic cup. I just feel the value of this "class" is way off-base. Overall, I am just disappointed that I didn't learn anything. Nothing about "flavor profiles" like it mentions in the description, nor techniques, nor what to look/smell for as I'm prepping or grilling.. In the future I think YouTube videos will be a MUCH better "class" for me. :(((

The couple's cooking class is amazing. Great value for money and so much fun. Every couple cooks two dishes then you eat as a group. The chef was personable. It's also an amazing deal, 4 hours of entertainment and a great meal. You can't find a restaurant where you will eat this well for this kind of money, never mind the fun of cooking with everyone.

Cute non-traditional date idea for the kitchen veteran. An episode of Lost on an island of open flames and sharp blades for the culinary clueless. Regretfully, I fall into the latter category. I signed up for a Spanish themed couples cooking class after finding an online blurb that boasted 12 unique recipes that would be covered in this class. Learning to cook a wide array of dishes before settling down for a 12 course meal? Sold! Not so fast. First and foremost, the enticing list of plates is vastly misleading. Each pair picks 1-2 dishes they want to tackle to divvy up the menu list. The instructor takes about 10 minutes to walk through the instructions with the entire class, spending about 30-60 seconds per recipe and inserting an arbitrary tip here and there. She spends another 2 minutes walking the group through the giant kitchen and then releases us. Ready. Set. Chaos. As the kitchen suddenly erupts into flying knives and furnace heat pockets around me, I start to question whether or not I signed up for an extremely, extremely advanced cooking class. Where were the step-by-step's I was anticipating? Why have we been thrown to the wolves with minimal instruction? But then I recalled I specifically avoided the classes labeled "Advanced". With the lack of direction in these "beginner" classes, I expect that they must teach their Advanced students how to also juggle knives and breathe fire. After a stressful, time pressured 2 hours with lots of unsuccessful vying for the instructor's attention, matrix styled side swerving to avoid sharp edges, and near misses of singed fingers, we all threw off our aprons and dug into a buffet table display of our hard work. Meal at the end of the class: 10/10. Food was more than plentiful and tasted amazing. Process to get there: *Fetal position in the corner* Personally this class was a little too overwhelming for a beginner like me. (Let me provide some context: I once set my stove on fire attempting to boil water. That epitomizes the extent of my culinary skills.), but I would still highly recommend it for someone who knows their way a little better around the kitchen. Overall, a fun and unique, albeit stressful, experience.

Why the one star?: I woke up at 1 am (3 hours after I finished the meal) and violently vomited. I generally had food poisoning for the next 12 hours. That's an auto 1-star If I hadn't gotten food poisoning from this meal: 3-4 stars. The instructor Joe was really good. He was knowledgeable, patient and interesting to talk to. The rest of the class was really nice and it was awesome being in a professional kitchen (and not having to clean up). It does feel kind of strange to pay $80/person to then have to cook (you are literally doing everything, if you regularly cook you should be OK). The quality of the food at the end is solid but not special just because it is being cooked by you and your fellow classmates. It is cool to learn new kitchen skills just by being forced to practice them but a lot of it requires kitchen equipment I don't have at home and probably won't bother to buy. In summary, I recommend this if you are bored of going out to eat and truly love cooking and want to experience a professional cooking. I can't compare this cooking class versus the other ones but after getting food poisoning, I'm soured on the whole concept.

If you are looking for private cooking classes in the Boston area, look no further than the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts! For the past two years, my generous in-laws have treated the whole fam to 3 hour private cooking nights. Chef Jenn Reagan has been our AMAZING, enthusiastic, and all-around super chef/teacher both years. Both times, we've had the entire place to ourselves. It's so easy and simple: we arrive and are greeted, see the menu for the night, check over the (fresh! pre-washed! gorgeous!) ingredients, go over some kitchen tips and tricks, and get to work! Both years we've worked with similar menus from their "everyday dinners" collection, and both years we have come away so impressed, both with the overall experience and with ourselves! Some of the dishes we've made include a lush wheatberry and goat cheese salad, maple-glazed salmon with Israeli couscous and figs, super tender and juicy flank steak, glazed pork tenderloin, coconut curry stir-fry, homemade ice cream and chocolate lava cakes, bourbon infused banana bread....and they have all been excellent. After we finish the recipes (we do a divide-and-conquer approach), we dine on the goods and pat ourselves on the back (and applaud Jenn!) for how well everything came out. There is always an embarrassment of leftovers that are then packed into containers to bring home to enjoy for many days to come. And one of the best parts? You don't have to wash ANY dishes. Leave 'em all in the sink, and the awesome team at CSCA does them all for you. If only that worked in my house....!

I can not say enough about the customer service at the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts. It was a pleasure to be treated by a business with kindness and respect.

I took several classes - advanced baking techniques, temper your chocolate, and a couple cooking class with wine pairing. I enjoyed every single one. The teachers are always extremely helpful, and most importantly very patient while dealing with so many things going on all at once. The space is great as well as the availability of all the ingredients. They pack alot of stuff into the 4-5 hrs timeframe, which is great, but if you have no cooking experience, or not used to having many things going on all at once, this might end up being more stressful, than enjoyable.

Just took the breakfast prep class here and instruction was the best we have ever had. Tons of food and take homes too. The instructor Sharon Donovan is top notch! They have other classes but start with the breakfast one!

In my second week at CSCA, I realize now that I know almost nothing about food. I say that with all happiness, because it is now that I can finally start to learn about food. The instructors here are patient, helpful and incredibly knowledgable. Chef Marie Perfitti is a wonderful baker, and is a joy to share a kitchen with. She seems to truly enjoy imparting knowledge, and really has fun teaching. Chef Jim is a towering powerhouse of culinary knowledge. From the first few minutes you know that this is a man who knows his craft. He has also perfected the art of sending knowledge into brains - his teaching style is so smooth and smart as to be artful. You just want to soak up as much as you can from him. The staff at CSCA are the real orange-mango curd in the delicious layer caked that is this school. Everyone - and I do mean everyone - who works in the office there is happy, responsive, and glad to answer any question, address any concern, and help out whenever possible. I can't say enough about this place - they're helping to change my life, and deprive me of sleep, and I couldn't be happier.

"There is no love sincerer than the love of food" Yup, that pretty much sums up my passion for food, hence me being a yelper. But I am actually a yelper who cooks too, and doesn't only eat! So Matt J. and I went to this culinary school to try out our skills at a gourmet multi-course French dinner! I mean they say that the best cooks in the world are French!! When we showed up they actually had three different cooking classes going on at one time--french, sushi and tapas! This place keeps busy, and with how pricey their classes are, I am sure this place will be in business for quite some time! We sat at our table with some other students, and then our teacher came in and told us what was on our menu. Each couple at the class got to pick one of the dishes, and we being the bold ones that we are, chose the main course--a roast that was wrapped around some prunes that were soaked in wine overnight. Man, I am not a prune fan, but those things were good! And we even got to figure out how to tie up the meat with cooking twine which was a first for us! The problem with it was that we didn't get nearly as much guidance as we thought we would--they basically gave us all a packet of recipes and instructions and said go, and then all 10 of us were off, running around this kitchen trying to share pots and pans and knives! Ya I know, sounds a little dangerous, but we are all adults, right? ha ha I just wish there was a little more actual instruction on technique, but with one teacher trying to manage getting all of these courses out on time, I guess you can't expect much more? Once the food was done, wine was brought to the table and we all got to enjoy each course, even though I secretly wished I had gotten to work on more than just one dish. Almost all of the dishes were really good! But the potato dish with all of that cheese, and that home made french onion soup and our main roast dish were by far the winners. If we got a coupon or discount, I would definitely come back here, and I wish I could afford to go more often, because cooking in a giant state of the art kitchen is definitely something you don't get every day!!!

I booked this as a gift for my boyfriend - I had been researching and this seemed like the best and affordable option for couples cooking classes. Note - My boyfriend doesnt know anything about cooking besides turning the microwave on and making instant pudding. We ended up taking the couples italian class. We got there right on time and there wasn't a full class I think we were down two couples. The instructor, Elise, had us sign in and each take a packet of recipes. I flipped through and my jaw dropped.... I looked at my boyfriend and said "this may be a little advanced for you." Elise instructed us on where everything was, showed us around her kitchen, showed us the table of ingredients, etc. Each couple picked what they wanted to make - because there wasnt a full class some had to make two and because I love to cook I volunteered. Basically Elise said okay get at it and we were all very confused. She was getting pulled every which way because we all had questions and couldnt give each of us individual attention. I had to ask her for a pan or this or that about 3 or 4 times because she would forget and after looking around her kitchen i couldn't find it. What I also didnt like is that i'm trying to walk my boyfriend through the recipe and take it one step at a time and Elise said this is easier, do this. Then said aloud " I don't follow the recipes". Well we came to a cooking class so please don't yell at us for following the freaking recipe and if you are doing something maybe show us instead of just doing it all for us. Overall I felt it was rushed, we didn't learn all that much and I wasn't happy with the chef's attitude and wise remarks. If you are going for a fun night out and to learn how to make a new dish I wouldn't recommend this. Though for myself, the recipes were great so I have a couple of new things I can cook now. Other than that I was not very satisfied with my experience.

I took Christie Morrison's Knife Skills class this past weekend. I was SO incredibly happy with it! I built on my current knowledge of knifes, and was excited about everything I learned. Christie was a great instructor. Extremely friendly and also, very knowledgeable. The first 45 minutes of class, we learned about the different parts of knives, what each one is for, what materials and build we should be looking for, and how to keep them in good condition. Next, we went to the kitchen and learned how to cut! We got to practice on about 10 different vegetables. The space was great, and all of the tools and vegetables were nicely laid out for us. I thought the instruction was easy to follow and received great reinforcement about how I was doing. They took all of our "choppings" and made us lunch, which we ate family style afterwards. It was nice to talk to the rest of the group and get to know if them! I would absolutely go to another class there, especially with Christie (who works for America's Test Kitchen). She was energetic, kind, and very helpful. I can't wait to go back! I wouldn't suggest driving, people had to leave several times to move their car. It's easily accessible from the T!

My friend and I took the "Couples cook Tapas" class recently. Here's what went down: 1. We showed up, late of course, there were 5 other couples. The teacher was cool. He gave a brief history of Tapas. Then went over the recipes and doled them out on a raise your hand basis. 2. The kitchen was cool. Large with a bunch of workstations. There the chef went over the operations and recipes one more time. There was no real instruction. It was like picking a recipe from a cookbook and then getting going only already having all the ingredients needed to finish. 3. We begin to cook. Rachel and I are the first to open one of the two bottles of complimentary wine they had there for dinner. Mostly everyone followed suit after. The wine did not last long. 4. Some pansy. Presumably from Cambridge. (sorry people and I love Cambridge). Approached me and accused me of killing the mussels ( we chose the mussels app) then asked what the mussels ever did to me? Count to ten. Calm down. One.. Two... Three... 5. Dinner is served. Someone burned their meatballs. All other dishes were cool. Champagne after. People aside from the PETA guy were cool. Dinner over 9:30 Overall assessment: Fun date. Change of pace. Decent food. Negatives: didn't learn any techniques. Could have followed recipe myself. 150 is steep for the quality of food. PETA guy All in all it was fun and different but not what you'd think it would be.

Ok, so I run an appliance store and never have cooked...I have pretty much navigated my life nicely sans stove. Give me a phone and I can pretty much whip up any cuisine Unfortunately, this blissful existance ended last Friday. An organization which I am applying for membership had a meet, greet and cooking seminar at The Cambridge School of Culinary Arts(CSCA)... First, the CSCA is located on Mass ave in Cambridge and has three large full working kitchens and at least 8 instructors. It was obvious they could execute events, and they divided us into two teams, French and Italian cooking I am not an idiot(well not really). I signed up for Italian. Boil a little pasta, throw on some red sauce and be done for the night. Good plan, but I was assigned the pork and potatoes..oops I dont even like pork to be honest, but I had to impress...So I did what anyone else would do...ask for help. Chef Kerry was on the spot. She showed me how to chop, sautee and bake. We actually made some pretty awsesome sow and spuds....Ok maybe she did 60% ..... alright she did 80% The point is not that I am now not 100% clueless, more like 96%...but this place is great to have really interesting events...anyone can order food or take people out to a pub. CSCA is different, creative, compelling and fun Great night and thank you, Kerry

I took Chef Delphin Gomes' macarons class last night, and had so much fun I'm trying really hard to wait until my next credit card cycle to sign up for two more classes in the fall (just cakes with Marie, watch your temper with Chef Gomes). It was a group of 11 and after about 20-30 minutes of talking (or, listening, rather) we paired up into groups of 2/3 and got our ingredients together. Because there is limited oven space and only one Chef Gomes (and he really does want to supervise you as much as possible) we had to stagger our processes a little, so there was some waiting around to progress through the recipes, meaning also that the people who started first had some extra time at the end to tackle extra things. You also had to choose as a team which flavor you wanted to do, and once one was taken you had to pick something else. It's okay because everyone gets to take home a bit of everything at the end of the night, but if you really wanted amazing raspberry macarons and someone else called that flavor first and then messed it up...well, you're sh*t out of luck. All in all, as someone else's review said, Chef Gomes is insane. Amazingly, wonderfully, hilariously insane. He is so incredibly intelligent and kind, fast-paced and appropriately inappropriate, and overall a really great teacher. If you're already a professional in the pastry world (as one of my classmates was) you might find that you're not getting as much attention as you'd like. As well I noticed that if you're truly a novice and have never read anything about something like macarons, or don't speak english, you might have trouble starting from square one. But if you've done a little homework, are a serious baking enthusiast, and/or are considering a career change, I can't recommend this class enough. I'm really looking forward to taking more in the fall.

I love this place! I'm on my second experience with Cambridge Culinary School now, I did the knife skills class with chef Mark Yang (and I loved it) and now I'm doing the cakes class with chef Marie Perfetti and it has been an amazing experience so far. I'm really satisfied with this cake class! Chef Marie is awesome, she's very patient, she helps all the students, she explains all ingredients and recipes and she's a very nice person. I wish this class was twice a week because I simply love it!!! I was afraid I was gonna feel completely lost in this class because I had no baking experience before, but she was very patient and explained things to me step by step! Now I'll take the baking series class with chef Sharon Donovan. This place is awesome, everyone should try it!

I attended CSCA for the professional pastry program and couldn't be happier. Most everyone who works at or attends the school is a food-lover and a sweetheart. It's like one big, happy family of fatties, slowly eating their way to nirvana. The head of the pastry program, Delphin Gomes is insane. He somehow manages to be inappropriate and conservative at the same time, and is as French as an American citizen can possible be. All flaws aside, he's a damn good pastry chef, and is willing to teach you everything he knows (Literally. You get hundreds of his recipes.) if you have a thick enough skin to put up with him and can learn to understand his "Boston" accent. During the course of the program I learned all the things I was looking to learn, and even got some added, once-in-a-lifetime type experiences like carving a block of ice with a chainsaw and meeting a cheesemonger and a tea sommelier. All things considered, the program was pricey, but I would do it again in a heartbeat. You'll get out what you put in.

A total blast, people! You will not regret taking a class at CSCA - much more hands-on than a Williams-Sonoma or Sur la Table cooking class, these genuine culinary sessions take you on a very interactive exploration of a number of classic recipes. Kitchens are well stocked, Chefs are incredibly friendly and helpful, and sitting down with your classmates at the end of each class to taste all the recipes created during the class is a one-of-a-kind experience. I've taken technical series and couples cooking classes...and will keep going back for more.

Boston's premier cooking school. Tuition for a certificate goes for about $9k but you get your feet and hands wet learning everything. Lots of networkign opportunities available as well.

Recently took the recreational course "Techniques of baking I" and I couldn't have been happier. I agree with some reviews that it's not as much "teaching" and more "hands on" then I anticipated but as a result the experience was as much social as it was learning. The class size was about 10 (all women and me...tough life) and ranged from late teens to 40's and students to suburban parents. I consider myself a decent baker but this class showed me what I knew was tiny in the overall scheme of things The best part of the class was instructor Chef Deb Powell. She was friendly, informative, and most of all patient. Her demeanor made the experience so much better to the point when she had to miss a class the drop off was significant. This is less a slight to the other instructor (who was also very pregnant) and more a compliment to Deb for being excellent at what she does I will take another class when time allows and will keep my fingers crossed that Deb Powell will be the instructor

My Husband and I went to the Romantic Couples cooking class Hosted by Chef Simone Montali. This class was amazing & so much fun. Our chef was so insightful he taught us how to make an amazing meal that we will attempt to duplicate at our house. My husband and I will definitely do another class with Simone. He was really GREAT!!!! Thank you, The Jones family.

We attended the Couples Cooking Spanish class last night ($150 per couple). Our instructor was patient, friendly, and knowledgeable. We arrived at 6:30, sat down to eat at 10, and left by 11. Overall, we had a great time with the other 3 couples, and took home 12 easy-to-replicate recipes. When you arrive, the instructors walks you through the menu. Then, each couples chooses 1-2 menu items they would like to cook. Then, everyone sits down for a final meal of about 12 distinct items. The school provides all the clean-up, which is a huge plus! The class kitchen is large, clean, and well-supplied with bowls, cutlery, knives, etc. Produce is provided, as well as spices, stocks, etc. My only complaint would be the chef knives - they were dull to the point of being dangerous (try cutting up a chicken using one of those! they need to invest in some better knives or a cleaver!). It takes a while to prep and cook all the dishes, but the instructor was fantastic in observing and jumping in to help when needed (never felt pushy at all). I had a fantastic experience here, and would highly recommend it. Seats fill up quickly, though, so I recommend looking at the calendar a month ahead, and reserving a seat for a class that looks interesting to you (they do have a waitlist, though!).

My boyfriend and I attended a couple's Cuban cooking class here. When we first arrived, we were a little confused where to go. There are three kitchens facing the street that are each labeled alphabetically, but no sign indicating which class was in which kitchen. Once we found our class, I was impressed by the kitchen space and equipment we would be working with. The class size was small (6 couples), which was perfect and our menu of the night included eleven recipes. Before beginning the class, our instructor went over the recipes with us and provided us with a tour of the kitchen. The class is set up so that each couple makes roughly 2 recipes each (or 1/person). Everyone selects which they'd like to make. After the instructional portion of the class, you begin cooking. Everyone has their own space at the prep table/area, complete with a cutting board, knife, towel, and apron. If you are new to cooking/are a beginner, I do not recommend one of these classes. Like other cooking classes I have taken, they do not baby you and show you every step of the way. You are essentially on your own to prep and cook your chosen meal item by following the recipe guide. Of course, the instructor and their assistant are there to help you if you have questions, but you need to have your basic cooking skills down (chopping, sautéing, etc...). That being said, the cooking process was a little stressful and overwhelming because I had to keep asking around to find things in the kitchen and some of the items needed were missing (they were prompt to fetch them from another kitchen). Once everyone finished cooking, each pair set their dish(es) on the table buffet style and we dug in! The food turned out great and I loved how many recipes we got to sample. Best of all, there were leftovers to take home! Overall, I really enjoyed the experience of this class and appreciated the freedom to cook at our own pace. Also loved our instructor. Very knowledgeable and approachable for questions.

I have taken several recreational courses here and have enjoyed them very much. The chefs are awesome people who are very knowledgeable. Chef Steve and Chef Mark are patient and fun. I have taken French cuisine, Italian cuisine, Mediterranean cuisine, as well as Techniques of cooking 1 and 2. I love to cook and I have learned so much at this school. The classes are 6 weeks long and are very thorough. They also have students that are in the chefs program who assist in the class, these students are extremely helpful in the kitchen, Elizabeth, Heidi, and Amanda are A+ they assist the recreational students and are fun happy people who love what they do. I highly recommend this school!

Less of a "class", more of a do-it-yourself free for all. My boyfriend and I had been wanting to try a cooking class here for a while, but the high price held us back. When Christmas came around, we decided to splurge and get ourselves seats in the couples Italian cooking class, thinking that it would be nice to learn how to cook something practical and recipes that we would actually use in the future. There were four recipes listed in the class description, so our assumption was that we would get to learn how to make each recipe (maybe we should have read some reviews beforehand). The class was nothing but disappointing. We got a packet with 9 recipes (no pictures included or anything, just really vague recipes). Then the instructor spent the first ~45 min reading through every recipe one by one and giving us instructions. It was information overload, and we weren't even in the kitchen with ingredients in front of us yet, so the information meant nothing. Then we realized that the recipes would be split among the couples, so each couple would make 1-2 recipes. That's where it started to turn into a free for all- the instructor would read off a recipe, and the first couple to raise their hand would get to make the recipe. My boyfriend and I didn't even get the chance to discuss which recipe(s) we would want to make. Eventually, we got stuck making bread and a salad (2 recipes not even included on the initial class description, and dishes we would never choose to make on our own in the future). Ok so now we finally go into the kitchen, and we get a really high level tour (not told how to work the oven or the stove or anything), and then we are told, "alright you can start." It's basically like a scavenger hunt to find all the ingredients and appliances needed. Also keep in mind there is only one instructor helping with all 9 of these recipes, so very little actual "teaching" time. Not to mention, the instructor would give more criticism than actually teach. There were times I was afraid to even ask a question because she would answer me like I was stupid. Maybe she was overwhelmed managing 9 different recipes at once and the school should consider bringing in more instructors per class. Overall, my boyfriend and I were so lost and stressed the entire time. And the food didn't even come out good at the end. I think the only positive point of the experience was that we didn't have to wash dishes. Would not recommend (especially for beginners!)

I've attended the Techniques I Class with Steve Ney and Techniques II. Steve was an excellent instructor who went all out to make the six classes special and memorable. I have become a much better cook after these two six week classes. The classes are detailed and long and the recipes tend to be somewhat complicated. All the ingredients are provided and they have every piece of equipment you could ever need. Each class is about a 6-hour endeavor, so you will need to invest a good deal of time, and money. The recipes are intended to impress and can be very ambitious, it is after all a school of culinary arts. That said, I've taken all of my skills and experiences from the classes and applied them to my own kitchen. I have tended to simplify many of the recipes and have replaced some of the dishes with more simplified versions and time-saving techniques. For example, I made the Vichyssoise (a cold potato leek soup) in one of the Tech I Classes devoted to soups. The recipe calls for heavy cream. Delicious! But, I found another recipe from Kathy Gunst which substitutes the heavy cream with 1/2 cup of grated sharp white cheddar, and it was a bit less creamy, but just as good and hearty. Also, instead of a stand blender, she uses an immersion blender to blend the ingredients, saving on time and cleanup.

My friend and I took a recreational cooking class last month - Back to Basics I cooking series. There were 6 cooking classes and each class runs about 3.5 - 4 hours and each class focuses on one basic skill (ie., knifing skills, sauces, braising and stewing). It was alot of fun and I picked up on alot of tips and ideas, and learned new concepts. The first 45 minutes is usually a lecture walking through the recipes and lecture the techniques used, then all the students would make the dishes. After we're all done cooking we sit down and enjoy our meal, and usually enough to wrap up to go too. It's for everyone with all different skills and background. Next, the Baking Basics series...

I just finished Techniques of Cooking I with Mike Pavloski, and it was among the most satisfying and enjoyable educational experiences I've ever had. The class is broken between a 30 minute lecture, 2-3 hour kitchen session, and 30 minutes of indulgent, consumptive bliss. Quite honestly some of the best meals I've ever eaten came out of that kitchen. And though the price is steep, we eat everything from rabbit to filet mignon and always leave with tupperware. Mike is a whiz in class, deftly handling the constant pulls of a dozen students with plentiful servings of humor and support. I would highly recommend him for anyone looking for a class. All around grade A stuff. I can't wait for techniques II.

Maybe this should be 4 stars - I'm a bit torn. I like the location - it's close to where I live. I hate the location, there's no where to park in Cambridge... I'm exaggerating, but it was kind of a pain in the ass to find parking. I get to the class (Knife Skills) and it's a fairly large class. I would have liked it a bit more if we had about half the people in there to get more one on one time with the instructor. We went over the types of knives, why you use one kind over another etc. Pretty informative. And maybe the best $$ I spent on the class was to find out about Stoddards over in Newton to get my knives sharpened (they really are great guys, reasonable prices, super knowledgeable - to the point of geekiness and a pleasure to do business with). Anyway, the instructor shows us how to do a bunch of different types of cuts - dice, julienne, mince, faux tournee (which is really hard). She does a pretty quick demo and then we are off to cut our own set of veggies in front of us - carrots, potatoes, onions, garlic etc. I found it really hard to hold the knife properly and of course it was not as easy as it looks to do any of the cuts. Maybe it's silly and I should have just figured it out sooner, but I think this is the type of class that would be helpful to have twice to get better under supervision - so the instructor can critique your work and give you tips specific to you on how you can improve. Basically we had ~ 2 hours to learn how to cut and then were told to practice at home and you will get better. I feel like in some ways, yes I cut better, but I don't feel like I improved that much. I still have a really hard time keeping cuts even, and I am still extremely slow at it. (whatever - and that may be more about me and my skills than the school). But I wonder if a smaller class size or 2 classes would help this a bit. I'm debating taking another class here, but the reviews of the lack on hands on instruction has me a bit concerned.