Jarrod G.
Yelp
If you are looking for an AMAZING time for the entire family, group of friends/work colleagues, date with a significant other, you are an aspiring chef and would like to pick the brain of a highly experienced chef while in the kitchen, or just want a super-unique time away from the normal everyday humdrum with a 5 Star Meal at the end of the experience --look no further and book with The Mardi Gras School of Cooking. I HIGHLY recommend this experience to tourists and long-time NOLA residents, alike. I'm beyond-words impressed with this entire culinary experience and will be booking more time with Chef Scott in the future.
1) Location:
This convenient location right next to Jackson Square is perfect walking distance within the French Quarter. It is 2 apartments that have been converted into a Cooking School setting. The kitchen & sitting area is a well lit wide open with high ceilings & very clean (see #2). There are 3 tables inside-- one decorated/set beautifully for eating, another set with high-end professional butane burners, & the other that would be used for our prep area for a party of 4. The kitchen is an L-Shaped configuration with a large sink, dishwasher, refrigerator, microwave and 4 burner electric stove for simmering. At no point did we feel crowded/cramped or that we could potentially have a kitchen collision due to the layout. Overall, it is a very well designed & thought out space.
2) Cleanliness:
Think high-end commercial kitchen cleaning standards meets a large-sized studio apartment setting-- perfect for learning in a food-safe environment. I'm sure this was the intentional design so that you can easily translate your experience to your own home kitchen. That being said, the location is not so sterile where you lose the home-like factor, either; it is still an intimate setting. There were NO visible old splatters of food on the walls, around the sink fixtures, on/around the stove. The refrigerator exterior was clean, as was the inside, the sink sponges looked new/newer and the staging area for food to be used in our class was equally clean- all food in stainless steel prep bowls. The cabinets were also well organized & free of unnecessary clutter from what I could see.
3) Ingredients:
At the MGSoC, you're paying for a Chef lead experience in cooking. I'm sure it could be very easy for these type of classes to save on overhead with lower quality ingredients--after all, you're just trying to get the knack of cooking the selected meals, right? WRONG-- Chef Scott was very proud to show off the freshness & quality of every ingredient we were to use in our class and was happy to tell you where to buy the same items yourself in & around town. This contributes heavily to the end-result of what you have cooked during class, which is nothing short of a high-end meal at a fine dining establishment. He also has the spices available for purchase that you use during your cooking class--which are AWESOME!!!
4) The Chef Scott Experience:
My family had the privilege of a private class with Chef Scott. My wife, both boys (13yo & 11 yo), & I all learned SO much during our time with him. Everything from the history of the food dishes being cooked during the class, the cultural influences that impacted the regional cuisine, basic knife skills, how to build flavors in a short amount of time, and even the priceless, personal lesson of how Salt, Fat, Acid, & Heat impacts the taste of the dish. There's so much more than this that was covered--we are still speaking about the lessons learned on a daily basis. Both boys are in shock & elated that they had a chance to make their own meals from scratch--to include a legit roux--and were amazed at the result of the taste!
Chef Scott offers a wealth of experience to his students-- he openly and willingly shares his knowledge built up over many years as an experienced & highly successful Chef and Restaurant owner. Even after all of his years of making people happy with his cooking, he is clearly still passionate about food and wants to share that with his students. Chef Scott is very personable, funny, and is a very patient, supportive teacher---teaching to the level of the individuals in his class. Chef also promised that we would make the best-tasting Gumbo YaYa & Shrimp Étouffée that we had ever eaten--he wasn't lying.
This was a family experience that was one of kind--one that we will take with us for a lifetime. I'll be re-booking with Chef Scott on my next family trip into NOLA.