Mise En Place

Our Hot Tomato Summer cooking class at Mise En Place was an absolute blast – truly one of the best culinary experiences we've ever had! The chefs were incredibly resourceful and helpful, guiding us through each step with expertise and enthusiasm. They had an answer for every question and a brilliant tip for every technique, making even complex dishes feel approachable. What truly set this class apart was the communal and shared nature of the experience. Working alongside fellow food lovers, sharing laughter, stories, and, of course, delicious tomato-themed creations, made for an unforgettable evening. It felt less like a class and more like a lively dinner party with new friends. We left feeling inspired, well-fed, and eager to recreate the magic in our own kitchen. If you're looking for a fun, engaging, and delicious cooking class, Mise en Place is an absolute must!

We did a work event here for a cooking class and it was such a great experience. The chef had just the right mix of teaching, explaining and letting the teams work in stations to bond. It was so lovely to then share the meal we had prepared together. And of course we didn’t have to wash the dishes! Very accommodating of the many different allergens within our group as well

Attended the pasta making class and although the food was delicious and our chefs were interactive and pleasant, calling this a “class” is misleading. We rolled two pasta shapes and that was it. The dough was premade and we got basic verbal instructions for how to make it at home. After rolling the pasta for maybe an hour, the rest of the evening was a seated meal - bruschetta, lasagna, and cake. The limoncello was already made also. It would be a nice touch to make and bottle our own to have for future. The pasta dried as we ate and the head chef gave some verbal instructions for how to cook it. I left feeling I had learned more interesting facts about where our chef was from rather than how to recreate anything at home.

What a cool experience. Neat atmosphere and the other folks that came were so pleasant to be around. Felt like making a holiday meal. We did tapas and Chef Lawrence coordinated the kitchen so well. Not only did we make the dishes on menu but he kept plopping down more food at each station for bonus plates! You can tell that he really put a lot of time thinking about making the experience really fun for everyone. We each cooked a whole dish rather than all trying to make one. He seems to change it up each time so will definitely be trying to go back again. So fun to have some talented chefs living in the city ready to help others make some yummy food. Well worth every bit of time and money. Tip - there is wine to buy there - so that was a really welcome surprise too.

We have done cooking classes around the world. This one was OK, but not great. The meal we prepared as a group was remarkably plain flavored and uncomplicated. They did not have separate cooking workstations for each couple; it was one shared kitchen, with everyone cooking a communal meal. Therefore, everyone only cooked one part of the shared meal, for a few minutes, and then watched everyone else take a turn. Also, there was no instruction on cooking skills. This was the first cooking class I've had that did not include wine. It was an extra expense to buy a bottle. That was surprising for $89/head. To be blunt, usually at these things, they lubricate a good time with some wine, and at the end, the staff stand at the door with smiles and their palms out to the tipsy, happy, well-fed customers. That did not happen at Mise en Place. There was an awkward moment when we realized the staff were cleaning up, so we all just left. The staff were pleasant but did not really "teach" anything. Unlike other cooking classes we've attended, they did not greet the participants with a "wow" appetizer cooked by the chef to show off the chef's expertise. The total quantity of food we cooked was just enough; everyone was being polite and avoiding taking large portions because there would not have been enough food. Even so, I had a good time for other reasons. The space is the basement of an old building in Shockoe Slip. It was a cozy and classic old-Richmond venue. The other attendees were pleasant and had a good attitude. Socializing with other people over a meal is always an adventure in itself! In summary, Mise en Place was a pleasant enough experience. It was worth doing once.

My wife and I very much enjoyed our experience here this evening. Lawrence was our instructor and he was fantastic. Very personable, funny, and most of all patient. We both love to cook, so what we were hoping to learn was proper techniques. And that’s exactly what we got. We made eggplant parmesan, blanched broccolini, garlic and olive oil pasta, and biscotti. We got to explore other stations around the kitchen because the schedule was relaxed, so we could learn about each of the dishes. It was the perfect date night, and we would absolutely do it again.

Chef Lawrence is very professional and enthusiasm for cooking. If you regularly cooking meal for yourself or family, you will definitely learn a lot from Lawrence. I enjoyed myself for the Friday night class with nice people around. What they offering is incredible culinary experience which includes hand-on practice and detail instruction with what, why and how. Lawrence is very friendly and would answer all your questions.

I’ve never been to a cooking class before, but I wasn’t thrilled with the experience. I did a “couples night” with my boyfriend. We were in a class with about 8 other couples/ groups. We only got to help prepare the dessert since everyone chose a station. The experience was ok, one of the assistants kept taking over our job. While it was all comical and fun, I guess I was expecting a more formal setting that allowed us to partake in every aspect. In the end, The food was tasty and it was a different experience for a date.

Calling this a cooking "class" would be disingenuous. I received a coupon for a free class from Mise En Place and purchased another ticket for my wife. We were very excited for a cooking class to learn new recipes that we could cook together. I am a very inexperienced cook and was looking forward to learning on how to cook the meals on the advertisement and leaving feeling confident that I learned something new and could prepare at least one of the dishes. Instead, we showed up and weren't greeted at all. We had to ask another class member how to sign in because the instructor was no where to be found. There was no guidance and the "instructor" (using this term incredibly loosely) told the large group to pick a station and get started. Everyone seemed confused by this but walked around and found a recipe. Every station was lacking ingredients and utensils so we could not complete our tasks without walking around aimlessly looking for the right ingredient or measuring cup, etc. (Again, no guidance from the instructor). About 30 minutes into cooking, the "instructor" told the group of 10+ people to switch to a new station. This wasn't structured at all and people in the class just meandered around and said "I guess I'll do this now. No idea where the last person left off though." My wife and I took over a task preparing Asian Fried Chicken. After following the recipe provided by the "iNsTrUcToR", she came over and said it was still raw and walked away with no further instructions. We immediately used a meat thermometer showing that the internal temp was above 165 degrees and not in fact raw, making me seriously doubt the qualifications of our "iNsTrUcToR". After completing this part of the recipe, we noticed a number of other participants just standing around. My wife asked the instructor "Do you have a task I can complete, something I can help with?" and the instructor simply walked away. After completing the recipes - the food was fine. No complaints about the quality of the food - but this isn't the point of a "cooking CLASS". I spoke with 5/6 of the attendees in this class and they were clearly annoyed with the false advertising and lack of instruction and audibly complained throughout the "class" about having no instruction, no guidance, and learning nothing. (Rightfully so). There were a number of other beginners in the class and they seemed checked out because they had no idea what to do, didn't receive feedback, and there was no structure. The common theme after speaking with the attendees was that they thought this would be an instructional event where you can leave learning something (a new skill, a new recipe, literally anything). The only thing I left with was a few jokes about how terrible this experience was. if this was advertised as 15 people getting together to cook prepared recipes with no guidance, that would be accurate. If you want to cook something new - google it and try it yourself. You'll save $85 and get the same experience.

Everything! A historic, charming venue with a very well appointed kitchen work space! The Owner Christine is warm, friendly and attentive. She has a well versed culinary trajectory and is an amazing professional and entrepreneur!

There aren't many reviews on Yelp and Google but they were certainly helpful in setting my expectations for the in-person class. These are group cooking classes so be prepared to be social and know that you won't be involved in every dish. The recipes for all the dishes were shared via email. I have never taken a cooking class and I thoroughly enjoyed it. You split into partners/groups and make an assigned dish. At the end, the dishes are served at the dining table where you eat with your fellow classmates. All the ingredients are ready at every station and the recipe is printed. Everyone in my class was open to people floating around different stations, which was nicer than only sticking to the assigned dish. It was pretty chaotic with one chef running around trying to ensure 13 people weren't ruining any dishes for everyone but I think that's just a typical kitchen.

I surprised my boyfriend with a cooking class as he loves experimenting in the kitchen. This ended up being a lot of fun for the both of us and I hate cooking. Highly recommend! Chef is amazing and we learned some new skills and reasons behind cooking items the best way. The entire class worked in stations to cook our entire meal and then we all sat down to eat it in a community table setting. Again, highly recommend and just keep checking the website as classes fill up fast!

oh my--- what an amazing experience!! We celebrated with our adult children in the culinary kitchen of Mise In Place cooking Spanish dishes that our children grew up eating while in Spain! It was a beautiful experience and Christine was an awesome guide for each of the dishes. She prepared each station with ingredients and recipes but also made herself available as we cooked, laughed and talked! Christine provided tapas and sangria for us to enjoy as we arrived. As each dish was finished, it was served to us so we could enjoy it as a family. Bravo a la experiencia auténtica.

First visited this place for a corporate event. I loved the instructors, set up, recipes, and wine that was included with the meal. One thing to consider is the parking, given the location be sure to arrive early. Overall perfect for a date night or corporate event.

One of my favorite things about Richmond is that it's a legit city with a ton to offer, but it still manages to have a small town vibe. It doesn't just happen; it's the culmination of individual action and personal touch that keeps this city from feeling like a corporatocracy. I had such an interaction with Christine Wansleblen in which she put people before profit. I will look forward to my next experience with Christine and Mise En Place. It's so nice to spend locally with locals who keep things neighborly.

I don't like to be negative. The cooking demo was a fun idea, and as a foodie, I'm always happy to talk about, learn about, and experiment with food. Especially when I can eat it! We came while visiting in Richmond. We knew to expect a demo and not an interactive session, so this wasn't a surprise. Chef Christine was obviously very accomplished. She did a great deal of talking, but seemed like mostly about herself. She prepared the food (arugula & walnut pesto with white bean spread and sausage; kale chips; sautéed mushrooms and asparagus mixed with quinoa) without a great deal of instruction, but with a lot of chatter about her history,and opinions about local restaurants. She coughed into her hand and had to be asked by another attendee to wash her hands before returning to food preparation. She tasted the food from a spoon with her finger, and continued to use the same spoon. She also repeatedly drank from her Starbucks drink while preparing our food. I thought that wasn't appropriate for a chef amidst food preparation. The school is in a pleasant location and is a fun thing to do if you've never done this kind of thing. We spent $45 per person and didn't get a glass of wine! In fact, the ice tea she served in plastic cups wasn't even cold.

Korean Night, Pros: Kitchen was large and well equipped Chef and staff was very friendly Cons: Not enough ingredients for each station To many people in class (19) need to cut back to (12) at most Not enough teaching of techniques. Overall felt rushed, not enough prep was put into the class before hand. With that all being said, the food tasted great and the receipts that we got 4 days after class were good.

I was part of an event at MIse en Place this week. Our investment club had our holiday celebration at MIse en Place, Chef Jenny was great. All the ingredients & recipes were laid out- everything was easily available. I really enjoyed cooking with the other club members & learned a little bit about cooking as well, Chef Jenny & her assistant Tia were very helpful, patient & enjoyable. The food was as good, if not better, than many restaurant meals I have eaten. I highly recommend Mise en Place & will be going there again soon.

My place of work recently visited for a team building event, being that this was somewhat unique. There were two instructional chefs and one assistant. In the beginning, one chef reviewed the menu, gave info about each station and explained how the kitchen worked. We were making a 5 course meal including a salad (wilted spinach and apple salad,) main dish (pecan & panko oven baked chicken breasts,) a starch (white rice with sautéed onions in chicken stock,) a veggie (roasted broccoli with garlic Parmesan butter,) and dessert (pumpkin tart with red wine caramel reduction.) We had 4-5 people on each station, which was really too many. If you're going to do this as a group, really 2 for each is all you need...3 would be stretching it. While preparing the food, the two chefs and assistant were always around for questions or assistance, which was great because we had a LOT. We did notice a couple of minor issues...one was that sometimes the chefs would give conflicting instructions. The other is that the recipes weren't always for the amounts of ingredients (our broccoli recipe called for 8lbs, we were given 6) which while not a big deal, it would have been nice to have it matched up. Once our items were prepared and cooking, the chefs took over the finishing and cleaning up. Food was placed in serving dishes on a counter and everyone plated their own food. The recipes themselves were very easy, and very delicious...i would definitely make the broccoli on my own. And they served the meal with both white and red wine. Yes, I know you're not supposed to have red with chicken, but I like red wine and it was a pretty good malbec-cabernet blend. So a couple of negatives...price, being one. It was around $50 a person. Granted, it's cheaper than $100 that Boar's Head charges, but still. The other is that we made a TON of food...easily double of what was needed for our group but yet we weren't allowed to take the food home. Someone in the group asked if it was going to be donated to a shelter and was told that the owner usually takes it home for her family. WTF?? I'm sorry, but that really annoyed me, mainly for the fact of how much was leftover. If it had been a couple pieces of chicken and a few servings of the other dishes, no big deal. But there was AT LEAST 10 pounds of chicken breasts leftover, as well as big serving bowls of the sides...more than enough to feed 10-15 people. Being that we told them well in advance how many people were going to be there, I don't see what the purpose of making so much was...to feed the owners family? Overall...the recipes were very good and very easy (and were provided to us to take with us.) We did have a lot of fun. The price is prohibitive, and the issue with so much food being cooked is a major negative for me...enough of an issue that I won't go back and I won't recommend others to go.

Another fun Yelp Elite event since...People don't cook no more all they do is Yelp all they do is Yelp. Well this place pushed that to the side for a night and had us in there cooking. So... let me not tell you a lie... I really didn't cook, I prepped for the cooks. However, I contributed to my teams winless but tasty entree... and we had a lot of fun socializing and eating other people's dishes. This is a fun activity if you're up for a Chef challenge, want to expand on your cooking skills, or just want to cook but don't want to mess up your own kitchen. Now Get to Cooking or Keep Yelping about other people's cooking! Do you boo.

A wonderful, welcoming, place for a fun cooking class! If you're in the market to try something different for a date night, friends night, or team building with coworkers, definitely try Mise En Place. Thank you to Chef Nate for being a great instructor!

My boyfriend and I took a cooking class here tonight with Chef Nate, and it was amazing. Great place, great chef, great people, great food. I'll definitely go back.

My recent experience is very different from the last reviewer. On a visit to Richmond, I took a fresh pasta class with Chef Nate. There were just 8 people in the class. We worked in teams of two and each person participated in every step with one on one instruction. We made the basic dough, learned to use the pasta machine, formed the linguini and ravioli, made the ravioli filling and made three of the sauces. The chef had already started the meat sauce hours before the class. The chef was extremely knowledgable about his subject and gave us great tips about handling, drying, cooking and storing the pasta and the dough. By the time we sat down to eat, we felt like an extended family. The chef and his assistant served salad, ravioli with 2 sauces and linguini with two sauces, wine and a surprise dessert. I've taken dozens of cooking classes and this is one of the best I've ever experienced. The value was excellent. One reviewer thought the class was expensive, but I can't imagine getting such a quality meal with wine for the price - never mind the experience and the recipes. The chef's dessert - a chocolate sausage - alone was worth the price! A real gem of a place.

My husband and I wanted to try something different; something other than the classic dinner/movie date night. We decided to take a cooking class together. The school itself was as charming as it's location along the cobble-stoned streets of Shockoe Slip. Our dinner included rack of lamb, a cheese souffle, carrots, and raspberry coulis. My husband and I had never tried our hands at baking a souffle, and I'm happy to report we were successful!! Dinner included wine and lots of great conversation. I would highly recommend this as a date night, girl's night out or just to meet new people in general who love food. The group we were with included all of those! In reading some of the previous posts, the chef and other helpers were there to answer questions or grab extra ingredients, utensils or dishes when they were needed. Not sure of the difference in the meals, but for us, it was a wonderful experience and a good change in pace!

Participated in a class about healthy cooking last night with Chef Jenny. There were about 12 participants. Jenny was pleasant and began by reviewing the nights menu. She then broke us up into groups of two to three so that each could prepare a portion of the meal. There were instructions at our station and we made our item. There was NO personal instruction from the Chef. We didn't learn any techniques. We were not told about how to make dishes in a more healthy manner. The recipes were emailed to us. I feel like I paid $65 to get five recipes emailed to me. The food was good and I enjoyed the light meal with the group, but did not feel like I attended an instructional class.

Held a team-building event here and it was a blast. I was surprised that everyone - especially the guys in the group - joined in and the "meals" we turned out were all tasteful and presented beautifully! Highly recommend, and would love to do it again!

I am a French teacher in the Richmond, VA area. For the past six years, I have taken my 7th and 8th grade French students to Mise En Place as a field trip. During their time at Mise, my students prepare a meal planned to my specifications by the owner of Mise, Christine Wansleben. EVERY field trip experience has been wonderful for my students due to the detailed planning and culinary skills of Ms. Wansleben! She is an amazing wizard of culinary arts. She is very happy to share her love of food preparation, meal planning, and technical skills with my students. Time and time again my students have told me how much they enjoyed being at Mise and working with Ms. Wansleben. Also, countless students prepare recipes they learned at Mise for their own families. This field trip gives even students who have never cooked before the confidence to prepare meals at their homes. I am very happy that I learned about opportunities at Mise En Place years ago. It has been a pleasure to plan to work alongside Ms. Wansleben and her staff.