Tasha's Bistro Cafe

These guys are awesome http://www.culinarycommunion.com/ They have a new location for classes on the Eastside and the classes are diverse, informative, and fun. I really enjoyed taking their Indian Cooking class last fall. more

I took the Indian Cuisine class from Gabe. He is so lively, friendly and helpful in the kitchen. Under his guidance, everyone got to prepare a couple dishes. After finishing the group meal, we got to eat it with all our new friends. We had an absolutely amazing time that evening and learned some great techniques. They also gave us a takeaway binder with lots of history about the cuisine, recipe cards for items we made, descriptions of the techniques and ingredients used. He filled us in on where to get good affordable ingredients also, and he had us taste and smell the spices before we started cooking. It was a great learning experience and a lot of fun. I hope I can find time to take more of their classes in the future. more

I have been taking a good number of excellent hands-on cooking classes at this place called Culinary Communion: http://www.culinarycommunion.com They have a branch in West Seattle and a branch in Snoqualmie. The owner-instructor, Gabriel Claycamp is a great, funny guy who has an encyclopediac knowledge about food and its preparations. Gabe graduated at the top of his class from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY (the most prestigious cooking school in the USA). After that, he was the sous chef at the Tasting Room in Manhattan (one of the top restaurants there, with the largest all-American wine list on the eastern seaboard), and then moved to Seattle to become the executive chef at Anthony's Homeport. Deciding that he would prefer to teach and impart his vast storehouse of cooking knowledge, he started Culinary Communion. My cooking skills have improved tremendously as a result of this class, and I would wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who is interested in taking cooking classes. Classes are typically 3 hours long, and start out with a lecture by the instructor, followed by the hands-on preparation of several dishes that are chosen to allow practice on the topic being taught. At the end of the lesson, students and instructors sit down to have a meal together, enjoying the food that they prepared. All this, plus wine during the class and the meal, comes up to $70 per class which is very reasonable IMO, especially considering that the meal is restaurant-quality. I'm looking forward to taking the advanced cooking skills series this fall. Maybe after that, I'll open my own restaurant! :-) If you ever take classes with them, tell Gabe or Heidi (his wife, the business manager) that Bertrand sent ya ;-) more

Classes are located in W. Seattle, in a private home. The set up is funky but the classes are highly professional and bring in students of all cooking levels. You can find the class that suits your interest and skills. They've grown substantially over the past two years, including Eastside classes, a big sign of popularity. I took basic skills and found it very good. more

Culinary communion offers a wide range of cooking classes. They include series classes, like a 6 class Basics series for complete novices, a 6 class Techniques series that goes over the fundamentals of professional-style cooking, and two series focused on baking. There is also a long list of stand alone classes and mini series, covering dozens of international cuisines, and intriguing topics such as cheese making and charcuterie. The instructors are passionate about food and cooking, and are both patient with novices and encouraging to more advanced students. Classes normally cost $70, but check the website to get on the 'Guest List' mailing list, which will get you in to last minute openings at a discount. Two locations, Kirkland and West Seattle, accommodate both east- and west- siders. more