Generous Servings Cooking Classes & Café

One of my favorite places in the Highlands! Everything I’ve had is fantastic — lattes (love their homemade vanilla syrup), soups, salads, chocolate chip cookies (when you’re lucky enough to get one), breakfast granola, etc. If I was rating them purely on the quality of their food/​drink, they’d get a 5+. The only reason I give them a 4 is for atmosphere. The tables are so small, it makes it virtually impossible to work with a laptop out and have even a drink fit on the same table so you have to push multiple ones together. Same thing with the Apres Dessert Bar — great desserts, but the atmosphere left a little to be desired.
Still one of my favorite places for quality and friendliness of the owners and their staff. I just think they need a little help reworking the layout and design.
I’ve also taken cooking classes with them — both were a lot of fun. Not very technical/​skills-​focused, but a great way to do something different with a friend/​date, plus you get to eat afterwards and drink wine — who doesn’t love that?

I was really satisfied w/​the vegan indian class. And when I finally made my first vegan meal at home — palak paneer, basmati rice pilaf, and naan — whoooooooaaaaa, thumbs UP. Id been eyeing the cooking classes for about a year, but never could do it b/​c of work schedule. So when it finally came, I was not disappointed.
their coffee and lil breakfasts are good too. would definitely take another class tho…

I can only rate this based off of the coffeehouse experience and not the cooking classes. It offers some great outdoor seating, which is good because the indoor seating is extremely limited. They also have free wi-​fi, which is always a plus!
Like Brooke wrote, it’s the only coffee shop I know that makes Vietnamese coffee which is one of my faves! Definitely worth a try– I always get it iced and it’s a great addition to a hot summer day.
There were limited baked goods available when I arrived (3 pm), which is somewhat understandable given that they close at 5 during the week. The menu looked pretty good and I’ll definitely have to come back and try it for lunch.
Overall, come here for something to go or to sit on the patio, as inside is small and cramped.

I haven’t had the pleasure of lunch here in quite a while so I stopped in yesterday. Honestly, I felt like I was an inconvenience to the co-​owner and the barista. I don’t know if it was because I tipped in cash instead of on my credit card, but they were less than friendly. I have never had them just put my food on the counter and call me over to get it. It’s the size of my bedroom, they usually take the 10 steps and bring it to my table. I may not go out of my way to visit hear next time I am in the Highlands.

The only coffee shop I know that makes a Vietnamese coffee! They also have great salads for lunch and outdoor seating which I love.
The service has gotten better over the last couple of years. Of course we’re all in a huge hurry… so my main concern is always speed, but all baristas have been nice and conversational.
Tip: try the baked oatmeal w/​yogurt. So yummy!

Hi, my name is Sarah and I am addicted to Lunch from Generous Servings. Homemade soup with bread, $ 4. Are you kidding me? And it is tasty soup. The only variety I pass on is chicken noodle just because it’s not anything compared to the other soups. The beef barley is my favorite. The salads are also delicious. There is never any sketchy lettuce thrown in underneath the good stuff– it is all fresh. The coffee is great (no burnt taste), and I am pretty sure they bake crack into those little diamond cookie snacks that you get free with your coffee.
I read an earlier review that said the staff isn’t nice here… wowie! You must have gone on an off day because I have always had really top notch service here. If you want real grumpy-​grumps to make your coffee, try down the street! I haven’t tried dessert or cooking classes, but all in good time.

Rating based on the coffee shop only, so I have no opinion on the cooking classes. The like the food and drinks a lot, but I struggle with the baristas whom seemed bothered by the fact they have customers. 0 for 5 here on that front. I know people love to hate S-​Bucks, but they are at least friendly.

Holy crap, i went there today and just picked up a scone and some coffee cake. They were both among the best I’ve ever had and priced cheap. Haven’t tried the coffee or I’d consider giving them 5 stars. Nice barista to boot.
Yes, with excellent scones the world truly can be a better place.

Mmmmm, Pumpkin Soufflé with Egg Nog sauce. Fabulous!
The Apres Dessert Bar here has great, creative food. The grilled cheese sandwich with apples is really good and the tomato soup is to die for! The presentation was a bit strange, there was a pile of lettuce on top of my sandwich, not a salad, just a pile of lettuce. Weird. But, tasty none the less.
This place is really small, so don’t expect to bring a large group here. They had a bit of difficulty seating a group of 6 that had come in just ahead of us. And, because it is small, you will be sitting right next to other restaurant patrons, like inches away. But, the food is totally worth it if that kind of thing doesn’t make you uncomfortable.

The Mrs. got me a certificate for a Knife Skills cooking class here. If forgot who our instructor was, but she was one of the co-​owners. Overall, it was a great course, we learned a lot, we now take our knives to be sharpened there, and had a blast. You get to eat what you cook and you also get to sample some vino. Highly recommended for the classes if you’re in the neighborhood, however I’ve not tried anything else.

We took a two night intro course covering basic cooking skills here. Our instructor, Mary, was great. She’s easy going and super knowledgeable! It was the first time I’d learned so much of the science behind cooking and it’s truly helpful info. Why shouldn’t you stir your pancake batter too much? Or let your chicken soak for too short a time? Take these classes to find out!
If you’re already pretty in tune with your kitchen I’d recommend taking a less basic course. We had a great time and learned a lot, but I felt like things moved a little slow for us. We’re avid cooks, maybe not the best, but this class reaffirmed my knife skills and that I have a decent grasp of the basics.
Love this space, love the structure of the class. Definitely want to try another more advanced class in the future.

A friend and I visited on an early Sunday afternoon. Having driven past the throng of people just a few blocks east of here I was pleasantly surprised to see the crowd thinning.
We only had a drink so that is all I can speak about. I had a black cup of coffee and my friend had an Italian Soda, both drinks were delicious! The liquid onyx was filtered through a gold cone right at the counter, adding to the experience. I asked for a large and they set a pottery bucket underneath the filter! It was HUGE… and the results were fantastic! Total price for the two drinks was only $ 4.75 so the value was great too!
Due to the great location, spacious and uninhabited patio and great service I will be back. I can only guess that if this place was a few blocks east of it’s location they would have to expand, the coffee is that good! Don’t miss this place!

Apres Dessert Bar
Got there and had to wait about 15 min for a table to open. We got coffee and soup in the café section while we waited. Once a table opened we moved back into the tiny room. It has about 6 or 7 tables. We split the Flourless chocolate cake. It was pretty good, smooth almost like a mousse. Not the biggest for $ 9 though. Nice atmosphere. I probably wouldn’t go back, but would say it’s worth checking out once.

My friend and I had a sweet tooth on a Sunday afternoon, and forgetting that Happy Cakes is closed on Sundays, we ended up at the Aprés Dessert Bar. Prices were way more than we were looking to spend, but the décor was great. Service was slightly on the slower side, with only one other couple there.
We ordered the s’mores & split it. $ 8.00.
Loved the presentation! The marshmallows tasted homemade, and we got to roast them right at the table. Grahams were good, and we had the hershey’s chocolate rather than the belgian dark chocolate.
It was good, but based on the price & the other options on 32^nd, we probably won’t be back. Would love to try the cooking class though! sounds like blast!

I had a blast at the recent «Taste of Italy» class I attended. Everything was so well organized, the instructor was a hoot and, beyond all measure, our little group of eight produced a wicked-​good meal.
I wanted to punch up my culinary skills beyond my usual reliance on Velveeta as a primary ingredient and, while I’m not going to give up my cheesy-​rectangle of goodness, I did pick up many useful tips to add to my cooking repetoire. I hope I can reproduce in my own kitchen what we did under the supervision of the Generous Servings crew.
Nice for a special ocassion with your partner or treat a friend or two for a fun evening of cooking and eating!

Small café attached to a little cooking school. Exceedingly excellent coffee (Coda beans), and they even give you a little cookie to go with it. The owner is almost always working when I go in, and she knows what she’s doing back there.
They make some very good pastries as well, but they are almost always down to just a couple when I usually go in the late afternoon.
The inside seating is scarce and not all that comfortable (table tops are too small to use a mouse), so I usually get drinks to go, although there is a nice patio. During the summer on Thursday afternoons they host a micro farmers market out there, at which they even sell their own housemade butters (churned in the kitchen from local cream). The salted cultured butter is especially good.
If they had more and better seating I’d probably be down here a lot more often with my laptop. I was tempted to go with 4 stars because of that, but the coffee is too good.

Unlike most of the posters on here, I haven’t eaten at the café, but I have taken a cooking class here. I took a Thai cooking class last week and I couldn’t have been more pleased with the experience.
Mary was as friendly and as easy to talk to as they come. The led the class in a relaxed fashion and by the end a bunch of strangers were eating together and talking like old friends.
We made several dishes and got eat them as we went. She had interesting side notes to add to her written recipes. I learned a lot!
I love the area of town and I can’t wait to go back.

Imagine if you will, a retail establishment in the heart of trendy highlands that doesn’t emit a «vibe» of any kind.
What the heck am I talking about? Generous Servings café doesn’t aspire to be anything other than what it is. It’s not a café that is secretly a library where people go work on their laptops for 6 hours at a time, it doesn’t play obscure Euro Lounge music, and you don’t feel the need to dress up just to get a cup of coffee.
Generous Servings Café is straightforward drinks, soups, salads and other nibbles at a great price.
The patio is perfect for this time of year and starting May 14, 2009 they will begin to host the Highland MiMa every Thursday on their patio during the summer. What a sense of community!
Have you tried their ice cream sandwiches yet? If you haven’t, you are missing out.

I love this place. Quick, gourmet eats at reasonable prices. I’m not a breakfast person, especially not a go-​out-​for-​breakfast person. But their strata is tasty — they have nice flavor, using things like sundried tomatoes or green chiles. You can stop in for an early breakfast or a late lunch, have a nice coffee seated at the bar, and enjoy your meal on a real plate, with real silverware (or get stuff for takeout). All this for little more $ than you would pay for cardboard food at Starbucks. They have soups, too –single portions that are ready to go with nice accompaniments. Every Sunday they have delicious chicken tortilla soup; they’ll include just enough avocado, white cheese, and lime with it.
I haven’t been to the cooking classes, but I’d like to try one.

Generous Servings is a very unique business model with a fantastic cooking school and gourmet café, all in the same place!
I have taken 5+ cooking classes at Generous Servings– Chocolate, Pastas, Cooking Basics, Vegetarian Indian, Cooking with Fresh Produce and a few others.
They have all been divine.
Mary is such a great instructor and a firm believer in cooking with fresh and local produce and meats. She has many Vegetarian classes to choose from and is now offering Gluten Free cooking as well. Don’t worry meat eaters– she is a genius with the 4 legged animals.
The Café offers incredible baked goods and homemade ice cream sandwiches that dreams are made of. Anytime I bring them to a party– I’m given High-5’s oh yes, they don’t last long.
Cooking classes and ice cream sandwiches– Great Date Night, or Ladies night out!