Cooking at the Cottage

What a night!!! I purchased the Introduction to Sushi for my sweet and saucey. Sushi is something we love to stuff our pie holes with and making it has been a long time dream of ours. Sushi parties have been run by Andrews father and we wanted to host our own and make our own!
We paid $ 70 each, which was extremely reasonable for the amount of items and knowledge retained!
Also, whoever told you making sushi is difficult only knew how to make cereal. It was NOT hard. Yes, you have to pay attention to detail and focus on the task at hand. But isn’t that anything in life???
We created beautiful maki and nori!
The staff was wonderful and were extremely accommodating and encouraging! We can’t wait to go back for the second course of sushi!!!

My brother and I went to an Italian themed class where we got to watch and learn the different recipes, from appetizer to main course and dessert. Since my dad signed us up I had no idea we wouldn’t be actually helping cook the meal, so we sat and watched and tasted as the class progressed.
The chef/​teacher was great, a true Italian who gave us some great tips for preparing lamb. The class was fun, they served us boxed wine which was a little low brow for the atmosphere. Some guests brought their own bottle, if I had known this was an option I would have come prepared!
The kitchen space and store are great, plus it is located in a an accesible plaza, lots of parking.

this class is definately fun. im not entirely sure you learn tk cook a full meal, since the technical stuff is already done for you. it is great for a date night. we will be back

I took a 6-​week (one day a week) basic cooking class at Cooking at the Cottage that covered knife skills, pasta making, sauces, cooking techniques and more and it was so much fun and packed with information. The class cleared up a lot of questions I had and gave me a confidence that, in some ways I was already doing quite a few things correctly, and gave me a solid base in subjects I knew nothing about. I gained a basic understanding of how to put ingredients together to create a meal without a structured recipe, and really that’s a skill that everyone should possess. I learned how to take care of my knives and which ones were essential to have and which ones I could do without. Because of what I learned, I have begun to stock my kitchen with certain quality tools that allow me to cook with ease, and I now know what basics to keep in my pantry and refrigerator so that I can always make a quality dish with what I have on hand. I also learned about great local sources for produce, meats, etc. Cooking at the Cottage also has a neat selection of cooking implements for purchase. I found the staff to be highly motivating and excited about sharing their love and knowledge of cooking. Parking is easy. I look forward to my next class and learning even more.

We have taken numerous classes over the years with Cooking at the Cottage. We have enjoyed the experience because the chefs are informative & willing to answer personal cooking challenges! The owners, Linda & Mark, have always been patient, congenial and professional. Other participants are looking for a relaxed, informative experience so it’s a fun time. Wine is served for those who wish or you can BYOB. Read the fine print: demonstration classes are different than hands-​on but it’s all good. Diverse offerings by chefs with personality & teaching experience!

So my original «date night» plan at another venue was full so I Google around and saw «Cooking at the Cottage» had a Date Night event which was a hands on cooking class and menu looked good. The class consist of 13 couples all cooking on gas burners with the ingredients all pre-​measured and placed in little cups. So how did it go…
Good night. Fun evening and we learned a little while also eating our results. The Chef instructor was from Sullivan and engaging. The other couples were a mix of younger and older. The crowd was pretty reserved our evening. Maybe in the future we will bring some friends to liven up the evening a bit but over all still a good crowd.
We cooked a great Shrimp and Truffle Mac and Cheese with Seared Medallions of Pork, and Crystallized Ginger and Chocolate Mousse. Dinner was delicious! Definitely going to visit again!

So, signed my son up for one of the summer cooking classes (Making your own Sushi). He LOVED it! So much w2e signed him up for another before the summer is up. The ladies were all VERY nice and my son said they were Great!
It has made my wife and I want to try one of the «Date Nights». Will let you know how that goes after!
:) Wish they had more Kids Classes!!! :)

I feel like they lied to me, cheating me out of nearly $ 500!
They offer a basic/​beginning cooking class — 6 classes, $ 495. I went into the store to ask about the class, specifically saying «I only want to take this class if it also teaches which seasonings go well with meals, and which side dishes go well with meals.»
The staff assured me this was the case, so I signed up for the class.
In 1 of the 6 classes someone finally asked if we would learn about seasonings, herbs, spices, and full meal construction. The chef/​instructor/​restauranteur want-​to-​be said «No, you can only learn those things according to your taste by trial and error.» I felt this answer was fairly lame — if this was true wouldn’t restaurants/​caterers/​etc. be unable to satisfy customers? Furthermore, it made the answer to my first question a total lie — the answer that convinced me to take the classes.
Also, I would not recommend the class to anyone that does any cooking at all, even just dabbling. You probably won’t learn much. And 3 of the 6 classes are basically demonstration class only, with little to no hands on cooking.

I love dining out when we get a date night, don’t get me wrong. But it’s boring. I mean sure there are always new restaurants and new dishes to discover and it’s nice to spend some alone time with my wife, but sometimes you just want to do something different. That’s why we signed up for the date night cooking class at Cooking at the Cottage. I have to say it exceeded all my expectations.
First of all, when you arrive the atmosphere is very relaxed. We had a couple of beers across the street at Coals before we came but this was a mistake because as we discovered when we got there, you can bring your own libations. However this wasn’t a problem for us as the owner was very generous with the complimentary house wine. I had a nice little buzz going by the end of the class.
Our chef instructor for the night was Mike Cunha from Sullivan and Limestone. Our courses for the evening were a cajun shrimp and grits, pork tenderloin dish and peach crème brûlée. They provide you with printouts of the recipes so that you can try the dish at home after the class. All of the ingredients are portioned out as well so you don’t have to waste any time prepping for the dishes, which is nice. The instructor then walks you through cooking each dish.
Once a dish is done, you get to take a break to eat. I have to say, I was shocked at how good they came out. The shrimp and grits we cooked were as good as anything I have ever had at a restaurant. They prep some of the sides in advance so you can just focus on the entrees. We cooked the dessert at the beginning so that the crème brûlée could bake during the class and be eaten at the end. Again, this was as good as any dessert I have eaten in a restaurant.
In summary the food was great and the instruction was great, but the best part was just how much fun we had. You get to take a couple of breaks during the class during which we made some new friends, which was an unexpected benefit. The whole night really exceeded our expectations and I would highly recommend giving this place a try for a unique date night and satisfying meal as well.

This review is not about the food or the class… it is 100% about the lack of customer service.
My husband and I had booked a night of cooking and were looking forward to it. Unfortunately a massive storm came through Louisville at the same time as our class and prevented us from getting home from work in time.
I spoke with an employee and Linda, the manager, about this circumstance and requested due to the extenuating circumstances we be allowed to re-​book our evening in some manner without losing ALL of our money. The only offer we received was to either join extremely late and «catch-​up» or we could pick up the food the next day. I don’t know about you, but I usually take cooking classes to actually LEARN how to cook the food. Not just pick it up. For $ 90, I could get a hell of a lot of take-​out.
I have no issue with policies (they do have a 3-​day cancellation policy) — however, as a former retail manager, I know there are often circumstances that are beyond any control and require an exception. How about offering us a 25% penalty on our cost and offer a re-​book?
Since Linda was unable to help us out at all — we will not be attending this evening and we will not be choosing to spend any further $$ with this company as I do not want to support a place that does not put customers first.

HOLY LIP-​SMACKIN’ HOG !!!
Another delicious meal presented in a demonstration class, this time with Chef Anthony Lamas of Seviche. Chef Lamas brings together his Puerto Rican/​Mexican/​California background to prepare a whole pig, roasting in an outdoor pit, in front of the store!
Back inside, we watch as he prepared Mofango, a plantain bacon mash side dish, and Congri, a black bean and rice dish. While these and several others are being assembled and cooked, Chef Lamas captures your interest with excellent and often funny stories from his youth and heritage.
We had the pleasure of several native Puerto Ricans in the class, and they added to the history and ingredient varieties as well. Top this off with the outstanding attention by the owners Mark and Linda Bayens, and you have experienced an event and meal worth applause!

Bam! Date Night…
I have chosen a solid group of friends who enjoy the flavors of life, love, and food. As a gift to my roommate, who graduated college, I bought a gift certificate for a Date Night Cooking Class at Cooking at the Cottage.
Biting Price: The cost is very reasonable. For $ 75 we learned how to prepare a three course dinner with all ingredients included. In addition, our experience was dulcified when all the students of the cooking classes receive 10% of any of the kitchen gadgets the cottage offers the night of class.
Mouthwatering: Our three course meal included an mushroom with duck confit filled ravioli, pan seared salmon with couscous, and a brie stuffed pastry with sauteed pears and homemade caramel. All of the dishes were AMAZING and for the most part made by us. We received a recipe list with cooking instructions for us to replicate our teaching experience. For each class every student, of age, gets a free glass of wine to drink. If that is not awesome enough, they encourage students to bring their own bottles. My friend and I were unaware we could bring our own bottle, but there was a liquor store across the street that we picked up a bottle to share before class.
Delectable Service: Our instructor was hilarious and informative. We learned some cooking tips and basics that could be used with any dish. The owners of the cottage were there to help with cleaning between each meal, replacing our used dishes, and helping encase we wanted to buy something. My friend and I decided for the future, instead of gifts, we would just keep buying date nights for each other the whole year round. Although we went as friends we were the only non relationship couple there. We saw groups of couple friends, married couples, and first date couples that were all enjoying the cooking class. The whole experience lasted only a few hours, but I left stuffed with joy and food.