Chengdu Cooking Class with a Local Market Visit

Our guide and instructor Jerry was fantastic. Lively, enthusiastic, knowledgeable. We really got a great feel for his Chengdu local neighborhood, including tour of food market. Cooking class was great - easy enough for our older children, yet we also learned some new techniques. Jerry went above and beyond, he added some time to visit tea and spice markets.

This activity was my favorite activity during our visit to China. Meeting location was easy to get to. Our guide, Lance, was knowledgeable, friendly, and helpful. He answered all our questions and translated what the head chef said. His English is excellent. My family and I had a fantastic time. Food was delicious. My sons (8 and 11 year old) still talks about the experience and food. Chili cool was also very flexible and accommodated our last minute request to change the date as one of our family member’s flight was canceled and he couldn’t make it for the original date. The wet market visit was very interesting. I highly recommend doing this cooking class with Chili Cool and having Lance as the guide.

This was one of the best highlights of our trip in China. Mind you, we saw The Great Wall, Terracotta Warriors, Shaolin, Grottoes, Zhangjiajie National Park, etc. The owner was very flexible with changing our dates and a dish on the menu! Lance, our guide was very knowledgeable, hospitable, and personable! Walking through the wet market with him was so fun!!! Our chef empowered us to make Sichuan cuisine and the food was so delicious!!! I would recommend this to anyone and will do it again!

Lance is an amazing guide who speaks fantastic English and is very kind, shares interesting facts and stories and is genuinely interested in yours. We loved strolling through the local market, and trying fruits. The cook (I’m ashamed to say I forgot her name) was awesome! She was fast, but kind and gave our 8 year old some smiles of encouragement while he cooked his 3 dishes together with his father. We would definitely recommend this tour to other families who love to learn to cook some Chinese dishes!

It was one of the best experiences in Chengdu. We learned a lot about the city and it's food and even got some recipes and things to bring home. The guide Lance spoke very good English, so there was absolutely no communication barrier. He even gave us some recommendations on where to go next.

A fantastic experience in Chengdu. Our guide, Lance, was incredibly friendly and welcoming. He explained everything very clearly and even took us around the local market beforehand, which was really interesting. The cooking class itself was relaxed and enjoyable, and we ended up talking about all kinds of things. It was a wonderful way to get closer to China and learn more about its culture and everyday life, beyond just its cuisine. Highly recommended!

Amazing experience and delicious food! A must do when your in Chengdu. Especially our guide Lance who was very friendly and helpful

We went as a family and it was a very satisfying experience. Seeing the market up close, learning about their culinary customs and the best part, cooking as a couple like on Masterchef. Our guide Lance was very kind and we loved his explanations. Very nice, he always tried to make us understand him in English. They gave us a little gift. Very pleasant. Highly recommended experience.

We had a fantastic time visiting the market and then learning to make delicious Szechuan dishes during this tour! Jerry was a wonderful guide and his energy and passion were contagious. We absolutely recommend doing this experience and especially with Jerry who made it so fun and also speaks English very well.

I am so glad I signed up for this cooking class. It was a half-day course where we prepared five local dishes. When I arrived at the meeting point, I was told that I was the only participant that day. I was a bit surprised and wondered how it would turn out. This course is usually designed for English speakers, but since I am currently learning Mandarin, I thought it would be a great opportunity to practice Chinese while learning how to cook Chinese food. The day started with meeting the guide, Lance, who took me to a local market for fruits, vegetables, meat, and seafood. Lance spoke fluent English, but when he realized that I could speak some Mandarin, he kindly switched to speaking simpler Mandarin so I could understand. I was impressed not only by his excellent English skills, but also by his deep knowledge of ingredients and Chinese food culture. I learned so much just by listening to him. After visiting the market, we went to the kitchen where the cooking took place. We began with fresh peaches from the market and tea, while Lance introduced me to Chinese tea culture. Then I met the cooking teacher, who was absolutely lovely. She (teacher Hou) mentioned how happy she was to finally be able to communicate with a student. Overall, it was a fantastic start to the day. I learned so much about Chinese food and culture. A big thank you to Lance for sharing his knowledge and for practicing Mandarin with me. I highly recommend this course, and would have given a higher rating if it was possible!