チェンマイでのベニーとのプライベートディナークッキングクラス

This wasn’t just a cooking class — it was one of the best experiences of our entire Thailand trip. Benny keeps her classes small on purpose: her whole philosophy is to actually get to know the people who cook with her, and by the end of the night my husband and I felt like we’d made friends for life. The evening started with a market tour, and Benny was endlessly patient explaining everything — herbs, vegetables, fruits I’d never seen before (we tasted so many!), the meat market, even fried toasted worms (which genuinely taste like French fries — try them!). She helped me pick out chili powders, curry pastes, and fish sauce to bring home, with great recommendations for everything. Along the way she taught us so much about Thai food culture — how locals shop and eat at the market, why street food is such a big part of daily life. Then we drove to her beautiful outdoor cooking school just outside the city, with individual cooking stations for each guest. We cooked a full multi-course meal from scratch: appetizers (papaya salad and pomelo salad), mains (pad thai, pad see ew, green curry, and the best khao soi we had in Thailand — better than the restaurant version we’d eaten the day before), and desserts (mango sticky rice — mine dyed purple with butterfly pea flowers — and banana cake). We even made our own chili paste from scratch. Benny’s partner made us wonderful cocktails, including a tamarind “Bloody Benny.” Two things set this class apart. First, they teach you to season to YOUR taste — spicier, sweeter, saltier — so you actually learn to cook Thai food, not just follow a recipe. Second, they adjust the spice to what you can handle: they usually tone it down for Western guests, but when they saw I could eat the whole chili, they happily went full local heat. We left around five hours later, completely stuffed, with a recipe book, an apron, and a taxi ride back to our hotel arranged for us. This is a true local business — two people who trained hard, came home, and built something special with their own hands. My recommendation: tip generously. They earn every bit of it and more.

+20

This wasn’t just a cooking class — it was one of the best experiences of our entire Thailand trip. Benny keeps her classes small on purpose: her whole philosophy is to actually get to know the people who cook with her, and by the end of the night my husband and I felt like we’d made friends for life. We booked the private version and at the price she charges I recommend that approach to everyone who can afford it. The evening started with a market tour, and Benny was endlessly patient explaining everything — herbs, vegetables, fruits I’d never seen before (we tasted so many!), the meat market, even fried toasted worms (which genuinely taste like French fries — try them!). She helped me pick out chili powders, curry pastes, and fish sauce to bring home, with great recommendations for everything. Along the way she taught us so much about Thai food culture — how locals shop and eat at the market, why street food is such a big part of daily life. Then we drove to her beautiful outdoor cooking school just outside the city, with individual cooking stations for each guest. We cooked a full multi-course meal from scratch: appetizers (papaya salad and pomelo salad), mains (pad thai, pad see ew, green curry, and the best khao soi we had in Thailand — better than the restaurant version we’d eaten the day before), and desserts (mango sticky rice — mine dyed purple with butterfly pea flowers — and banana cake). We even made our own chili paste from scratch. Benny’s partner made us wonderful cocktails, including a tamarind “Bloody Benny.” Two things set this class apart. First, they teach you to season to YOUR taste — spicier, sweeter, saltier — so you actually learn to cook Thai food, not just follow a recipe. Second, they adjust the spice to what you can handle: they usually tone it down for Western guests, but when they saw I could eat the whole chili, they happily went full local heat. We left around five hours later, completely stuffed, with a recipe book, an apron, and a taxi ride back to our hotel arranged for us. This is a true local business — two people who trained hard, came home, and built something special with their own hands. My recommendation: tip generously. They earn every bit of it and more.

Benny is fabulous. We loved the market walk around learning and buying ingredients for our menu. The welcome at the cooking school and Benny’s home was great. We had a delicous cocktail and then off we went cooking our three courses with some beers to hand. We went for a private class - just the two of us and it was a really memorable evening. Would so recommend to do this with the fabulous Bennyn, Nan and their team.

+1

We had an amazing time visiting the market and cooking delicious Thai food on Christmas Day - thank you Benny and thank you kitchen fairies!

It was very kind Benny treated us to luxury. The market visit also excellent. It has very good quality and healthy variants in your kitchen. Also a home garden.

We had the best day with Benny and Nan. I loved that we got picked up in one of the local red trucks for a ride to the market. Benny showed us all around the market and got us local treats to try in addition to our grocery list for the class. Cooking class was simple, fun and delicious and we had a great time dining next to the beautiful rice paddy after we fixed our meal (during which they gave us recommendations for the next leg of our trip). If you want to support an excellent small business run by some big hearted folks, book with Benny!

I don't even know where to start. I rarely write reviews, but this experience deserves its praise. Firstly, Benny is AMAZING! From the moment I booked the class, she has been incredibly kind, offering (unsolicited) recommendations for things to do while in Chiang Mai, asking about food preferences and allergies, making adjustments to the plan to best suit our schedule, and making sure we felt taken care of. The trip to the market was an amazing cultural experience. We got to learn about the Chiang Mai agricultural scene, common ingredients and taste some delicious snacks. We never felt rushed and had some time to shop around for things to take back home with us. We loved every second of it. On arrival to her home, we were greeted by her partner who was equally friendly and welcoming. The set up was great -- she had a beautiful garden and rice field. We were offered refreshments and immediately made to feel right at home. The cooking experience itself was wonderful, well taught, and easy to follow. The food turned out INCREDIBLE! I can't wait to try some of the recipes when I get back home. This is more than just a cooking class--- it is a wonderful, immersive experience with the kindest hosts you'll ever find. I highly recommend this to anyone and would love to return on my next visit to Chiang Mai.

+2

My girlfriend and I went for a private class with Benny and her kitchen fairy, and we didn’t regret it. Both of them were so welcoming, nice and easy going and made us feel like friends of the family. First we went to the market and Benny showed us around and explained a lot of stuff and we tasted some delicious things from the region. Then we drove to her house to cook up some delicious food and with nice explanations and good conversation. Food was amazing and we learned some tips and tricks. We had a lovely evening and so much fun. Can definitely recommend to anyone with an interest in thai food. As a professional chef myself, this was very awesome to experience. Top grades to Benny and the team! 10/10!

We had an awesome time with Benny (and her partner Nan). Going to the market was a great experience. Preparing a scrumptious meal with Benny was such fun. She is amazing! This is an experience not to be missed!

We did the private session and had a fantastic time. Our two teenage boys (13 & 15) can be a bit shy amongst bigger groups so the private session worked perfectly. Benny is a wonderful host. She took us around her local market for shopping and tasting and then we headed back to her place to cook. It’s a really nice outdoors set up and the whole session was brilliantly and professionally and run so that we could both learn and have fun. At no point did we feel rushed. We would definitely recommend to others!