I want to make it very clear from the beginning that none of my criticism is directed at the chef. In fact, the chef was the best part of the experience and did an excellent job despite being put in circumstances that made his job unnecessarily difficult. The location was probably the worst possible choice for this type of class. It was held at a local brewery—essentially a bar—which normally wouldn't have been an issue. However, there was a live band playing during the class. As you can imagine, this made it extremely difficult to hear the chef while he was trying to explain techniques, give instructions, and walk us through each step. This was especially disappointing because the chef was French-trained, extremely knowledgeable, and clearly passionate about what he was teaching. He did an excellent job explaining everything and patiently answering all of our questions. Unfortunately, the environment made it much harder for us to hear and fully benefit from what he was trying to teach us. That was absolutely not his fault. We also had a serious mishap in the middle of the class when the cheap plastic table we were provided collapsed on one side. Almost everything on the table fell or nearly fell onto the floor. For a cooking class involving food, equipment, and people gathered around a work surface, I consider that more than just an inconvenience—it was a significant safety and organizational concern. Again, the chef deserves absolutely no blame for this. If anything, his response deserves recognition. Rather than allowing the incident to end the class, he remained professional, gathered whatever ingredients and food items were still usable, improvised with what he had left, and was determined to complete the class for us. My disappointment is entirely with the venue selection, setup, and organization of the class—not with the chef or his performance. The live music made the location unsuitable for an instructional cooking class, and the cheap, unstable table should never have been used as a work surface for this type of event. The chef did everything he reasonably could to give us a good experience despite circumstances that were outside of his control. He was knowledgeable, professional, patient, and determined to finish what he started. He deserves credit for salvaging the experience, not criticism for the problems surrounding it. Unfortunately, the poor choice of venue and inadequate setup significantly diminished what could—and should—have been an excellent class.










