Healthy Homemade Snacks

Reviews

• Michael C.

  Couples Cooking Night February 7, 2017

  Do you enjoy cooking?
  
  Do you want to learn to make some awesome new meals?
  
  Do you like drinking wine and meeting cool new people?
  
  If you answered yes to any of these you should absolutely pay The Gourmandise School a visit! The girlfriend and I recieved a couples class as a gift for Christmas and I was blown away at how much we enjoyed it! Conveniently located in the 3rd St Prominade Santa Monica, I couldnt believe this was the first time I had heard of this place. Our evening started with a brief run down and history of the meal/summary from the spectacular Chef John. We then got right down to business and started preparing/learning the meal. We attended Date night in Havana, which was a class cooking Cuban inspired Shredded Pork, Sofrita beans, fried plantains, Chayote Salad and Flan dessert. The class was pretty intimate (about 7 couples) allowing everyone ample instruction and attention from the staff. Each couple gets their own small range and ingredients so no sharing or learning by watching was required. Water, tea, coffee, and a cheese/cracker plate were all provided for us as we cook and couples are free to bring beer/wine/spirits of their own to enjoy. Ms. Laurene was among the super support staff helping with heat settings, questions, and fresh ingredients. Once the cooking was complete, all couples are then seated together at a table to partake in the delicious meal we prepared. I cannot wait to return and take another class at The Gourmandise!

• Danielle W.

  Knife Skills December 18, 2016

  Chef Gil was wonderful! He was attentive, knowledgeable, and explained things so well. I had the best time at my knife skills class. I'm already signing up for another class!

• Emma Nayiri P.

  Couples Cooking Night August 16, 2016

  Such a fun experience!! My husband and I took the couples Argentinean class and it was an absolute blast! The classes are all hands on which makes it really fun. They start off with some cheese and crackers and you can bring your own wine to enjoy while you cook. The couples classes are fun because you are literally doing everything together so you can split the work and create your meal together. The kitchen is not super huge but there is tons of counter space and supplies. I like how they give people the option to use a food processor or hand chop in certain situations. There are several helpers in the classroom so there is someone always eager to help. My husband does not really cook so this was very fun to do together. They even send you the menu and instructions after the class so you can recreate it should you wish. We loved the experience and cannot wait for the next one!

• Yuri N.

  Birthday Cakes and Cupcakes May 20, 2016

  Fun learning how to bake and cake . She made it looks so easy . Actually it was very light and flavorful . Class is very speedy and informative I learned a lot for an hour class . Light refreshment and cheese and bread ,strawberry will be served. I think I am coming back here again !

• Kelly F.

  Southern Fried Chicken Dinner March 15, 2016

  Really, really cool experience.
  
  Came here for a work event and had an amazing time.
  
  I took the southern/fried chicken cooking class and it was a blast.
  
  I really have never been one to seek out southern food, especially fried food, but cooking it myself and seeing what went into everything really made a huge difference.
  
  I'd love to come to a class again for a cuisine that is more my style, but for now, the memories of fried chicken and cornbread are enough.

• Robert C.

  Southern Fried Chicken Dinner March 9, 2016

  Tons of fun! We went here with a group of 20 people and were thrown down South with a decadent soulful meal that Paula Deen would jump in line for. Southern fried chicken, bacon collard greens, glazed yams, cornbread, and banana custard.
  
  How can you not love that? Drink some wine with friends. Cook. THEN DINE!
  
  Oh yeah, this would also be an amazing date for all you love birds out there!

• Charles F.

  Intro to French Macarons February 25, 2016

  I have now taken two classes here-- the macarons tutorial and one on donuts-- and would recommend this place to anyone interested in cooking. I have only taken pastry classes here, but I have been extremely impressed with the ability to make intimidating techniques accessible. Clemence taught the courses I took; she is fantastic. She can tell you about the chemistry of yeast, differences in regional chocolate, and where to get the best donuts in town.
  
  They fully deserve the good reviews here.

• Leslie G.

  Cookies, Brownies & Bars December 21, 2015

  I loved this place! Brought my niece in for the cookie decorating class this past weekend. Aubray was our instructor, she was amazing! The class gave us a lot of information, helped my niece fill the gaps on decorating.
  
  The only downside to the class environment is that although it's a beginners class, there seems to be a handful of "frequent" customers who tend to high jack the class. We were paired up with a women who had attended the class 4 times before and she completely took over the whole icing making process. Robbed us of our experience because she had some sense of entitlement. That's the only reason I'm doing 4 stars instead of 5. Other than that, their great!

• Candice W.

  Southern Fried Chicken Dinner December 11, 2015

  I took the fried chicken class under the expert tutelage of John Pitblado. I took my husband who, as much as he loves fried chicken, hadn't ever made it himself. It was one of the best date nights we've had in a while. Everything was made incredibly easy and very interesting. Zero prior knowledge needed. John was great about teaching us the basics, like how to hold a knife, but he never babied us. The kitchen is clean and the chef's assistants worked tirelessly to make sure we had everything we needed and that our tracks were cleaned up after us. I wish my own kitchen was like that!
  
  We started off learning how to make Southern greens, our dessert (banana pudding, yum), sweet potatoes, and corn bread before John taught us how to cut up a whole chicken, something I had never even thought to learn, and then how to bread and fry said chicken to crispy perfection.
  
  They allow you to BYOB. There's even a wine store right next store if you forget and want to pick up something last minute to sip on. Though I took my husband, which was perfect for itinerary of this class, I would love to come back with some girlfriends for some of their "sweets" classes. It's the perfect date night for literally anyone in your life. Highly recommend!

• Cheryl W.

  Intro to French Macarons September 17, 2015

  I just took Intro to French Macarons: The French Method this past Sunday. I really enjoyed it! They provide the recipes and aprons. You should wear comfortable clothes and closed-toe shoes in the kitchen. The instructor, who was also the owner of the school, Clemense was excellent. She moved at just the right pace and explained everything clearly. I asked a lot of questions and she was very happy to thoroughly answer all of them.
  
  We paired up and got to make two batches of shells (one standard and one of our choice.) For our second one we did matcha. We also made a chocolate ganache. With the buttercream, we split it into three different flavors of our choice. My partner and I decided on passion fruit, strawberry, and rose. Strawberry and rose were my favorites, yummy! Clemense also demonstrated a batch of caramel.
  
  To allow time for our shells to dry, we took a couple breaks, which gave us time to socialize and grab a beverage from the restaurant in the same area.
  
  Once the shells were dried and baked, we began to assemble the macarons. WE GOT TO TAKE HOME EVERYTHING WE MADE. You can bring your own container(s) from home, but they provide them if you don't.
  
  As a nice little favor, the school sent each of us home with a bag of dry ingredients to make a batch of the shells at home! They also e-mail you the recipes and a discount for another class. There's also a hotline you can call with questions or problems you may have at home. With the wide variety of classes they offer, I'm excited to take another soon!

• Tesia K.

  Intro to French Macarons March 18, 2015

  I loved my macaron class with miss Clemence!
  
  It is on the third floor in "the Market" of the new mall by the promenade.
  
  It is a see-through room in a type of food court but you barely notice because you are so immersed in the class!
  
  Everybody loved the leftover macarons, they provide the box and I took home enough to share with my family and co-workers.
  
  The only problem I had is that my macarons stuck to the parchment so not all of them came off and I had to throw away about half my matcha batch :(
  
  It wasn't that bad though because the teacher baked extra so we filled those and were still able to take some matchas home. Made two meringues and two ganaches then mixed and matched either chocolate or matcha macarons with a white chocolate strawberry ganache or a plain dark chocolate ganache. The teacher showed how to make a milk chocolate ganache with lavendar and honey! Deeelightful!
  
  The teacher's assistant was prepping the mise for a savory class as I was leaving and it tempted me to take another class here but for something other than dessert!

• Lissa W.

  Rustic French Desserts March 16, 2015

  It is one thing to create amazing desserts in class, it is quite another to be able to create them on your own... That is how you know you've been taught well!!
  
  Thank you Clemence!!

• Andy W.

  Intro to French Macarons January 12, 2015

  I took a French Macaron class there and not only was the final product delicious, it was fun and the instruction was made easy by the instructor.
  
  Thanks to Clemence for guiding us with care. She taught the class that cooking should not be stressful as we were worried that we would whip the ingredients too much or not enough. Turns out, we were worried for nothing.
  
  There's a lot that goes into those little treats, but by the time the night was over, I had a product as good as something I may have bought at the store.
  
  I can't wait to go back to expand my culinary skill set. This is one of those hidden gems in a large town that you may never find if you're not on the look out.
  
  Sign up for a class! Tell your friends! It's a fun time, and a belly stuffer.

• Un H.

  Intro to French Macarons October 2, 2014

  If you've ever attempted to make French macarons at home it's a very tedious process. It can be very stressful too (especially when the shells come out of the oven looking nothing like they're supposed to). I've been there many times, as my sister & I have been attempting to make macarons for over a year now. We've tried numerous recipes, played with oven temperatures, etc. You name it. We've tried them all. My sister saw this class offered so she signed us up. What was there to lose?
  
  I am SO glad we took this class! The instructors were terrific. They made the 3-hour class fun & very entertaining. We made 2 batches of cookies & several different fillings. Took home a box each full of macarons. I learned some great tips as well as a few tricks.
  
  I actually baked a big batch tonight using the classic recipe and I couldn't be happier with the results. The macarons turned out just beautiful!! I wish I had known about this class a long time ago!! So save yourself the undo stress and trouble. It's worth the money. Gourmandise also offers an advanced French macaron class. I'll be waiting for a weekend class to open.

• Shveta S.

  Intro to French Macarons September 11, 2014

  I highly recommend this place for anyone who wants to learn how to make fine pastries! I took the 3 hour Intro to French Macarons class and had a blast. I always assumed macarons were complicated to make, requiring patience and some serious skills (since they're always so darned expensive). But this class shows you how incredibly simple and easy it is to make! I really appreciate how small and intimate the classes are.
  
  We started by making 2 sheets of macaron shells, then proceeded to make the salted caramel sauce as well as the buttercream sauce. We were then able to customize our buttercream sauce by mixing additional flavors, such as bourbon, passionfruit, strawberry, etc.
  
  We made enough macrons to fill a big white box, (several dozen depending on how small/large your macarons are). They actually taste professionally made!
  
  My only gripe is the fact that we have to partner up--I'm sure some other places also require you to partner up but I'm someone who would rather do my own thing all the way, especially if I'm paying so much money for this!
  
  Overall, this was a wonderful experience and the instructors did a great job demonstrating and helping out. I would encourage everyone to try out a class-- I will be sure to enroll in another class soon!

• Janeane B.

  Southern Fried Chicken Dinner June 28, 2014

  Just had a work team building event here and it was AMAZING!
  
  We were in groups and had a BBQ themed menu. We were taught to make our own rub, BBQ sauce, potato salad, and slaw.
  
  The chef was fun and informative and gave us some great tips to take home.
  
  The food was delicious and we were all full by the time we left.
  
  I never knew this place was here, but now I do, I will be back!!

• Eileen K.

  Intro to French Macarons April 22, 2014

  I had so much fun at my Intro to French Macarons class. I read the yelp reviews right before the class and saw the words "group work" in some of the reviews, which got me nervous, because theres nothing i dislike more than group work! (grad school...shudder) but I decided to be brave and go anyway, and it was great!
  
  The school is located at the Market of Santa Monica Place (easy cheap parking!) and is intimate, small, and cute. There were about 10-15 of people there to take the class, and the transition from seeing Clemence demonstrate her techniques, picking partners, and going about making our two batches of macarons was seamless. Clemence made it look effortless, and was open to any questions. the group was a mix of people from all ranges of skill levels, and it helped that my partner was just as clueless as i was haha. She showed us the correct way to fold the dry ingredients into the meringue, how to properly pipe, etc and we made caramel and buttercream! so many things packed into 3 hours!
  
  The class flew by! and the result was a box full of beautiful macarons, my own personal touch on each of them, that i could share with my friends. definitely want to take another class here!

• Jaime B.

  Intro to French Macarons March 31, 2014

  I took a French macaron class here and had a fabulous time. Everything is very hands-on and organized, with an attentive and knowledgable instructor. You get everything you need, aprons, printed recipes, and all the ingredients carefully measured out and arranged for you. The class is set up with couples or pairs in mind, so you're coming in single, you'll be sharing a station and some duties with a stranger, but you'll each be making your own batch of cookies.
  
  The several-hour process was very relaxed and enjoyable, and really demystified an otherwise daunting recipe! We each left with two boxes of our own gorgeous macarons with four different fillings. They turned out to be a huge hit at the office, with one of my co-workers declaring he liked my macarons better than the ones at Ladurée!

• Laura S.

  Intro to French Macarons January 11, 2014

  Amazing! Love Clemence and her staff. Took my best friend here for a macaron making class for her birthday. Class size is small and intimate. Clemence is very attentive and easy-going, making you feel super comfortable. We had a great time and learned a lot of great tips.
  
  Best part of all - we got to take home loads of macarons in our own individual boxes (as well as leftover salted caramel, yum!)
  
  Definitely recommend The Gourmandise School, and I'll be coming back for more classes!

• F S.

  Couples Cooking Night January 15, 2017

  Did not leave comment

• Esther K.

  Couples Cooking Night June 15, 2016

  Did not leave comment

• Sarah A.

  Couples Cooking Night June 15, 2016

  Did not leave comment

• Denise M.

  Intro to Cheesemaking July 9, 2014

  Did not leave comment

• Cara S.

  Couples Cooking Night May 12, 2014

  Did not leave comment