Calbra Classics, Gaithersburg

We had a great time. The instrcutor was terrific and all of the food was delicious. We will use the recipes at home.

So much fun! The food was delicious!

Let me start with the great stuff: All of the food that we prepared was delicious, and I will use the recipes at home. Julia, the instructor, is very knowledgeable in West African history and cooking. The camaraderie between the participants was great; it was more like a cooking party, than a traditional cooking class. Therein lies one of the concerns. We had an oral overview of 5 recipes, then each couple chooses a recipe to tackle and everyone starts working at the same time. I cook a lot, so the fun for me, was trying a new recipe. But Julia can't be hands on with 4 different groups at the same time, so if you don't already know how to cook, you just do the best you can with the recipe. Yes, you can ask for help! It's a relatively small space, so it's not that Julia isn't accessible---but again, there are 4 to 5 different recipes being prepared, that have not been demonstrated in advance; so you either wait your turn, ask another student or make it up as you go. Overall, it was still a good day, but what really left a bad impression was the request for extra money. I purchased a voucher for a singles class that was discontinued. Julia switched me to couples class, that had the same value, according to her website. I have this arrangement in writing, Per her request I sent her a screenshot of my voucher--twice! She waits until after the class, to send me a request for extra money, because I brought me sister. I like to support entrepreneurs (especially because I am one), but I felt that was totally unprofessional.

I’ve taken Julia’s class twice and the second time was even better than the first. She is very personable, encouraging and helpful during the entire process. This is a great opportunity to learn how to make a dish from a native West African. There were a total of 5 dishes, with each couple/group cooking one dish each. She also gave us cookies at the end. TAKE THIS CLASS you won’t regret it 😊