Chef Darin's Kitchen Table — Attraction in Savannah

I love food and consider my self a fairly accomplished home enthusiast. As I was visiting the Low Country for the first time, I believed one of the best ways to get a feel for the culture is through a cooking class. However, I often find cooking classes are tailored to novices and can be a little slow for me. Not so with Chef Darin - he was still helpful and approachable for the person who struggles to make toast, but he also provides lots of information about the science and history of cooking to keep even the most well versed Chef captivated. And don't worry about being overwhelmed, he provided one of the most useful and fulsome booklets I have ever received at a cooking class summarizing everything we learned (not just recipient cards).

You definertly get more than your monies worth with this class.

And the food. Oh the food. In a word: incredible.

This was my first experience eating let alone making grits. I heard they were a controversial, love it or hate it food and it was the texture to which many people are averse. Chef Darin's easy, no fuss but brilliant method of low and slow cooking grits turned out a product that was so creamy and delicious, it is hard to believe the most anti-grits person couldnot enjoy these. They were the perfect canvas for the Shrimp in Red Eye Gravy. I am not a coffee drinker and it was all I could do from licking my plate.

This was also my first experience with Fried Green Tomatoes. Our growing season is so short in Nova Scotia that we don't have excess Tomatoes to consume unrippened - except for a few bushels to make my Grandmother's legendary Chow. A few Tomatoes this summer may disappear from that Chow station. Delicious.

And that dessert. A dense Angel food cake that was Lewis chewy and more pleasant than any I have had before and bursting with flavour.

Chef Darin has a fantastic personality and presentation style. He has clearly invested a lot in technology so that you can follow along with his every step in monitors in case you can't see directly. His aides are so friendly and are watching like a hawk to help you improve your techniques.

To summarize. Chef Darin's...

I visited Savannah together with eight girlfriends for a long weekend getaway. We planned the trip for about a year, and packed our schedule with dinner reservations, tours and taking in as much of Savannah as we could. By far, this evening was the highlight of our trip.

I researched the cooking school options and booked Chef Darin after reading his reviews and because he was so accommodating and responsive. He even changed the menu to feature his most quintessentially southern menu for our west coast group - Low Country Shrimp and Grits. The evening did not disappoint.

Chef Darin's facilities are top notch, well thought out and comfortable for easy viewing of the preparation. Even the bathrooms are interesting -- wall papered with pages from southern recipe books and pie tins. He also has a well-stocked kitchen supply store with many of the items you use in the class for purchase.

We anticipated the food would be great and it was -- one of our favorite meals from a weekend filled with some of the best restaurants in Savannah. What we did not anticipate was all that we learned, including great practical tips for use in everyday cooking, and in such an enjoyable fashion. It was a perfect mix of entertainment, demonstration and hands on cooking. Chef Darin was approachable, welcoming and highly entertaining. He started the evening by explaining his process, the history of the food and what we were about to do. He then got several menu items going by selecting between 1 to 4 guests to work on certain aspects of the menu. Next, we convened to the group cooking stations to finish everything and bring it together for a truly great meal; we brought our own wines planning to pay the corkage fees, but instead bought the wines Chef had for purchase, we had the cab, which was great. We all really appreciated that Chef provided us all with detailed recipes and tips from the evening, which saved us from having to furiously take notes during the class.

My only regret is that I won't be able to take his other classes because I live 3,000 miles away. What a great evening -- thank...

At the heart of “Chef Darin’s Kitchen table,” an esteemed culinary school here in Savannah GA, Chef Darin loves to stand before a sea of eager faces teaching all of us something new in the kitchen. The aroma of spice and anticipation fill the air as the vibrant green walls clash playfully with the gleaming pots and pans. I chose to celebrate my birthday here by learning the art of fried chicken—a dish close to my Southern roots. The class was called: Low Country Fried Chicken Social. As Chef Darin began the class, he recounted tales of his grandmother Phyllis' "Long Haul" Coleslaw with Celery Seed Vinaigrette, a recipe he was proud to teach us. With her picture looking at us on the wall, he instilled in us not just the techniques and art of making recipes, but he taught us the history behind them, and the memories that flavor every meal. “Cooking is more than just following a recipe, it’s also about pouring your heart into every bite.” The kitchen stations throughout the night erupted in a symphony of sizzling oil and excited chatter as we made multiple dishes. I watched my classmates from the front of the class laughing and sharing kitchen gadgets, ones you can find in the store next door, where Chef Darin also sells line after line of unique kitchen items—everything from whimsical spatulas to a wall of flavored olive oil. By the time the class wrapped up, the enticing smell of fried chicken wafted through the room, inviting everyone to gather around a large table with plates laden with perfectly fried chicken and all the sides we made, including pie! You can just close your eyes and savor the moment of our hands on experience as we all enjoyed the fruits of our labor. Surrounded by my new friends and the warmth of camaraderie, I can’t help but feel that this birthday was something truly special—one cooked with love and laughter, all thanks to Chef Darin and the magic of the kitchen. 10/10 I highly recommend taking a class and...