Institute of Culinary Education — Local services in New York

Bought this as a gift as I'd heard that it was a fun night out. In the end, it definitely was!

We attended the Tuscon couples class. One important thing I didn't realize was that we would be splitting the work with the couple at our table. So be prepared to make friends. I feel like the recipes are easy enough that even someone who is terrible at cooking (like myself) can be an asset to the team.

You're given an outline of the night and step-by-step instruction of what to make when. I realized quickly there's not so much hand-holding and you do have to kind of figure out how to do things yourself (so if you've never cut an onion get ready?). But when you need help it's available and for the bigger steps (grilling/baking the meat, rolling the pasta, etc.) there are mandatory stop points.

It's a three hour class and you're given about 30 minutes of it to eat, which is a skosh on the shorter end. They're not shy about offering you wine to enjoy what you've made, and you can take home any leftovers (we had some but opted not to bother).

Overall, everyone seemed to be so happy to be present and making a meal together that it was a lovely experience. I wonder how much this depends on the group you're with in terms of the other couples so maybe we lucked out. The food we made was fine, I wasn't expecting wonders. But we certainly left full and with good memories of...

I am a dietetics student. Some of the instructors I have met in our cooking/food lab come from ICE. They are extremely friendly, enthusiastic, and incredibly knowledgeable in their field. I decided to come here for extra recreational classes to refine my cooking skills. The experience at ICE was more than anyone could expect - engaging, fun, and lots of hands-on skill building time. In addition, you get to meet new people who share the same passion as you.

Class structure - Classical Italian Desserts Intro - washing hands & putting on aprons; introduction from chef; kitchen orientation; talking through the recipes & steps; breaking into teams, divide and conquer. Mise en place - prepping ingredients Everyone starts cooking, chef and helpers are around for questions and demo. If you are doing pastry/dessert, waiting for the products to bake/chill is the reason why your class hour is so long. Patience, patience, patience! In the meantime, you can enjoy a glass of wine and talk to other students or instructors. Set and enjoy yours or your teammate's finished products. The best part, you can bring your master piece home to share with your friends and family. They have disposables for take out; for eco-friendly advice, bring your own containers.

Thank you ICE and...

My son had a 4 day boot camp session planned in advance - and we all made a family trip to NY around that session. Only to find that on the weekend before the classes (scheduled Monday morning 9 am onwards), the class was canceled. We were already in NY - and while the email was sent about 48 hours in advance, was sent on a Saturday, he didn't see it until Sunday. Hotel paid, tickets to and fro bought and we were there. Reason: a) scheduling conflict was said on the email b) on the phone - low enrollment. Saving grace - the lady on the phone when reached desperately on Sunday 1. refunded the money paid and 2. gave one complimentary cooking class for the next day which wasn't great but something I guess.

We made the best of it - NY city of course, but we would have canceled the entire trip and saved the hotel / transportation / other costs if we had known much earlier.

The associate that answered the phone was polite and apologetic. But I think it is completely irresponsible that you would cancel a scheduled boot camp with so little notice - and because you have insufficient enrollment. How can one plan anything in the future specially from out of town if that is how you manage your...