Chopping Block

06/27/2008 Posted by renerich

I have been a student of The Chopping Block for over 8 years and have learned so much from them. Whether I attended a scheduled class or bootcamp (basic and advanced) or hosted a private party the experience has been memorable....from great chefs/instructors to the dishes I have learned to prepare. Additionally, the amount of technique I have picked up over the years has helped me to become a much more confident cook. I reuse many of the recipes and when serving them to guests they always ask how they were made. When learning to cook using unique ingredients and tools it is nice to be able to purchase them as I leave the store so I can be sure to have them when I make the recipes at home. At times I will go out of my way to go to one of their locations for ingredients I am unable to find at the grocery stores in my area. I have taken classes at many cooking schools in the Chicago area and as a result The Chopping Block is the only one I return to and will recommend to others.

Pros: Great class selection, good technique teaching, interesting and experienced chef/instructors

06/10/2008 Posted by cutiepie1217

I had a very pleasant experience at the Chopping Block recently. My husband and I signed up for a Hands On class because neither of us are great cooks and we're trying to cut down on how much we eat out. I was a little afraid that I would be in over my head (considering I barely know how to boil water!). But the class was very well organized and the chef made it easy to follow along, explaining processes as we tackled the menu. We purchased wine (an added perk while cooking!) and enjoyed conversations with our fellow cooks. All in all I'd say we were pretty happy. I'd recommend it for people who are a looking for some help in the kitchen in a relaxed atmosphere. Both my husband and I were impressed with our cooking skills, our creations were great!

Pros: Take home recipes, comfortable learning atmosphere

Cons: I should have worn more comfortable shoes! I had to come straight from work to make the 6:00pm class.

04/24/2007 Posted by kathy5948

A warning to anyone interested in taking a class with seafood on the menu - I became sick due to poorly handled food after eating scallops at The Chopping Block. I never had issues with scallops prior to this. I called to complain, but whoever answered (receptionist?) was extremely rude and unhelpful. Just an FYI.

Cons: poorly handled food; not enough handwashing by employees

04/04/2007 Posted by danagood

I hate to say it, but I don't recommend anyone taking a class at the Chopping Block. The customer service is horrible; the instructors are incapable of actually teaching a class (more like dictating recipes...); and the food was just...ok... I had to get dinner afterwards because I was still hungry. I can't believe I paid $75 for that class =(

02/23/2007 Posted by jennifer77

It's a retail store pretending to be a cooking school. I took a class at the downtown location with a friend, hoping to learn something new. I learned more watching Julia Child on PBS. The teacher insisted the students to buy, buy, buy ingredients and gadgets sold in the attached retail store. It's like going to Disneyworld - the retail store is conveniently there after the ride. I'm surprised they don't sell pictures of you cooking with the so-called chefs. Total waste of time and money.

02/12/2007 Posted by jessy48

Took a cooking class at the downtown location with a couple friends from out of town. We love to cook, so we thought it would be a fun night. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a disappointment. We arrived a bit early (20 min.), so we checked out their retail store. Cool tools, but rude staff turned us off from purchasing anything. The class wasn't as informative as we had hoped it would be. In fact, we were much more helpful to the couple at our workstation than the staff was (we taught them how to mince garlic). The food was good, but there wasn't enough of it. We went to Lou Malnati's pizza afterwards because we were still hungry. I'm not impressed.

Pros: gadgets - lots of them

Cons: Didn't learn anything