Thai Cookery Schools - Know Any?

[Wizzard of Oz]

A friend of mine is in town and we're thinking of doing a thai cooking course.

Looking for recommendations from any that people have tried.

Cheers, big ears.

Oh, also do you know about cost?

Edited October 17, 2007 by Wizzard of Oz

[realthaideal]

YOU can goto the big places that fit you in with 20 ppl - like CM cookery - which do a good job, but maybe not as personal, but more social, or you can go with a smaller more intimate one. Iv'e done both as I write about food. My favorite is Yui of 'A lot of Thai' cooking school over by Nong Hoy Mkt. Her school like all the others involves a market tour, vegetarian options, along with special menus though most things are fixed to give you a smattering of good things Thai. Including veg n fruit carving too. Big schools should run about 850-1,200 baht. A small school like Yui's is about 750. She has it at her house, groups of about 5-8 each, and they will pick you up. Also, the family setting - though the cooking stations are outdoors in her garden is really nice. She's got great English and seriously funny stories. You get a complimentary book of recipes and some other stuff too. But that's par for the course.

If you have a US $175 or so you can do a day at Four Seasons CM - lower rate if you sign up for a whole week of classes !!! Still paeng though, big time. You get an Apron. I think the same Chef I had up there is still doing it, Pitak. He's a great guy too. Good stories and tales from cooking around the world.

YOu can google tv for Yui and A lot (Alot?) of Thai cooking School and I know you will find other posts. There was a long one on the food forum for awhile. Poke around in there too. Let us all know where you end up and how it goes....

As for the big ones that take you to Somphet Mkt...... it's the dregs of markets in CM. Seriously, unless I was a local Thai living in a 6 block radius I'd never ever go there. Food not alloy. Mai sway loei. (Bo Lam, Bo Ngaem). At least Yui takes you to Nong Hoy Mkt. I don't understand how so many schools take tourists thru such a ghetto mkt. I can name 10 other markets better than that without even thinking hard. It's better visitors and students see good food and good produce.

[ComicBum]

A friend of mine is in town and we're thinking of doing a thai cooking course.

Looking for recommendations from any that people have tried.

Cheers, big ears.

Oh, also do you know about cost?

Hi Mr.Wizzard

What town are you in?.....if it is ChiangMai then you have a big choice with treating your friend to a cooking class.

CM is the best deal in Thailand for cooking courses with daily rates from 800-1300 baht for a full-day of cooking.

However, not all cooking schools are created equal and there has been massive competition in the market over the last few years.

The sad thing with all this is that the average cooking course customer has become the no#1 entree on the menue....they are the 'sheep', and the 'wolf' is the one leading the cooking course....with a big shit-eating smile!

The big cooking schools have really become "factory" cooking schools with daily turn-over of 30-60 people per.class

These greed-crazed-clowns have to pay a high commission (50%) to the other group of greed-crazed-clowns operating in the market (the tour-agents ect..) in order to get the sheep coming in their direction. In turn, they are forced to cut-cost at every level in order to make a net-profit and live to see another day....or meal. In large operations, the standard of teaching quality and thus the experience for the customer is of a very poor value. Some business-models just don't translate well to an economy of scale, they are best, by their nature, to remain small scale, and from what I have experienced I have to say that the 'cooking school' is certainly one of them.

I came to ChiangMai to take a cooking course and visited a walk-in tour agent (chiangmai Phu-thai tour) hoping to find information about a school I researched on the net, but was told that the school was "shut-down" and would be better if I book a course with her at 'The Best' thai cooking school,owned by two brothers who also run 'the masters' cooking school. The tour agent of course highly reccommended them.....not because they were good,but because she was scooping a high commission from hooking me up.

Well to shorten this story to it's point, - unless you really want to spend your hard-earned holiday TIME with 20-50 flippy-flopps where,at the end of the day you will have learned more about their home town and all it's problems than the dish you have just cooked in front of you. These "factory" cooking schools have no atmosphere for teaching and the staff are either underpaid or over-worked....or both ,to even care.

I was very disappointed with that experience and decided to try a smaller school. I found out that these schools are difficult to find because they have blocked-access to the market from the bigger cooking schools (Might is right here) - I found out about 2 schools that felt good and located my "shut-down" school that "Meow" at Phu-Thai tour told me otherwise....what a clip-joint that is!

I spent a day with the cooking school - 'A LOT OF THAI' and two-days at SUKSABAI-THAI COOKERY CLUB, both are small scale 1-10 and the atmosphere was so different and the experince at each place was unique and the teaching methods excellant.

Suksabai is a very good place,beautiful location and structure, excellant for cooking and teaching. The owner is a woman called Gan who is very funny and entertaining as well as serious and knowlegable. Now, when I think about those two guys that call themselves the "Masters" at the 'best'....I just laugh,but it is a sad laugh because in ChiangMai it is not about being excellant or even good,it's about how much you can pay to get the business.

Mr.Wizz - do your self and your friend a favor and book a cooking course with a smaller company like 'a lot of thai' or SUKSABAI

and enjoy a quality - experience for your quality-time.

Both schools are the same price at 900 baht for the day.

CHEERS

[rrose070]

I did the 3-day course at Sompet, it was very good, the atmosphere was easy and friendly and the lessons stuck! they're referred to in other threads on this board - I don't have contact info - but they came to our house and picked us up, it was about $30 for 3 days.

[Crow Boy]

my favourite is Classic Home Cooking (053-806-392 or 01-671-0231). She is very good and used to have a restaurant in Bangkok. In my opinion she had three advantages:

1) very good English

2) you get to choose from a selection of food. Usually everyone does the same ie "today we are doing a red chicken curry" with her you choose from a menu of things you would like to make How she coordinates a dozen students making different things at the same time is amazing.

3) you make about 6 things which means that you can take half of it home and impress everyone one with your culinary skills. The added benefit is that for at least two meals you will be fed.

I did the course several years ago and have been back twice - she is very nice and the classes are fun. I will probably be going back in a few months because when you have done a course with her you can ask her how to make things not on the menu. I did Yum Bplaa Duk Fuu (cat fish salad) which I love and she did it as a special for me.

CB

[just_Elaine]

I did the 3-day course at Sompet, it was very good, the atmosphere was easy and friendly and the lessons stuck! they're referred to in other threads on this board - I don't have contact info - but they came to our house and picked us up, it was about $30 for 3 days.

Here's the Web site for Sompet Thai Cookery School.. url="http://sompet.paragonfury.com/stccourses.html"]Sompet Thai Cookery School courses[/url]

[photojourn]

A friend of mine did a course organised by Napaporn Travel. They are a small one person travel agency run by a woman with excellent English. Opposite a couple of tattoo parlors. 52 Kamphangdin Rd - the same road that the Imperial Mae Ping is on. Tel; 053-208-195. Email napaporn_travel @yahoo.com. Apparently she doesn't skim big commissions and does excellent follow-up of client satisfaction.

They said they got to choose what dishes they learnt as well.

Cheers.

[gpdjohn]

I would like to find one that teaches both Thai and western cookery.

I seem to have married the only woman in Thailand who knows neither.

[Steve2UK]

I have friends coming to stay for a week in November and one wants to do a one day "advanced" session (I guess I'd call it that rather than a course) to refresh/top up her skills. There seem to be plenty of 3-day courses - are there any one day options for someone who's not starting from scratch? If it helps to open up the options, I get the feeling that she might be prepared to pay for 1-1 tuition - within reason.

[rrose070]

I quite enjoyed my 3 day course at Sompet:

SOMPET COOKERY SCHOOL, Chiang Inn Plaza, Changklan Rd., Tel. 280901.

The teacher had tons of great stories and info, too!

[rrose070]

Oh, and my 3 day course was with 4 students, and cost about 1500 baht.