Saga Hill Cooking & Events

This may be a good option if you signup for a class, but I tried to plan a private event and was very disappointed. My overall experience is that the owner is unprofessional and unclear on her communication and commitments, leading to my event being canceled less than a week before it scheduled to take place.
I was booked with a deposit for an event after giving details and an estimated number of attendants. She said this was fine and we agreed to a per person price. It was only after trying to coordinate details with Marianne after several failed attempts that she suggested canceling the event because it did not meet a minimum that was never previously communicated. This happened the week the event was supposed to happen. The minimum number, which she only revealed the week before the event, was one I would have never met based on the estimated number of attendants I gave her in our original conversation. Communication was very frustrating, inconsistent and misleading. She did return my deposit, but I was left with having to scramble last minute to plan something new.

i had always wanted to learn how to cobble. our instructor marianne, although clearly intoxicated, is a real master shoemaker. ive had shoes in a number of dives, and even in red wing… the shoes are not made like this. i know this is supposed to be a «cooking school» but this is where the shoemaking magic happens… if you want to cook like basic tonka trash, sign up now.

Closed for good? I’ve been trying to contact them via email and phone to set up a class. The phone and emails are all unanswered.
There is no fall schedule on their website. I believe this business is closed and ran with the money that has already been paid. Now what?

So first off, to all you trust fund fuckers out there that have complained about there not being «good equipment», you’re obviously uneducated (even though your parents clearly paid for your 4 year degree in English Lit — how’s the job market btw?) about how much said equipment actually costs. If you knew the first thing about cooking you would know that the induction cooktops that she uses are in excess of $ 500 which is way more than that standard shit oven you have in your $ 450K loft in the North Loop that your parents paid for.
And for the record, even the best restaurants in the world, let alone Minneapolis, use pepper and spices from Trader Joe’s and Costco. Get over yourself. You do know that all spices come from pretty much the same 2 companies in the world right? But again, that $ 4 education your parents paid for didn’t teach you to actually use the Internet and look these types of things up for your own knowledge.
Anyhoo, on to the review. Chef Marianne is incredible. It’s always a great amount of food, it tastes INCREDIBLE and most of all, wait for it… you can actually make new friends at these classes! I know, right? Making friends in Minnesota with people you didn’t actually go to high school with! Who would’ve thunk it? But seriously, well worth the money and you definitely learn a lot from Chef Marianne and you get to drink lots of wine too.
So stop your uppity bitching and get your ass to her cooking classes because she’s awesome.

What a fun experience! This was my first group cooking Adventure and I had a great time. My friend held her birthday party here so we were joined by about twenty people. All of the recipes that were provided were fairly simple and the dishes turned out very well. I will say that this is a fairly expensive night out as the food portions were rather small and many of the guests left a little hungry, but the time spent with friends was worth it. Just be prepared to drop over $ 50/​person and get shorted a little bit on ingredients. Overall I had a great time and would suggest a group cooking experience, either here or just at home with your pals.

Our work team had a lunch/​party/​cooking lesson that was a blast. Both Lauren the host and the chef made the event worth repeating. The variety of fresh ingredients, easy to follow recipes/​directions, and the facilitation by the staff were impressive in an intimate setting for our group of 10.

I was very impressed with Saga Hill cooking school. I was there for a bachelorette party and we all had a fabulous time. We were greeted with hors d’ouvres and table wine. Then, after brief (and lighthearted) instructions from Chef Marianne, we were divided into groups where we tackled courses with varying degrees of difficulty. The bride to be actually got to pick these courses beforehand. We even made sauces. Next we ate the meal and took a long time doing bachelorette gifts and activities. We were never rushed despite how long we were taking. I would highly recommend Saga Hill cooking school and Chef Marianne. She was very personable with a great sense of humor.

I had high expectations for this cooking class based on the reviews, but I was thoroughly disappointed. While Chef Marianne was very nice and clearly very knowledgeable about her craft, there are a few areas for improvement with regard to the overall experience. Here’s why I would never return (in no particular order):
–The cooking station was terrible. It was a bunch of wooden tables pulled together in a U-​shape around the chef. Who SITS down to cook? It was so weird and awkward.
–There was no stove. Each table got an electric burner with a pot of water on it. Yes, something you’d find illegally in a student dorm room. We used it to cook gnocchi and risotto. Which leads me to my next point…
–We didn’t have a complete meal. For as much as we were paying, I assumed we’d have at least a 3-​course meal, including meat. We had a small portion of gnocchi followed by a small portion of risotto — two very heavy courses that require extremely cheap ingredients i.e. flour, potatoes, butter and cream. Who eats gnocchi and risotto in one meal? I’m guessing the chef picked recipes with similar and cheap ingredients to minimize costs. Our third course was chocolate cake covered with a caramel sauce which we made on the burner. The cake tasted like it was store-​bought.
–The cooking utensils were cheap. A cooking school/​class should provide top-​of-​the-​line cooking utensils. We had cheap plastic and wooden utensils. Our table of 7 had to share one knife. We kept having to pass it around. There was no slotted spoon to take out the gnocchi from the boiling water… we had to use a spatula and the gnocchi kept rolling off. Another table didn’t even have their own burner and had to come over and use ours to cook their gnocchi.
–No aprons. Many of us came straight from work and were in professional attire so an apron would’ve been really nice to have. I was so sure they’d have aprons I didn’t bother to call and ask prior to going. Guess I should’ve.
–The cooking school is in a pretty sketchy neighborhood, but once you get inside, it’s decent.
–The chef went way over-​time. The class was supposed to go from 6 – 8:30 and we didn’t finish until 9:15.
–The pepper on the table was Great Value ground pepper. IMHO, the only pepper at a cooking school and in any professional kitchen should be freshly ground peppercorns. Spend a few bucks and get pepper mills for Pete’s sakes! And it was Great Value of all brands! That is Walmart’s private label which means it’s the cheapest brand at the cheapest retailer! If you’re going to charge people $ 150 per class*, I think you can afford some pepper mills with peppercorns inside. Freshly ground pepper makes a big difference. At least she had kosher salt.
If you want an impressive cooking experience that is worth the money, go to Crocus Hill in St. Paul.
*Fortunately, I had a Groupon for $ 50, otherwise I’d be more mad.

Fantastic! If you love to laugh, eat and actually learn, this is an amazing way to spend an evening. I walked away from the class with more than a full stomach and a slight buzz. I left with a complete understanding of what I was making, and why. Chef Marianne is obviously passionate about what she does. She has a talent for it. I would highly recommend this class to anyone. I will be back for more, bringing more people with me. Thank you Marianne, for a wonderful evening.

First I would like to thank all the wonderful people that shared in our experience last night at Saga Hill Cooking Class with Marianne (Chef).
This was my first time at Saga Hill and wanted to surprise my girlfriend with a different date other than food at a restaurant and drinks somewhere on a rooftop deck. We both enjoy cooking but have busy schedules like everyone else so decided to give this a go.
Although it was a warm day the location (Northwind lofts) in Minneapolis was very unique and the open air feel was comforting. The building seems a bit on the historic side and really has been updated nicely with maintaining the shabby chic look that is inviting and warm. Just an FYI — the building owner has a «DON’T EVEN THINK ABOUT PARKING HERE» sign on the building — it must be where he parks (I laughed out loud when I saw it).
When we arrived we were greeted warmly by some of the staff and found most of the other folks that we were joining had already been there for a little while enjoying a glass (or two) of the bottomless glasses to enjoy. The wine selections were nice and paired nicely with our food (Marianne is a sommelier). Once we paid at the door (they take credit cards) we mingled around and took in the group and chatted people up as we introduced ourselves.
Marianne takes a different approach to other cooking classes in that we «did» the cooking instead of watching and listening and taking notes. This really gave us the full interactive experience that I was hopeful for. Marianne is a vibrant person that has a great attitude for people to engage with. She walks around checks in and offers tips and answers questions but really let’s each group dictate taste of each dish.
The class lasts about 2 hours and we stayed and lingered after to chat with Marianne. We really enjoyed ourselves and I highly recommend this to anyone that likes to cook or wants a new experience in the cooking world.

Burned twice.. .is what happened to myself and four friends when we purchased a Crowd Cut voucher to Saga Hill, Cooking Class in Minneapolis only to have Marianne, the Chef, leave us high and dry on two occassions. She cancelled class 4 hours before the first time (and only sent an email to myself, so I had to contact everyone in our group). She was then was not reachable by phone or email for… weeks when we tried to reschedule. And then the second time, after trying to reschedule for weeks, she promised my friend Judy, «Class was on,» so we all got babysitters for Friday night to do the class together, AGAIN. Well, she never showed up! It’s obvious that this is no way to run a business — Marianne is not reliable and does not belong in business. Our next task is trying to get our money back!

Only here can you learn to cook by actually doing it! If you want to know how to follow the steps of a recipe and watch someone else cook the entire time, this is not the place for you. However if you want to be HANDS-​ON, and learn the science and technique behind cooking, this is the place for you. You not only learn how to cook the several courses, but you also learn skills that you can apply to so many other dishes. I can’t say enough good things about Marianne and the class. I truly hope that you can take the negative reviews with the grain of salt that they so clearly deserve, because everyone who was at my class LOVED it, and several of them were on their second, third or even fourth (!) class because they loved it so much.

Um… best cooking class ever? Possibly. Though I haven’t taken a lot of cooking classes after all I’ve heard of other classes this may be one of the best schools in the twin cities. Unlike other places (crocus hill… kitchen window) this class was all hands on. Maryanne was wonderful. Engaging, funny, knows the science of cooking but can break it into lay mans terms. She was trained in France and knows how to do all the fancy stuff but can teach the Everyman. Roasting a chicken and tying it up all tight and perfectly becomes easy under her instruction. We made a simple but incredibly delicious consume that I think I could’ve eaten for days. It was a very basics of elegant cooking type of class but everything we made was great. Again unlike other schools her classes aren’t sponsored by any company so she doesn’t push a certain bakeware or anything on you. we were sent home with nothing but an email containing the recipes. I loved the space too. Plus being able to purchase wine or bring your own was a huge bonus. Though I don’t personally find drinking and cooking to mix I loved the option. I would gladly take another class here in a heartbeat. It was a wonderful class. Food, teacher, space and instruction were all great.

Between the Groupon pricing for the class, and $ 20 for a bottomless glass of wine — this was a steal of a date for me and my trophy husband, who might never otherwise leave the house together except for groceries or a Menards/​Home Depot run.
We went on a Sunday afternoon and it was a full house. I had never taken a cooking class before, so I can’t say that this was better or worse or different than other cooking classes. I can say that I thoroughly enjoyed Marianne’s approach, and I love their space.
Marianne was no-​nonsense and encouraged everyone to get their hands dirty, so to speak. She doesn’t spend the whole three hours standing in front of the class showing you what to do when you get home and then serve you a meal that her staff prepared. Instead, she will give basic instructions and tell you to get down to it at your table. Then she walked around to make sure that everyone was grasping the concept or to answer any questions we had.
I loved that the recipes and techniques she taught were simple. Salad and soup made with less than a dozen ingredients between them, but still delicious. So good that my husband has made the soup no less than 10 times since we took the class about a month ago. He has also roasted three whole chickens following her techniques, and although he’s still trying to get that one just right (it has to do more with figuring out our oven and the size of the chicken and timing everything just so) — they have still been wonderful.
Another deal for the class came across today and if I had been more interested in the menu (neither trophy husband or myself care much for BBQ ribs), I would have snatched up another pair of tickets. I wouldn’t hesitate recommending Saga Hill classes to anyone, especially at half off.

We attended one of the Society & Guild dinners featuring a 8-​course tasting with 11-​course wine pairing. The food and wine pairings were spectacular, even a bit decadent. And, Billy and Marianne were the consummate hosts balancing serious culinary knowledge with humor which made for a very entertaining evening. Highly recommend for everyone from the serious food & wine enthusiasts to the casual diner game for a culinary adventure. Well worth every penny.

I am continually in awe of how beautiful the Northwinds Lofts building is. This cooking school inside it is no different. Walking in, there’s one space for hands-​on cookery and another big room for slightly more polished wine tastings or other foodie events. The space is insanely cool, with exposed brick and beams everywhere and interesting furnishings in the reception-​type space.
As we arrived, we weren’t really greeted, but eventually one of the assistants came through with her Square app so that we could pay for our reasonably priced unlimited wine and sangria. You can also BYOB for a corkage fee. You’re definitely gonna want that wine.
My friends and I were taking the sauces class, which went over the basics of making a few important French sauces. Each one provides the basis for soups or gravies and whatnot. Their classes change all the time, so keep an eye on the schedule.
I have no doubt that the chef/​owner Marianne knows her food, but her presentation was all over the place. On the positive side, it was great during the few moments when she was speaking solely about cooking. I liked the glimpses of the Bill Nye-​type style that I saw (I love learning about the chemistry of food). However, much of the three-​hour class was spent listening uncomfortably as she took us through the twists and turns of her personal and professional life.
My favorite things that we made was the bechamel for the croque monsieur and the berry vinaigrette over vanilla custard (YUM). We also did a coconut lime curry (with rainbow rotini?) and a beef bourguignon (nothing special). It was quite disappointing that one of the courses was skipped. It was supposed to be New Zealand mussels with garlic, bacon and beer aioli and that sounded really good. There was never an explanation given and we felt a little short-​changed (and hungry… we hustled to the Smack Shack after).
Even with the mishaps with the class, I had fun overall (probably the great company of my friends more than anything) and learned a few tricks that night. I see potential in this place, so I sincerely hope that they work out the kinks.