Create with Chef Martin at Le Gourmet Culinary

A friend of mine and I saw the Groupon for the macaron class and were very excited to try it out. I’ve loved macarons, but was too intimidated to try making them myself so figured that this would be a good way to try it out in a supervised environment.
Pros:
*The chef was generally pleasant and professional.
*It is a unique activity and a fun way to spend a Sunday afternoon.
*You are provided with a booklet of recipes so you can replicate the cookies at home with various substitutions.
*Lunch (salad and pasta) is included in the cost of the class and is served while the macarons are baking.
Cons:
*Large class sizes. There were so many people in the (relatively small) room that it left very little space to move around or utilize your own workspace.
*Lunch is served family style, so if you have any allergies, you’re out of luck. It’s a little awkward and kind of takes away from the charm of an unexpected meal.
*This is my biggest gripe. At the end, all of the macarons made by each of the groups are put in the center and divided amongst the whole class. The macarons that my group made turned out beautifully, in part because we worked meticulously. The group next to us, not so much. Additionally, the same group snacked on their cookies (that’s putting it politely) while they were in the process of filling them. The chef even reminded them that we would be splitting all of the cookies later. This results not only in your group getting less than what you produced, but you’re also stuck with whatever the groups around you whipped up. In our case, we ended up with a dozen cookies the color of zombie flesh from our neighbors to the left.

I took a French macaroon class here a few months ago and it was incredible! I had such a blast and learned so much! The class we a few hours long and included an amazing dinner and you get to take home the stuff you make! Any one looking to learn from knowledgeable and super friendly chefs this is the place to be!

I took a «class» here last year, but it was more of a social gathering than a learning experience. We barely got to do our already minimal tasks, and it was more of an attempt at stand-​up comedy from our «instructor». If you want to learn more about cooking, this isn’t the class for you. This is more for people that want to listen to someone talk for hours while you tie a chicken and cut up some vegetables… and that is all you’ll do in your learning part of the class.
The worst part of it was when the «instructor» proceeded to make sexual advances towards my date. Yeah… never again at this place. Don’t let the Livingsocial/​Groupon voucher sway you either. I already wrote reviews for this place a long time ago, but they tried to silence me. I shan’t be silenced any more!

Cheesecake class with Chef Ken Lee,
The class was so much fun! the chef is «unorthodox», amazingly funny and he shares all his secrets, the cheesecakes were so good, the recipes fabulous, I would recommend this class to anybody, is for all levels, I was very impressed because this is in the middle of Orange County! I usually have to drag myself all the way to Los Angeles to get this kind of class.
Loved it! thank you so much chef Lee!

I bought the Groupon for myself and my boyfriend for the Macaron baking class. You have to call to reserve a day and they will email you reminders as the day comes closer.
The first part of the class, the Chef explains everything he is doing while he prepares the macarons and the second part of the class we get split into groups of 3 to share the kitchen aid mixers and make the macarons ourselves. The Chef and Sous Chef were both really helpful going around and giving us advice on how we were doing and taking away dirty dishes, etc.
After we pipped out all the macarons, we had our dinner break. They had prepared delicious salad and pasta for everyone! After dinner, we went back in to see how our macarons had turned out. The next part of the class we filled all the macarons and divided them up to bring home! I think each person in the class was able to take home around 25 macarons and there were still some leftovers.
Overall, the Chef was very informative and helpful and my boyfriend and I learned a lot! I definitely enjoyed the class and had a great experience.

Where do I begin? Everything was so perfect!
if you enjoy cooking, or hanging out with friends and eat, you will have a blast here! I took the french macaron class here at 9am on a Saturday morning and it was super high energy! Coffee is provided for the class and water as well. Chef Martin has a very impressive resume and sure knows how to keep the class entertained! He demonstrated the process once for the class-​as he progressed, he pointed out everything that we should pay attention to. Gave very detailed instruction on how the consistency should be for different stages. He then separated everyone into smaller groups and we all got to make 2 batches each!
You get a 20 min break so it gives the oven a chance to catch up on all the deliciousness and they will feed you as well! I had such a great experience here I already picked out my next class!

I bought the Groupon $ 49 Macaron baking class, which was well worth both my time and money.
I learned a lot of tips as to how NOT to ruin a macaron and the class helped me to understand why macarons are so expensive.
The only reason why I’m giving 4 stars instead of 5 stars is because the non-​Groupon classes are quite expensive. I’m not sure that an entire group of 15 people would be able to cook all of the parts of the 4 courses in one 3hour cooking class. As far as I read from other reviews, people had to break off into sections for each mini-​group to cook one part of a 4 course meal. For me, I would want to cook all of the parts of the 4 course meal, which I don’t think is feasible with a group of 15 people in 3 hours. Feel free to correct me if I’m wrong about this, since I did not go to any other classes at Le Gourmet Culinary yet.

My friends and I took the macaron baking class and it was soo much fun! We bought a Groupon for $ 49, so I don’t know what the regular price is. The class takes place inside of a showroom. It’s about 15 people in the class.
The chefs make the recipe first and then split you into groups and walk you through the recipe step by step. The sous chefs go around picking up the dirty dishes and handing you whatever tools/​ingredients you need. After putting the cookies in the oven and preparing the filing, the class takes a lunch break. The chef prepared salad and veggie pasta for us and it was delicious! After the break, we filled our macarons and took them home! The chefs are so nice and make the class fun! I definitely want to take one of their other classes!

We purchased a groupon to learn how to make French macarons and I’m so glad we did because now we can make our own macarons when ever we have a craving instead of paying $ 2/​macaron.
Chef Martin and his sous chefs were all very kind and patient. They made the experience easy and fun! My husband and I had such an enjoyable time that we’ve signed up for another class hosted by Chef Martin, «Date night Tuscany».
It has now been a week since we took the French macarons baking class. So last we decided to try to bake some macarons on our own without the assistance of Chef Martin and it was a success! Thank you, Chef Martin and we’ll be seeing you again soon.

I used the Groupon for the French Macaroon class and I’m so grateful that I did!
Before class: When I registered, I got an email with all the recipes and information attached. I am glad I read through them in advance. They remind you to wear closed toed shoes and to bring tupperware to take home your goodies at the end.
During class: Chef Martin keeps the class educated, entertained and makes three hours go by fast! There are assistant chefs who help you and do all the cleaning. You make two batches of macaroons and then take a break.
In the email they said pasta and salad was provided and I thought that must be a mistake. I was glad we had a food break right around the time the kitchen smelled of delicious macaroons!
After the break, we filled the macaroons (and snacked on a few) before we divided them up and packaged them to take home. Our class yielded a record number of 32 each to take home even with a class of 12 people!
Chef Martin has all the supplies you used in class available to purchase at wholesale prices so I picked up a few to help create these goodies at home!
Of course, we took a group photo at the end! Thank you Chef Martin for the incredible experience! I will definitely be back for other classes and the advanced Macaroon class after some practice!

Went to the Valentine’s day event hosted by Chef David and couldn’t have asked for a better experience… you can tell the chef generally is passionate about food and sharing his knowledge with the group. With that being said, he was also sensitive to the fact that this was a special event for the couples that attended and did a great job making the experience very entertaining. My girlfriend and I made a soup together, while the other couples worked on a gastrique and cous cous. Everything turned out absolutely delicious. We even had a chance to make heart shaped rolls and use a blow torch to finish off a beautifully executed crème brûlée. Most importantly, my girlfriend loved the experience and that is what’s most important after all.
We will definitely be back to try the macaroon course as we are nostalgic after a trip to Montréal.
Thanks Chef David and team for making our Valentines Day one to remember!

Chef Martin and his three Sous chef helpers made our «gateway» French Macaron class very enjoyable.
The class is fast paced, depending on number of attendees, 3 — 4 people may have to share a kitchenaid mixer.
We all follow the same recipe, but results of the finicky cookies varied, depending on «finesse» of the pastry students.
Key take home technique points? Folding air into the merengue and flour mixture, piping perfect discs onto parchment paper and letting cookies sit before baking.
We got 20 minutes to scarf down veggie pasta and tossed greens before lining up to «peanut butter and jelly» the fillings into the baked cookies.
You will take home 27 to 30 macarons each, at the end, following a quick infomercial in Chef’s office and a sense of accomplishment.
(This entry was written by my husband)

I bought the French Macaron cooking class for two on Groupon for a steal! I went with my boyfriend and we had a blast! We had Chef Dave teach us and he was very informative and helpful.
Favorites:
We got to create our macarons to our liking.
We didn’t have to worry about cleaning, which is definitely a plus!
There was a pasta lunch with salad which was
!
And the place was super clean!
Overall, I would recommend this to everyone! We had an awesome experience and would definitely come back :)

Had a great night making macaroons and making friends. My son and I attended the class where Chef David and Chef Mattie were so welcoming and helpful from start to finish. I couldn’t think of anything more to improve the event. There was music, plenty of space, all ingredients were measured and prepared to get us started. The night ran so smoothly. There was coffee and flavored water, they even gave us a little dinner that wasn’t expected.
I recommend as an engaging event for teens. It’s difficult sometimes to find new activities that both teens and parents can enjoy but this is a great place that will do just that.
Chef David and Chef Mattie truly seemed to enjoy their part in hosting and helping guests through this experience. It was not asked at any point in the evening but feel free to tip! I asked if it was appropriate because I wasn’t sure, but felt they deserved it. Truly fun experience because of the work they do!

We took the date night sushi class and had the best time! We arrived early & there were drinks ready: lemon water, coffee, iced tea, and glasses for wine brought from home. We had miso soup then made nigiri sushi & maki sushi. Everything was set up & ready to go. It was fun and there was SO MUCH FOOD! Plenty to eat & take home! Dessert was a ginger mango crème brûlée that we got to brûlée ourselves. Everything was easy, fresh, step by step. The perfect cooking date night!
We recommend this to anyone looking for a fun, educational, tasty, and different night out.

I was going through my email a few weeks ago and stumbled across this LivingSocial deal that caught my eye. The deal was for a culinary class for two in the city of Orange. Since I don’t live too far from this location, and I wanted to try something new, I decided to get the deal.
After I purchased the deal, I called this location and selected the «Romantic Culinary Excursion» for my girlfriend and I because we had never tried this activity together before.
The class itself was a good size, 10. Our instructor/​chef was Martin Gilligan. Chef Martin was very friendly, knowledgable, and funny!
We made a 4 course meal consisting of a spring mix salad, lobster bisque, a rack of lamb, and chocolate fondue for dessert. Everything we made (with guidance from Chef Martin) turned out pretty good! The salad had this amazing bleu cheese that balanced the flavors in the salad perfectly. The lobster bisque was so good especially since super fresh lobster was used. The rack of lamb was very savory and flavorful!
Overall, this was a great experience for both of us and we are already taking about trying out another class in the near future! I highly recommend it!

Chef Martin and the sous chefs made our Date Night cooking experience amazing!
From the gorgeous kitchen set ups, to the instruction with humor and practicality, to the amazing food and high quality ingredients, this cooking experience was superb! I mean, how many cooking classes do you go to that let you use saffron freely and Fleur de sel — nothing cheap and skimpy here.
I am excited to try out a workshop on knife skills or French macarons… and you should be too.

My fiancé surprised me with a date night here and we were pleasantly surprised to recognize the chef from a previous class we had taken 2 years before! He has now started his own company and his class was just as — if not more — fun than the last one! chef Martin is very entertaining and a great teacher. We took the Date Night Tuscany class and made noodles from scratch, amazing Mac and cheese, crostini, steaks, and had a blast!
He also has a mini gift shop with high end kitchen tools that you can buy at a bargain. We will be back to take his other classes! Thanks Chef Martin!

I celebrated my birthday at a Date Night cooking class with my date and Chef Martin. The theme was Tuscany so the menu was: crostini with herbed goat cheese, sage & parsley pesto with balsamic reduction and honey, caramelized onion mac & cheese, Florentine Steak with hearty tomato sauce and pesto pasta papardelle, profiteroles with dark chocolate sauce. We were able to bring our own alcohol for the meal and were given glasses of water upon arriving. We checked in, went to our stations, and put on name tags and aprons. We introduced ourselves to the class which consisted of 12 people total (6 couples). We were the only couple that wasn’t married but we weren’t the only ones celebrating a special event. Then Chef Martin and his 2 sous chefs introduced themselves. Chef Martin has worked as the Executive Chef at the Four Seasons in Newport Beach and New York. He’s worked with Anthony Bourdain. He’s cooked for countless celebrities and dignitaries.
After the introductions, we were to wash our hands as Chef Martin started us off by making gnocchi in a brown butter sauce with sage. We helped make fresh pasta dough as a group and were given individual components of the rest of the meal to make. Each couple had a recipe and a job to do. My date and I had the crostini so we made the sage & parsley pesto first, while the baguette slices toasted in the oven. All of the ingredients are pre-​measured so that all you needed to do was dump it into the high speed blender. Then we chopped chives for the goat cheese. After that we spread the goat cheese on the toasted bread and topped it off with pesto, balsamic reduction, and honey. It was perfection.
As we were working, the other couples handled their portions of the meal with occasional assistance from either the chef or the sous chefs. The end meal was pretty fantastic and I’m glad I didn’t have to cook it all myself. We were told to sit in the dining room and the chefs brought out each of the dishes in order from appetizer to dessert. The presentation was really great. Our crostini earned some rave reviews. The mac & cheese wasn’t the best I’ve had since I can make better at home but I liked the presentation. The steak was perfectly seared and tender. The papardelle was delicately graced with pesto. We were able to converse with newfound friends over a shared meal. The camaraderie in the room was infectious. The dessert had to be tweaked because the dough didn’t quite work so they ended up making us an almond tuile cookie dessert with ice cream, whipped cream and chocolate sauce instead. It was really fun and I had a great time. I’m glad to have had the chance to attend such an engaging cooking class on my birthday. Bravo, Chef Martin!

I came here for the Date Night — Sushi cooking class. I found out about this place from a living social deal. I initially came here think I would learn how to cut sashimi in addition to preparing rolls and nigiri. All the fish is actually cut and provided for you. The class does not provide drinks other than water but they encouraged everyone to bring their own libations.
Chef Martin has a great sense of humor and really makes the class enjoyable. The class size was with 12 people so it was very hands-​on and everyone was very involved. Chef Martin started out with a general intro about himself as well as describing what the class would cover. He walked through the preparation of sushi rice, miso soup, and gyozas. He also brought out all the ingredients we would be working with. The seafood included salmon, halibut, yellow tail, taka, eel, tuna, spicy tuna, spicy salmon, and crab mix. He demoed how to make cut rolls, hand roll, and nigiri. There was all the basic ingredients including seaweed, tobiko, wasabi tobiko, sesame seeds, avocado, cucumber, daikon, carrots, wasabi, and spicy mayo. His main policies were we were not allowed to do any dishes and everything must be eaten or taken home.
After the demo, he let everyone just go at making their own sushi. He went around helping everyone and also entertained. Once we were done, we all took our plates to the dining area to enjoy our creations. The dining area was perfect for everyone to mingle. The last part of the meal was dessert back in the kitchen. He went over the recipe for mango ginger crème brûlée. This was already prepared for us because it needs to set for several hours before it is ready. With our dates, we each got to caramelize the top with torches.
Overall, I had an amazing experience. It was a night to really remember. Chef Martin is a great chef and really knows how to entertain and teach a class. I would highly recommend planning a date night with your S.O. with Chef Martin.