Baking Arts

My girlfriend and I took the danish pastry class, and we learned a lot. Richard is a great teacher, although a little soft spoken. He had quite a few tricks to show us and the pastries were wonderful.

If I could give 10 stars I would.
He is the best teacher I have ever had.
I started with Richard, back in his San Francisco location. I have taken about 10 classes, and can not wait to take more.
He is patient, caring and loves his art. He will answer all your questions and help with whatever you need.
I can not wait to see his new store location.
Classes are worth every penny and then some, sign up you wont be disappointed.

I signed up for the intro to fondant and french macaron classes. After watching so many online videos and making subpar macarons at home, I knew I needed help. Richard is a wonderful teacher. Super patient and super informative, as he walks through the steps. With his instructions, my macarons came out perfect! Crisp shell with a soft center cookie.
The shop is also a baker’s paradise with every tool, decoration, and ingredient to make anything in the baking world. If you need Hello Kitty baking goods, Baking Arts has it.

I finally bit the bullet and took a French Macaron class at Baking Arts. It was worth every penny! I loved that the class was hands-​on from start to finish. The instructor will go through the instructions at the beginning, demonstrating the steps in detail, and then you’re left to your own devices to execute the recipe on your own. I appreciated how the instructor walked around the classroom making sure that your technique was correct (piping the shells takes a lot of technique!). I’ve previously had issues with my shells coming out hollow, but the macarons I made in the class came out perfectly. A+ recipe!
I left the class with a box of chocolate ganache/​salted caramel macarons and feel quite confident that I could execute the recipe on my own in the future. I will definitely be back for a pastry class!

Fabulous place to purchase baking supplies! A lot of the items they sell aren’t sold in other stores like Joann’s or Diddam’s.

I took a Baking Arts class for making French macarons, those delicate little cookies with rich, smooth fillings. I never thought I would be able to make them from scratch. it seemed impossible at first but everything turned out great. The lesson was really fun and went at a decent pace. The teacher walked us through each step thoroughly, which is especially helpful for those who were baking for the first time. I still can’t believe I made them!
This is the place to go if you need any baking equipment or expert advice. These guys are masters and are super friendly!

Making chocolate candy with Richard was a truly memorable experience. As a intermediate student in the art of chocolate he offered many valuable tips and techniques that could be readily used. Great atmosphere for a private or group class. Guaranteed to enjoy yourself and the chocolates!

AMAZING! Another excellent class with Richard. I took the caramel making class this weekend. He is always prepared for his students and so informative. I always leave his class feeling like I came away with several tips that are so useful to baking success. I have taken approximately 7 of his classes over the years and had a few one on one instructions. I always leave looking forward to signing up for another class. The new location is great and the store up front is filled with all kinds of goodies. I will arrive earlier next time so I can shop.

After watching the entire season of The Great British Baking Show on Netflix, Intro to Fondant with Richard made the perfect Christmas gift for the GF.
With only one other person in the class, the setting was very intimate, and Richard offered amazingly clear instruction. We each began with a 6″ Chocolate Ganache cake baked that morning, and learned how to dye the fondant, roll the fondant, cover the cake, create textures/​shapes, and more!
The final product was a colorful cake topped with a cutesy teddy bear atop a blanket surrounded by building blocks.
Richard was a fantastic teacher. Patient when my neuroticism had me obsessed with the bear’s proportions, reassuring when my cake wasn’t exactly covered perfectly, and genuinely complimentary when we did things well. I’m glad I stumbled across Baking Arts, which will be atop my list of date night and gift ideas for years to come.

My friend and I just took our first class there — French macaroons. Loved it. Richard is amazing and witty and patient. Can’t wait to do his croissant class!

Finally took my first class at Baking Arts earlier this week! I had heard about this place on Facebook and had researched them online to see what it was all about. A month or so ago I went to the San Mateo Wine Walk and got the opportunity to do a tasting at this location and to see the store and learn what it was all about.
A coworker and I decided to sign up for the Carmel Workshop Class on a Tuesday evening. Upon arrival we were greeted by Richard, the owner and instructor for this class. There were a total of five participants in the class. Richard was fabulous! He is very soft spoken, but he is also very entertaining and is willing and able to answer all questions. His assistant (sorry, I forgot her name) is wonderful also!
There were 3 tables set up, we worked in 2 sets of pairs and one person worked solo. The class began with a Caramel recipe. Richard went through each step and then let us go do our own. While the Caramel was cooling we worked on another caramel recipe for the turtles. Each step of the process was taught from lining the land to cutting the caramels and wrapping them for gifting. At the end of the class we each took home a bag full of caramels and half a dozen turtles. I absolutely loved the whole experience and will definitely be back here soon for another class! If you’re on the fence about taking a class –do it! You’ll be hooked after the first one!

Good place to learn a baking skill. Fun! The shop also sells baking supplies. Try a class see what you think.

Wow, what an adorable shop… a baker’s paradise, really.
A sampling of what you’ll find:
* Sugars for decorating and baking
* High-​quality colorings for frosting
* Specialty baking chocolates (good variety)
* A variety of vanillas (including vanilla paste)
* Many, MANY baking pans (of course)
* Adorable cello bags, cupcake wrappers, and paper boxes, in which you can pack your gifts
* Bakery boxes
* Professional tools for making sugar flowers
* Candy molds
* Baking implements
* A few cute aprons
(And more, of course)
Everything seemed reasonably priced, especially for the quality.
What’s more, they have a (small) supply of baked goods and sweet treats for purchase. The peanut rocky road I had was nothing short of awesome.
I’m looking forward to taking a class sometime, but they are on the pricy side! I’ll choose something I *really* want to do and can’t do elsewhere… I do assume that the training is excellent quality. I will say, the kitchen space looked to be fairly open, which doesn’t always happen in cooking classes you’d take at, say, Whole Foods.

I took the Wedding Cake Class with Miso Bakes and it was FANTASTIC! Although this is my first baking class ever, I bake a lot, but technique was not there for me, always self taught and many times not even looking at youtube videos. I was looking for a class that could show me all the tricks to a perfect cake and more; this class did just so. Miso and Richard were patient and would provide me the extra help when needed, but at the same time Miso kept the rhythm of the class going so we could finish on time and we did of course. I was probably the least experience «baker» there, but I left feeling like a rock star!!! I know exactly what to do to improve my next cake and as any piece of art, it will never be perfect, but that’s exactly the beauty of it! I left inspired and enjoying this hobby of mine more than ever. I will enrol in more classes, my next one: macaroons… This class was not on the cheap side, but worth every penny. I’m not familiar with prices of other classes to be honest.
The flower making part was sooooooo therapeutic. A must try for any mom out there…

This is a very well-​stocked baking shop with a great schedule of baking classes. We went to make kouign amman, a type of puff pastry sweet. The class was well-​planned, so we worked with premade dough to begin with, and then made our own dough afterwards to bake at home. It’s a smart way to work around the long chilling time that the dough needs, and to get you feeling productive and accomplished quickly! Rich, who took the class, was great, offering top tips and clear instructions. I felt mostly in my comfort zone with the item we were baking, but would definitely come again for more challenging classes.

Enjoyed the Biscuits and Scones class. Richard was a great instructor — very informative and relaxed. I liked the hands on approach so we could practice what we just saw Richard demonstrate. We made buttermilk biscuits and two different types of scones (Richard demonstrated how to prepare cinnamon and raisin scones, while classmate and I prepared lemon cranberry scones). The class space is terrific — roomy, bright, comfortable. Location convenient — right in downtown San Mateo. I would definitely recommend to others and hope to take another class. Decision which class — pies or chocolate? Both sound good.

I work next to Baking Arts. Stopped by when they opened and purchased a chocolate chip cookie. Best. Cookie. Ever. Then I tried the white chocolate chip a week later — just as good. Chocolate chip cookies are thick but soft, chewy but perfectly so, packed with tons of chocolate chips. Tried a caramel the following week — yum! I end up going there at least once/​week for a cookie or yummy & perfectly baked cupcake. I love going there — it’s pretty and airy, and the owner Richard is so nice and helpful. My sister is a CIA-​trained pastry chef (Hyde Park, NY), and she and I love what Baking Arts brings to San Mateo. I would suggest for your next trip to the San Mateo Library, take a break and walk the one & a half block to Baking Arts, right in Downtown SM.

My friend and I took the cookie decorating class, I had been wanting to do the class since last Christmas and was disappointed it sold out so quickly every time. Finally in June spots in a class were opened and I jumped on it! Actually I had emailed the store and got a very quick response regarding the dates of upcoming classes I was interested in.
The class was wonderful! It is a store front and in the back is the kitchen where classes are held. The store front had all kinds of products and speciality baking items, all at reasonable prices. Great products such as americolor food coloring and many different types of sprinkles and decorations.
The class size is small so there is room for questions and direct help from Richard. Most items are prepared in advance and they give everyone 5 cookies to decorate– he explains each is made to focus on different decorating techniques. Recipes for the cookies and frosting are handed out as well. He demonstrates how to make perfect icing consistency and prepares the icing bags with frosting. The focus is truly on decorating techniques. Richard starts with one cookie and gives you an example on what the finished product should look like, then everyone does their own cookies using the same technique.
The class is an hour and a half and I learned so much in that amount of time because it was hands on and easily explained. After class I felt confident and satisfied in my new skills and was excited to go home and make more cookies!

I loved taking a baking class here. I took the French Macaroon class and it was wonderful. Baking french macaroons has always for some reason been really intimidating when you look at various recipes online. Richard’s class made the whole process very approachable.
A real benefit to his classes over other classes I have taken at places like Sur la Table, is that you actually get to make your own (½) batch. Not just crack an egg or add a bit of flour to a kitchen aid. Plus you get to leave with your own tasty treats.
His store is also great! I have a feeling I will be back for both more classes and to pick up supplies! I highly recommend taking a class here!

It’s a good place for beginners. The instructor is patient and funny. New place is spacious and easy to find. They also sell good selection of bakery tools and boxes. I took two classes from this place and my feeling is that this place is good for beginners. If you are a experienced home baker who want to improve skills to higher lever, I recommend you find something else.

Baking Arts is definitely a great addition to the Peninsula. Located off of 3^rd street, close to El Camino, you’ll find this cute, clean store and kitchen housing cupcake wrappers, cookie cutters, chocolate molds, high quality chocolate and baking pans/​boxes of all shapes and sizes. And don’t get me started on the sprinkles. There’s sprinkles, for dayyyyys!
Parking around the area is all metered. There is a 4 hour limit on the street, which you gotta make sure you pay at the meter station before you go on your merry way. Or there’s also parking garages located across the street, which gives you the opportunity to park for a longer period of time on the upper levels.
I had signed up with Baking Arts to take a special guest cake class. Richard was super kind, and a pleasure to meet. The classes here are top notch, and you really feel cozy with everyone at the end of the class, because of the way the class is held. I signed up for an all day class, from 9 – 5, so light breakfast (scones) and lunch was included (tasty chicken teriyaki rice bowl with broccoli).
All in all, this is a great spot for classes and to stop by and just browse around. Definitely keep Baking Arts in mind if you feel an itch to learn how to make some macarons, cupcakes or advance your cake making skills!

Pretty snazzy modern retail space. There is a cooking area in the back (classes range from $ 80 – 90).

My mom and I just took the macaron class Richard held this morning. We both loved the class and had an awesome experience.
Richard is enthusiastic, entertaining, and really cares about the students in each class. The class size is limited to 8 students so there’s a lot more hands-​on and one-​on-​one attention.
There’s a brief demo at the beginning of class where all the students crowd around the center island to watch Richard. After that, you head back to your island that you share with one other student. Richard walks around the room to check on each student’s progress and offers help when needed. By the end of class you have all the basic skills you need to make yummy macarons at home.
Altogether, we had a wonderful time and plan on going back for other classes. Can’t wait to see what we can learn next!

I took Richard’s macaron class. I feel it’s good to have bake it before so that when you come to class, the instructions are familiar and you can ask Richard all the myths and trouble shooting questions. The class size is limited to 8. Everyone is paired up with someone. You watch Richard demonstrate on how to make it. Then you and your partner make your own batch. All the macarons turned out great! You also get to take about 8 macarons home, including the ones made by Richard.
I give it 4 stars because you have to work with a partner, which means you have less hands on experience. It was probably just that one day that Richard didn’t show us how to tell if it is done baking (he told me later in an email that he forgot to). In addition, you have to really observe carefully in your surrounding and don’t be afraid to ask questions. I was wondering why there was an oil spray next to the baking pan near the sink. I asked and then found out it was used and the reason, but we were not told about it. I like to know all the details, and this could again be such a small detail that Richard forgot to mention. We only got to pipe the batter onto one pan, then the rest of the batter was thrown away. It would have been better if we can bake the rest of the batter, so we can bring more home. Other than that, it was a wonderful experience. It is worth it even if it means to drive from Sacramento :) Also, if you have questions after the class, Richard will reply you.

Great new business in San Mateo! I took a croissant class with my two daughters today. We had such a great time and we learned so much. Richard is an excellent teacher — he explains everything, demostrates how to do it and then watches you to be sure you are doing it correctly. Also the space is great and also has a retail shop with everything you need to create the treats you just learned to make. We are looking forward to coming to take another class!