HEAT Culinary, Laguna Niguel

"Stop reading reviews, start booking your class! TL;DR – Chef Nikki and team are amazing, book your class, bring some wine, enjoy your night of food, fun, and friends. I know me and my family will be back soon! If you’d like to read more, read on… We, a group of 7, booked the Italian Street Foods class to celebrate my mom’s 70th birthday. In her “retirement” my mom has picked up cooking as a hobby, so we thought it would be a fun way to spend an evening and we’d walk away with a little learning and a few recipes to make down the line. We walked away with much more. Food: We were blessed, due to some last minute very stressful circumstances, to have Chef Nikki as our instructor for the evening. We could not be happier with the outcome. Her approach to the menu/recipes for the evening was something like “I don’t follow recipes, even my own are wrong sometimes, they are a guide, not a prescription. Taste all your food along the way, add what you think it needs.” If that isn’t a philosophy you jive with, sign up for a baking course where more precision is required. We made 3 courses of food, arancini, panzerotti, and olive ascolana. Starting with the olives, we were encouraged to taste all the ingredients before, during, and after the cook. That meant eating olives, taking shots of olive oil, snacking on spoonfuls of the filling, and more. The panzerotti and arancini were the same. Try the mozzarella, the basil, the prosciutto. Taste the rice while still cooking, see what it needs. That really opens your eyes to get away from what’s on the page infront of you, and let your senses help make your decisions. Chef Nikki was also very attentive to us all as we cooked. Helping us with even the simplest techniques like basic knife skills and how to cut an onion. For someone like my wife, who never cooks, this helped her to feel perfectly comfortable in the kitchen. At the end of the cook, after we had all sat down and had our fill of fried delicacies and wines, we had a simple demo of the Porchetta. This means I have homework, and I’m looking forward to it. Fun: The class is what you make it. If you’re looking for a pen and paper education, with prescriptions and formulas, maybe this isn’t for you. But if you embrace the kitchen, embrace the people around you, and follow Chef Nikki’s lead, you’re in for a wonderful night. Banter was witty, jokes a plenty, laughs were too many to count. Everyone, or at least I hope everyone, had an amazing evening, even if the food wasn’t all coming out perfectly. Which can be stressful for some. Oh, and Nikki encourages cooking with wine, and I will echo that. A kitchen full of stiffs would be boring as hell. If you need a little encouragement to have a good time, you should do so. Friends: Chef Nikki has big best friend energy. When we arrived we were greeted with warm hugs and genuine smiles. We spoke as if we had been friends for years, even though we’ve only emailed back and forth about the class. The vibe was off the charts. The other “students” for the day quickly adopted the celebratory atmosphere and we cooked like a big family. They happened to have some Italian roots, so it all came a little easier to them than it did to us. The family meal at the end of the session must have gone for an hour of sharing stories, and wine, and more stories. Truly remarkable how food brings people together. Really too bad that we didn’t exchange numbers with our new found friends. Maybe we can catch them at another class in the future."

"We did the Italian desserts baking class with Chef Amanda who has baked at Pelican Hill for 4 years ! Besides the baking techniques, she even taught us knife skills and an egg cracking technique! All the ingredients were already prepared, and Heat team did all the clean-up! With all the time saved, we were able to make cannolis, tiramusi, lemon cookies, and a pudding! Parking is free and easy!"

"I love heat Culinary Laguna Niguel. I have gone to about ten classes now. Not everything comes out perfect, but the technique and the confidence you get to do it at home is priceless. You also learn different ways as well as from others taking the class who have had their own life experiences. I just booked another six classes! It's a great date night or double date. All the instructors I've had are very knowledgeable. So glad to have this so close and reasonable! Thank you"

"Heat Culinary catered our annual fundraiser this past weekend and the food was incredible. The steak was so tender and flavorful, you could cut it with a fork. The chicken was well seasoned and moist. The sides (carrot/turnip mix) were colorful and added such a delightful change compared to rice or potatoes. Finally the dessert was gluten free chocolate cake with caramel and chocolate drizzle, it was amazing. While the menu was wonderful, nothing can exhibit the quality and care of the work that this team puts into these experiences like their people do. Nikki is pleasure to work with, always striving to put what the customer wants and needs is her goal. I look forward to working with her again!"

"The best cooking classes can change your life in different ways. I love to cook and because of that...I enjoy taking cooking classes. They not only expand on your skills but I find it to be an art form...and best of all fun. I loved HEAT Culinary! They take cooking classes to the next level. Despite your level of experience, your cooking skills will be enhanced. Chef Nikki teaches you what can go wrong with your recipe so you prevent common mistakes and how to cook like a real cook. Her classes are very interactive and she teaches you not only how to make dishes form scratch but tricks along the way. This opened my eyes to try other dishes that I may not have considered. It was a fun and intimate class with a lot of great learning from the best!"