
Date Night: New Orleans Jambalaya
$300 per couple
Instructor
Our Date Night classes are one part cooking class, one part happy hour, and the perfect alternative to restaurant reservations. Designed with couples in mind, we'll have you laughing, cooking, and creating together. These classes are less cooking-intensive than our other offerings, giving you plenty of time to mix and mingle while preparing dinner.
What You'll Learn
By the end of the class, you will:
- Be able to clean and prepare whole shrimp
- Understand how to build complex layers of flavor when making jambalaya
About This Class
New Orleans has one of the richest food traditions in the country, with a heady blend of Creole, Cajun, and soul food. Bring a date and armchair travel with us to the South and learn how home cooks and famous restaurants alike build all those complex layers of delicious flavor.
We’ll start by making spicy-buttery barbecue shrimp and wash it down with a cold beer. After getting some jambalaya going, we’ll cook up some corn maque choux and of course, bake dessert, a decadent bananas foster cake. We promise brass band music will be playing as we sit down to our dinner!
Menu
New-Orleans Barbecue Shrimp, Chicken and Andouille Jambalaya, Maque Choux, and Bananas Foster Cake
Details
- Wine included
- Full meal served in class
- Work in teams
- Ages 18+
FAQ
The average duration of our current cooking classes is 2 hours, which is predominately hands-on work. You will be standing for the majority of class, cooking at your work station as your instructor demonstrates techniques and walks around providing individual feedback.
Due to COVID-19 regulations, we can not have students congregate in the building before class starts. Doors will open 5 minutes prior to class starting and we will begin promptly on time. Students will be asked to queue up outside the door of the school, safely distanced (sidewalks are clearly marked) and will be let in the school just before class begins.
Please arrive at the school with your own mask on. You will be given a new, disposable mask to wear in class to ensure what you have on hasn’t been contaminated prior to entering SFCS. We will have extras available should you need one while at school.
Wear comfortable clothes and close-toed shoes (remember, you’ll be on your feet cooking). The kitchens at SFCS are fully equipped with everything else you need, including clean aprons.
Due to COVID-19 regulations, we will not be serving food or drinks during class, We will, however, be sending you home with both ingredients and finished food items so you can enjoy them later, and practice as well.
Wear casual clothing you can easily move around in, and comfortable close-toed shoes. Long hair must be pulled back and masks, provided by SFCS, are required while in the building.
Cancellation Policy
Christine Gallary
After graduating from Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, France, Christine moved to Boston to test recipes at Cook’s Illustrated / America’s Test Kitchen, to teach children how to cook, and to work for Chef Barbara Lynch at her newly opened demonstration kitchen, Stir. Upon a return to California, Christine became a food editor in the test kitchen at CHOW.com. She is now the food editor at The Kitchn and loves the process of cooking as much as she enjoys eating the finished product.
Patty Ponciano

After spending almost 20 years leading travelers all over the world and exploring delicious and exotic cuisines, Patty decided to pursue her passion for cooking. She enrolled and graduated from the Professional Culinary Program at San Francisco Cooking School. Patty trained at the highly rated Italian restaurant, Perbacco, in San Francisco where she learned first-hand the intricacies and complexities of food preparation, presentation, and service. Today, Patty works as a private chef, teaches cooking classes, and still makes time to travel.