Last night my husband and I joined Sweet Moments Company‘s Savory Butternut Squash Crostata virtual class – from-scratch crostatas with butternut squash, caramelized onions, and goat cheese with a side of kale salad with honey dijon vinagrette. We both enjoy cooking and have been active meal kit subscribers (currently on Everyplate) since 2020, but neither of us had ever taken a professional cooking class before we learned about
It’s like joining a live Food Network cook-along, their chefs are SO knowledgable and helpful. Chef Therese (a Scottsdale based pastry chef & culinary instructor) actually formed the company with her husband Brent, with a desire of imparting a passion for creativity and cherished personal moments. They started in Arizona with in-home cooking and baking classes – where they come to you for a fun and intimate learning experience. After the pandemic hit, they moved their classes online – providing live instruction from a professional kitchen, with cameras positioned both on overall and top-down shots.
They send all the ingredients in recyclable and compostable materials, then you join the class online. Last month, we tried out our first class alongside my dad & stepmom who were able to join with us from the other side of the country. Our pad thai & spring roll class was so easy – we’ve repeated the recipe at home a few times since then, and my family also saved the recipe to make again. My dad said that “Chef Therese made us feel like we were in the kitchen with her and welcome. We had a wonderful time.”
The classes are about an hour long and offer structured instructions at a comfortable pace, with cleanup time incorporated in. You don’t waste any time, and there’s no waiting around. The chefs are also super adaptable – if you’re ever missing a tool or an ingredient they offer perfect improvisations.
With every package sent, they plant a tree with my old friend One Tree Planted AND donate a meal through St. Mary’s Food Bank. The team behind Sweet Moments Company is so sweet, and I love that they’ve partnered with such important charities!
My husband’s review of the foods:
Spring Rolls: I’ve never made them before but they were really good. I’ve made the peanut sauce multiple times since!
Pad Thai: Better than any pad thai around here.
Butternut Crostata: I’m not a huge fan of butternut squash but these were really good. The dough was super versatile – I’m planning on using it for other stuff.
Kale Salad: I actively dislike kale and I avoid it. I would eat this every day.
Which brings me to the #1 tip we learned from the second class – MASSAGE YOUR KALE! 🥬 Oh my god, does it make all the difference. Grocery store kale is often very robust and crunchy, just massaging it (literally, like massaging it) while you take out the stems…don’t trust me, trust Chef Therese. It made my husband love a kale salad.
They have so many yummy classes coming up – apple fritters with a creme anglaise sauce, caramel apples, shawarma with hummus & tzatziki, decorated Halloween cookies & cupcakes, even a Thanksgiving 101! It’s super convenient, a great date night, and a great excuse to have a virtual dinner with long-distance friends or relatives. I couldn’t recommend them enough!
Corinne DeCost 