GUEST COMMENTS
“Chef Baxter welcomes you to his kitchen, and his ridiculously high standards. He guides your preparation and execution of his exceptional menu, and then he graciously lets you pay for it. His class is an inspiration and one of the highlights of my year.”
Colm Feore, Stratford
“Attending Chef Neil Baxter's cooking retreats began as a fun weekend with my sister several years ago and quickly grew into a family tradition with our brother. We met extraordinary people over the years and we now coordinate our schedules to ensure we attend the same weekend. As avid home cooks with a thirst for learning, we always come away from the cooking retreats with new tricks up our sleeve, renewed inspiration, newfound knowledge and exciting culinary discoveries and techniques. Chef Neil, along with Chefs Randi and Mike keep us challenged and make it impossible to resist signing up for another year. We highly recommend that weekend for professional food geeks and enthusiastic home cooks of all skill levels.”
Marie, Andrée and René Jolicoeur
“I have attended Chef Neil Baxter's cooking classes for the past 30 years. A wonderful weekend of working with people who share an enthusiasm for preparing and enjoying fine food. Chef Neil's teaching approach is serious, well organized, but non-threatening and fun.
My friends and I always return home, new recipe folder in hand, inspired by reworking the 'old' and by trying the 'new' techniques and tastes. Of course we get to sit down with interesting wines to consume the fruits of our labours. This is the best ‘foodie’ get-away weekend.”
Joan Gilroy, Barrie
“We've been attending Neil's weekend cooking classes since 2012 and look forward to returning every year. Chef manages to mix the right combination of serious instruction and fun to produce a weekend full of amazing four course meals and great conversation with fellow food lovers. With the help of a great team, students are guided through their tasks with confidence and can contribute to the meal prep regardless of skill level. The ultimate proof of the benefit of these weekends is that we do actually cook some of these recipes at home, usually as a joint effort with a good friend who also takes the classes. As our skills grow, so does our pride in what we can cook, and our enjoyment of the delicious results!”
Lillian and Andrew, Kitchener
“I've been going to cooking courses for the last 20 years. Not one course has come close to the quality of program Neil offers. A top-notch event worth every penny. These classes contain an impressive amount of information. It is not only educational, but also a lot of fun. I'm passionate about cooking. Neil's classes have fulfilled that passion and his recipes have formed a large part of my culinary repertoire.”
Doug Ashton, Cambridge
“Chef Neil's classes are a perfect blend of amazing food techniques delivered in a completely accessible manner. You come away learning something new, no matter what your previous experience in the kitchen may be. We have attended for the last two years and will be sure to return. The weekends are fun and entertaining, with great people and great food. We have even tried a number of recipes at home again — with delicious results!”
Karina Thompson, Toronto
“Great food...great hosts/chefs...great fun!!!
A very special time of the year that we always look forward to!”
Margie and Cliff
“My wife and I have been coming to Chef Neil's cooking classes for about 20 years now. It is a weekend that we look forward to with anticipation each year. We have friends and family that meet us from all over Canada and the US. Neil's expertise and his personality make the class so enjoyable and delicious. His staff are second to none, as they are as passionate as he as they help teach the classes.
Each year we meet new people with a mix of friends we have met throughout the years. It's always a great surprise to see who we will be cooking each time. I highly recommend spending a great culinary weekend with Neil and his staff to anyone who is interested. You won't be disappointed.”
Lorne and Marci Rose, Toronto
“Neil's cooking classes are inspirational and informative mixed with just the right blend of humour. Chef is a true artist blending flavours and textures to create outstanding new dishes. It is the perfect class for beginners as well as for the more advanced cook. I always leave with a wealth of ideas and at least five extra pounds. I would not change one thing about this superb weekend.”
