HERBS & SPICES: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know!

Each cooking class is fully interactive. While I am demonstrating, you can chime in on the chat with comments, questions, and ooohs and ahhhs the entire time. Not only does this increase connection among the students, both my assistant and I see your questions and make sure we answer all of them.

You can participate in the class using Zoom on your computer, tablet or mobile device.

Upon completing your registration, you receive a confirmation email, which includes a link to the document that provides everything you need, such as the link to the Zoom class (active on the date and time of the class). Please note that each class is 100% confirmed once our minimum number of slots are filled — at which time the recipes appear on the document. My goal is to have the recipes available to you at least 5 days before the class to give you enough time to order / shop for ingredients, should you choose to cook along. 

I will notify you that you can transfer your registration to another upcoming class (that is already confirmed) or receive a credit for any future class or a refund. You can choose whichever is convenient for you. 

While I love to see the faces of my students, the use of video for students during the live class is optional. NOTE: Even if you opt to show your video during the live online class, when I’m creating the video for the class recordings, which are given to the general public as on-demand classes, NO ONE'S video is shown except for mine. 

We do our best to prepare you in advance so you are ready for when the class begins. If you have issues during the class, my assistant is there to help you. Sometimes it's an issue on the user's side, and when there's an issue on my side, we do our best to mitigate it right away. One of the benefits of live classes is that they're in real time, which means it's a live feed. Sometimes technical issues are out of our control, but so far, we've never had any real issues that took away from the purpose of the class.

Absolutely! Unless something goes horribly wrong (and it rarely does), each class is recorded, and students receive the class recording within 2 days of the live class.

While I do send a reminder email out a couple days before our class, I encourage you to add the class to your calendar as soon as you register.

Some students love being able to cook along; some students love to just watch. It is entirely up to you how you want to enjoy the class.

You can decide in advance which dishes you want to cook along with me. You might choose to cook just one of the dishes — or all of them. Whatever you decide, I suggest you have your mise en place all ready. That is to say, have all the ingredients measured and prepped as much as possible. (Mise en place is a French culinary phrase meaning "everything in its place.”)

Ultimately, what we take away from every experience depends on how much we put in, so I encourage you to be present and engaged in the class. But, for my part, as you will discover, I’m very passionate about many things, and I can’t help bringing my love of food, history, language, animals, film, literature, and food lore to each class. My aim is that you walk away with a richer understanding of food, cooking, and eating than before you arrived. More than that, you will get helpful step-by-step instructions about each dish I'm demonstrating and a clear up-close view of all the ingredients and procedures. The best part is that I, too, make mistakes, and you see me make them live in real time. That's how we learn the most.

I'm thrilled to say that many students are regulars and repeats, and you will no doubt get to know some fabulous people when you attend these classes. I encourage engagement and follow-up, including posting photos, questions, and comments on our private Facebook page. Many friends and family members join from different cities, then share a virtual meal with each other once the class is over. (That makes my heart sing.) So, yes, despite being online the classes foster connection.

I have found that 90 minutes is the ideal amount of time to spend in a virtual class. It gives us time to settle in and for you to ask questions throughout without feeling rushed. It also gives us time to enjoy an occasional bonus cocktail by our resident mixologist (my handsome husband), but we like to honor your time and keep the classes to 90 minutes.

Absolutely! Once you are registered and the class is confirmed, you are officially enrolled. That means the recipes, resources, video recording, and even the chat transcript are yours to enjoy. You will receive a follow-up email whether you are in the live class or not.

Because the value of the classes includes exclusive recipes and resources as well as the live class / video recording, once a class is officially confirmed and you get access to the recipes, you cannot be refunded. However, as explained above, if the class does not meet the minimum sign-up threshold and I cancel the class, you have the option of getting a full refund, switching to a different class, or accepting a credit for a future class. (This is one of the reasons I don't share the recipes until I know we've reached the minimum threshold.)

As the on-demand classes are digital and you receive the recipes and video as soon as you complete your purchase, they cannot be refunded. The good news is you get to enjoy the video and recipes right away — and forever! Also, please note that we are not liable for refund and exchange due to technical problems on your computer, mobile device including but not limited to printer malfunction, inability to install a reader, and/or problems due to Internet connectivity.