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•  Basque Cooking Class

What they said:

We spent the rest of the morning and afternoon helping the chef at the restaurant prepare food for lunch. I chose not to do much cooking, but I did learn how to pick out a good fish from the market and how to clean a REALLY big fish. After spending the morning cooking, we all sat down and ate what we'd prepared. In summary, it was a great experience, and I enjoyed every bit of it.

eweb101 (via Trip Advisor) / Tuesday 12th of February 2013

“San Sebastian Food - cooking classes - the point where science meets kitchen” The best knowledge of regional cuisine from the team employed around San Sebastian Food agency: Jon, Eli, Itxaso… With them you will never feel alone in this fantastic part of Europe. My impressions: unique tastes, unique ingredients, very useful for my private and professional development.

Donatellaverbanac (via Trip Advisor) / Tuesday 12th of February 2013

After the market tour, we took a small boat over to a restaurant in a small fishing village. We met with two chefs and learned a lot about butchering large fish, cleaning squid, selecting fish, etc. This was a hands on class if you wanted to help which was a great deal of fun. At the end, we had a huge feast of pintxos, squid-two ways, tuna-two ways, dessert,etc.

ABZ9525 (via Trip Advisor) / Tuesday 12th of February 2013

The cooking class was truly "hands on". The chefs were very friendly and helpful, and went into detail in explaining the preparation of each dish. They even gave helpful hints on how to cut fruits and vegetables to better release their full flavour, and how to determine if seafood is fresh. I would seriously consider taking another class on my next visit to Donostia.

lerrea (Via Trip Advisor) / Saturday 5th of January 2013

They were so welcoming and energetic, you could really tell they loved opening up their busy kitchen to us and we really helped cook our own meal!If you love food, cooking and really getting into the local spirit through food, this is the tour company for you! Bravo Jon and the rest of the San Sebastian Food team!!

FrancescaNU (via Trip Advisor) / Saturday 1st of September 2012

In the Basque Cooking Class I learnt how to make basque fish dishes and the fact that we were able to learn how to make 6 amazing dishes in 4 hours which tasted pretty amazing was quite an experience. I went along with two of my daughters and we all had quite an enjoyable day.

IfyD (via Trip Advisor) / Saturday 25th of August 2012

When I decided to add the Basque Country to my culinary tours, I came up with San Sebastian Food's website. The site looks exactly as they are - good looking, professional, fun and knowledgeable. We couldn't have had such a successful tour without Jon. When New Zealanders come this far to eat pintxos, they have to be sure everything will be perfect. And it was.

Peta Mathias - Celebrity Chef, author and broadcaster / Monday 20th of August 2012

Simply put, sensational! We did the Basque Cooking Class and had an absolutely fantastic day. Even though the tour is only a few hours, it is very hands on, we learnt a HEAP and had a great experience. Do yourself a favour and book with San Sebastian Food! We booked by chance and we are so glad we did. We will definintely be back!!

mic291 (via Trip Advisor) / Tuesday 24th of July 2012

San Juan is a beautiful and idyllic little "village".Then you are introduced to the chefs and the ingredients that will be part of your (fresh-fish-centric) cooking adventure. The English translation by Eli was outstanding as well as her enthusiasm and knowledge. Together an amazing meal was made and refreshing wine served...One of our best days in San Sebastian.

katykuhn (vis Trip Advisor) / Tuesday 24th of July 2012

Chef Alex and his team showed us the ins and outs of cooking a seafood feast with the fresh catch of the day. I learned to clean and prepare squid, and my wife cut up an entire tuna! We also worked on hake, a local fish that is popular in Spain. Afterwards we were able to enjoy the fruits of our labour with another great multi-course lunch!

WoKong27 (via Trip Advisor) / Tuesday 24th of July 2012

This was one of the best experiences I've ever had on a vacation, not just my favorite cooking class!I had fun, learned ,and was very impressed by this organization. Why should you listen to me? Because I've been a producer for 30 years and put people and things together in a very tasteful and organized way for a living. San Sebastian Food has it all together...they really get it right!

MakeItNice17 (via Trip Advisor) / Tuesday 24th of July 2012

Our basque cooking class was authentic, well organised and most importantly deliciously amazing!cooking with the professionals and learning traditional cooking was so memorable. The feast that followed was great knowing we had made it, though was even better as it was enjoyed with local wine in the sun, by the water. Thanks Eli!

grburns (via Trip Advisor) / Monday 25th of June 2012

It was all and more than what I expected! What a great time we had... Eli, our tour guide, made it a memorable experience with her knowledge and great sense of humour. The food we cooked was authentic Basque cuisine set on a beautiful little fishing village called "San Juan". I highly recommend these tours with the San sebastian food company....ENJOY.....

Jeannette T (via Trip Advisor) / Friday 15th of June 2012

Ellie, our guide, was superb as commentator, interpreter, photographer. In-charge cooks Jon and Alex truly know their "craft" and how to work magic with the authentic ingredients, seasonings and prep methods. Truly a Wow! experience, this was the most memorable 4 hours of my stay in SanSebastian. Certainly worth a return trip as, who knows what will be the bountiful array of that day's catch?!

jerseygalPrescottAZ (via Trip Advisor) / Wednesday 13th of June 2012

Spent a few days in June doing tours with Jon's very able and welcoming guides. I would HIGHLY recommend joining a tour with San Seb Food if you want either to learn about or just to enjoy the variety of local food and wine on offer. Although we per-booked from the UK they have a shop you can drop in on if that suits your way of doing things better.

donutburbankle (via Trip Advisor) / Wednesday 13th of June 2012

Jon and his team provide an excellent "hands on" day. Meeting the chef and getting an introduction to local produce, especially seafood. Then time in the kitchen both watching & joining in. Finished off with eating the lunch you made.

439587934875 (via Trip Advisor) / Thursday 31st of May 2012

We had a wonderful turorial about the wines of Rioja with Jenny. She cleared up a lot of confusion! The pinchos cooking class was a great hands-on exerpience too. I'm so excited to make them for my friends and have a Spanish wine and pinchos party. The number of people in the class was small and they were real foodies making for an overall wonderfull wine and food experience.Well worth the money!

Dale_Baker (via Trip Advisor) / Thursday 31st of May 2012

Wow!! My tummy is in heaven! Speaking as a foodie/writer, this was a home run-out-of-the-ballpark! I ran out of descriptive words beyond exquisita, superfantástico, awesome...

Peg Rhodes / Saturday 26th of May 2012

Fantastic day, couldn't be any better!!

Gavin Burns / Saturday 26th of May 2012

Very good example of local food and cooking methods. Very knowledgable of local food customs. Excellent food, willing to work with dietary needs.

Ira Roth / Saturday 26th of May 2012

I enjoyed getting to learn to cook the local food. It was such an amazing time with lots of great tastes.

Claire Roth / Saturday 26th of May 2012

I have absolutely enjoyed every minute. I'm signing up for more.

Kate Oloughlin / Saturday 26th of May 2012

SSF was a fantastic and memorable experience, we learnt everything from how to scale the fish to pour local drink "txakoli".

Jessica del Gallego / Saturday 26th of May 2012

We had such a wonderful experience learning to cook Basque food with San Sebastian Food. Everyone from our guide to the chefs int he kitchen made our trip complete.

Paisley / Sunday 20th of May 2012

Excellent representation of San Sebastian’s culture and hospitality.

Michele and Serge / Sunday 20th of May 2012

All the food was immaculate quality. The chefs were incredibly helpful. I learned so much and was very happy with everything. Thank you so much!

Marine Vallet / Sunday 20th of May 2012

The trips are well organised and executed. We cooked a significant portion of the meal and the results were surprising. It exceeded our expectations.

Ellis Chi / Sunday 20th of May 2012

I loved the variety of dishes we experienced. We met several locals that we enjoyed talking about food with. The food was excellent and an experience I will not forget.

Eric Berseth / Sunday 20th of May 2012

This was a very special, interactive and fun experience. It was much more hands on than we expected. Truly a rememerable experience.

Mike Schindler / Monday 7th of May 2012

Our experience was charming from beginning to the last coffee. Eli was funny and knowledgeable and Alex is clearly an excellent chef. The restaurant seemed to be a perfect example of a Basque seaside spot.

Mary and Chris / Friday 4th of May 2012

Very informtive, well presented, results were fantastic! A great, hands-on introduction into Basque cooking and a wonderful insight into the techniques used to getting the best flavour from basic ingredients.

Vera and Michael / Friday 4th of May 2012

Great people, great fun and a personalised experience. Thank you!

Katrina Bennett / Friday 4th of May 2012

We did the fish cooking course with the lovely chef Alex and we learned a lot and got to eat the fruits of our efforts - six courses of the freshest fish. We did this with two Aussie girls and had such fun. By the end of the meal it was as if we had known each other for years. At the start of the lesson the fisherman turned up with his catch, I imagine the lesson will change with each day's catch.

MrandMrsC82 (Trip Advisor Reviewer) / Wednesday 2nd of May 2012

As a special surprise in the cooking class we got an introduction into the preparation of baby squid by the very friendly cook Alex and we could taste the result in the lovely fishing village! Certainly a trip to remember that fullfilled all the expectations!

stezit (Trip Advisor Reviewer) / Wednesday 2nd of May 2012

We had been looking for a great cooking class for our trip to San Sebastian. On the day before we were starting our trek back to the states, we found Jon's brochure. Bingo! It was just what we were looking for only better. The chef Alex is very enthusiastic and loves showing how to cook great Basque cuisine.

mzimme4 (Trip Advisor Reviewer) / Wednesday 2nd of May 2012

When you sit there with a glass of cold Txakoli, your tummy pleasantly full with all kinds of delicious seafood and you can´t think of any other place in the world you´d like to be more right that moment - then you know that this cooking class was an excellent idea! It can be recommended to anyone wanting to see what real basque cooking is all about.

MassiveMannheim (Trip Advisor Reviewer) / Wednesday 2nd of May 2012

Our 4 day adventure organised by San Sebastian food was just great, and we learnt such a lot. Their star is Eli who is a local, but with good English and a fabulous personality.This morning she took us to cook our lunch with the chef Alex. I have never seen so much fish "on the hoof". The day was really wet, but there was fun and giggles as we prepared, and then ate, a super fish lunch!

476David (Trip Advisor Reviewer) / Thursday 26th of April 2012

The cooking class at a seaside fish restaurant could not have been better. Very hands on, LOTS of different seafood dishes and preparations. Culminating in a lunch that we cooked that was pretty spectacular.

Dave S (Trip Advisor Reviewer) / Wednesday 25th of April 2012

Very friendly chef and guide, easy to talk to and ask questions. It was so much fun to meet the chefs and see how the kitchen was run!

Mike Iacorne / Wednesday 25th of April 2012

The class was informative and enjoyable. The chefs were helpful and very knowledgable. Our guide was great - very nice and personable. The size of the class was nice too- not too big and felt intimate.

Ruby Burner / Wednesday 25th of April 2012

The class was held in a fabulous little restaurant, right on the water, with a fun chef who just loves to use local ingredients (and I mean local - they came straight off the trawler during the class!). The food was exceptional and it's nice to be able to impress friends with some new recipes!

Trip Advisor reviewer (Travellingaussie1979) / Thursday 5th of January 2012

Jon and the chefs were so lovely and friendly - it felt like they honestly cared about you having a good time. Plus if you do the Basque Cooking Class and/or Pinxtos Cooking Class you get to travel on a boat to nearby San Juan - a local picture place in the heart of the Basque Country. Unforgettable experience and the best thing I did in San Sebastian.

Yasemin Tanzirel / Thursday 20th of October 2011

The pintxos tour was invaluable for figuring out where some of the best pintxos are to be found along with just getting to know the old quarter. The cooking class answered a lot of my questions about Basque cooking, was entertaining and offered a lovely meal at the end of the event. San Sebastian Food is very professional with an excellent selection of tours.

Trip Advisor reviewer (jyaskin) / Thursday 20th of October 2011

Alex, our teacher, was very skilled and extremely passionate about his profession and being part of a working restaurant kitchen was certainly an eye opener. I think we'll be drawing on our experience for many years to come.

Trip Advisor reviewer (gkg28) / Thursday 20th of October 2011

It was so good being involved with Alex in preparing and cooking fresh local produce, then tasting the benefits with well matched local wines in such idealic surroundings. Thanks Jon for a memorable day in this unique region.

Philip Heaton / Saturday 30th of July 2011

I thoroughly appreciated the local flavor and authenticity of the excursion. I felt I was a part of an authentic Basque experience.

Stella Campisi / Saturday 30th of July 2011

What did you most enjoy about the experience? Watching and listening to Alex. Such a wonderful, heartwarming experience!

Ben and Louise / Saturday 30th of July 2011

The experience for me was a piece of heaven on earth!

Joanne Hayley / Saturday 30th of July 2011

Jon thank you for a wondeful and life–changing experience. This was exceptional!

Nicole Winter / Saturday 30th of July 2011

What surprised me was how simple it was in the hands of a professional chef!

Josie Walsh / Saturday 30th of July 2011

Off the beaten path, fun. Not just exceptional setting, great food and most importantly, great education on preparing fish Basque style….”big smile”…:)

Yvette and JImmy Andriola / Saturday 30th of July 2011

It was a treat to be a part of the cookery class. Enjoyed it thoroughly!

Sara Ayres / Saturday 30th of July 2011

In three words…Enjoyable, fun, authentic.What did I most enjoy? Relaxed atmosphere, chef was relaxed and excellent at explanatory!

Patricia O'Mahoney / Sunday 24th of July 2011

Loved Alex and his passion for produce. Fantastic to do this kind of course with someone who was always smiling!

Julia Johnson / Sunday 24th of July 2011

Jon's knowledge and passion for the area, it's food, wine and culture, is infectious and shines through clearly in all he does. He's the perfect host and will tailor your experience to suit you, so you really do feel like you are getting a special and unique insight into this beautiful region.

saltyann / Saturday 16th of July 2011