When Chef Rachel is cooking for me it makes sticking to a healthy lifestyle and maintaining my weight so much easier and convenient. At the end of the day, I know there is already several good meal choices in my refrigerator, so I am not likely to get online and order in something or stop along the way home to get takeout that is going to be higher in fat, sugar and salt than what Chef Rachel is preparing for me. I love dining out and always will treat myself to a nice meal out on the weekend, but with my “full fridge” from Chef Rachel, during the week I am happy to be able to stay on my eating plan and maintain my ideal weight. I don’t feel like I’m on a “diet” anymore. I just feel good about eating well and taking care of myself in this way. Having a chef cook for you is definitely a luxury, but I feel as thought it’s been well worth it for me.

I have many dietary restrictions due to multiple health concerns, so I have to avoid quite a lot of ingredients that make food delicious: gluten, dairy, vinegars, soy or anything fermented, nuts, and more. As a result, I was always eating the same bland things over and over and losing interest in food. Chef Rachel brought yummy food and variety back into my life, while teaching me how to eat healthier within my limitations. Each week, she fills my house with amazing aromas and fills my fridge with food I look forward to eating….and that my husband is happy to eat as well.  After having Chef Rachel cook for us for almost a year, I decided to have a series private cooking lessons and cook along with her so she could teach me classic techniques for making food delicious and work-arounds to adapt recipes to my way of eating. I don’t feel so deprived anymore. Thanks Chef!

Thanks, Rachel for a unique evening that stimulated our appetites and our minds. The group loved reading your novel, The Faithful, then getting a chance to cook a delicious 4-course meal with you! The discussion about the book while we ate the meal was wonderful as we got to find out how your “page-turning” story related to your own personal experiences. Thank you for your candid answers and insight into the characters we fell in love with. We loved this chance to “Book & Cook” together. It was such a unique and fun way to change up our book group gathering!

Chef Rachel,

Can’t thank you enough!!! Our cooking class party was a very memorable evening for all of us…I saw great pictures on facebook from various ladies, (I will send you a few), and everyone was commenting what a great time they had.  The food was so delicious. Thank you again for your incredible humor, patience and guidance.   We really did learn a lot!!  And the end result was absolutely delicious. I hope to recreate these recipes for my family! Wish me luck!

Rachel thank you so much for everything this past week.  My daughter and her friends loved it!  So much so, that now the moms want to set a cooking class party up for us!

I can’t thank you enough for helping me on such short notice!  You not only saved the day but made it fun, educational and delicious. Hope to see you soon so that the moms can enjoy your expertise!

Hi Rachel! Thanks for a great “Date Night” class on Saturday night. Ginna and I really enjoyed ourselves. I learned a lot about cooking and what it takes to prepare a balanced meal. You and Sandy worked your #**#* off  with that group and your efforts were greatly appreciated. You are a very knowledgeable and entertaining person who I know will be successful in whatever endeavor you choose. Please keep me on your e-mail list with any information on new classes you might be planning. Thanks again for sharing your time, knowledge, and beautiful kitchen with us.  

Chef Rachel, the bridal shower was a huge success. Everyone had a great time and kept thanking me; but, actually all the accolades really belong to you. I would highly recommend you and the Food Fix Kitchen as a venue. You are very pleasant, easy to work with, and made everything enjoyable. I just wanted to thank you again. Good food, good fun, and a good time was had by all. Thanks! Carol

I took Chef Rachel’s kids classes and camps. I loved them because you got to cook a bit more interdependently. Also you got to learn new culinary skills as well as recipes.  In the summer camp you got to cook different Italian, Southern, French, and Thai recipes. And you got the recipes and an apron at the end of camp. These camps and classes really made my interest in cooking higher. I would deffinatly like to take more classes in the future.

I have taken one course with Chef Rachel and it was a very positive experience.  Chef is a great teacher and her recipes are sound and easy to execute.  I have emailed her for advice several times and she is very prompt in her reply.  Chef Rachel gets ***** Stars from me!  By the way, Rachel, my granddaughter Ava was at a cooking birthday party at your kitchen (8yr olds.)  and she loved it.  She feels quite confident in the kitchen.   Best, Natalie

My boys attended a 4 day cooking camp at the Garage Kitchen and had a blast!  They learned how to cook French, Italian, Thai, and Southern recipes, as well as wonderful cooking techniques.  Chef Rachael is both professional and friendly.  At the end of the camp, each child received not only all the recipes, but also an apron to take home.  My kids could not stop talking about all that they have learned and weeks later, still talk about it.  This camp has really peaked their interest in culinary arts.  Highly recommend it and only wish we lived closer so that my boys could attend more cooking events there.

I attended one of Rachel’s cooking classes a few weeks ago and can’t wait to do it again!  I learned a lot and now feel more confident in my own kitchen.  She’s very “hands on” and informative and had us laughing and having fun the entire time!  Our meal was absolutely delicious.  I highly recommend attending a class; definitely worth the time.

Rachel, thanks for the recipes!  And thank you again for cooking up such a wonderful camp experience for Morgan.  She absolutely loved it and couldn’t wait to share her culinary creations with her dad and me.  Today Morgan looked up July 4th dessert recipes online.  She found a few good ones and we went shopping for all her ingredients.  She had her own cart, knew what she needed and got everything by herself.  We were asked to bring a few dishes to the parties we will be attending this weekend and I can’t wait to see what she whips up! Thank you for instilling such confidence in her and giving her the opportunity to expand her palate and culinary skills.  That experience is priceless and is so very much appreciated.  We will try these recipes at home and keep an eye out for upcoming classes.  Enjoy your summer! Take care! Karen Murphy

Hi Chef Rachel! Thank you so much for the wonderful week of culinary travels for my kids. Both my sons Brandon & Ryan have really enjoyed the camp. They love to cook with me, however, being the over protective mom, I limit what I allow them to do in my kitchen due to my own fears (of them getting injured). Your camp has allowed them to explore & learn beyond what I was able to provide them. This past week has been a wonderful experience for my boys, one they will likely never forget. Hope they will have the opportunity to meet and learn from you again. Best Regards, Lisa

Chef Rachel, I had the best time ever at my class in November!  We made Thanksgiving starters and sides and I have used every recipe you gave us with great success and raves.  I will take another class soon.  You were so helpful every time I emailed you with a question or advice. Thanks!!

Rachel, I took your Ladies Night Out Class/New Orleans last month with my sister and some friends, we had such a great time! While I was there I bought your novel, Ladders To Heaven. I just finished it and it was fabulous! I picked up an extra copy for my book club and started circulating it among them. I remember you had mentioned that you could come out to one of our book club meetings and do an “author’s night” as soon as everyone had finished reading the book. That would be great! We have it as out March book to read. I also thought possibly we could all meet at your Garage Kitchen! We could sign up for a class already designed, or one just created for this night. Please let me know your thoughts! Thanks so much!

Hi Rachel,
Just a quick thanks for yesterday.  Jenny definitely exceeded any guesses I had with this birthday surprise.  We not only loved the food but now we know how to make it too!  Additionally, your story — and that of your mother — is incredibly inspirational. Best of luck and thanks again!

Rachel recently held a private cooking lesson in my kitchen for myself, my non-cooking husband, his brother, and his brother’s wife and it was a great night we’lll all remember! This lady not only knows her way around a kitchen, but knows how to teach. My husband was so delighted that he used his new knowledge to experiment with making new versions of the appetizer in the days following. I almost didn’t recognize him, as he got excited about rolling out his pastry dough!Our lesson was a gift that kept on giving, as we impressed our husbands’ mother by cooking Rachel’s menu for her over the holidays. Thanks, Rachel!

Yours is one of my favorite food blogs that I use a lot. Your warm personality shines through and entices me to try recipes I never thought I could make and ingredients I shied away from. I discovered roasted golden beets, used phyllo dough, made applesauce from scratch and fluffy potato pancakes that didn’t look like run-over-by-a-bus flat and grey hockey pucks!

Thank you for a FABULOUS night of great learning and delicious food. We are both so inspired by last night’s lesson, and I look forward to putting the skills and knowledge to good use right away!!! I’d love to take some more classes with you.  Thanks again – it was really wonderful.

You are resourceful, hilarious, kind, and an excellent teacher!  I’d recommend your classes to anyone!

My girlfriend invited me to be a part of Rachel’s Culinary 101 session.  I had such a great time! Rachel was so patient with my many questions.  I was really amazed at how a little extra time of prepping pays off with much more satisfying results in regard to taste and health.  The recipes had simple ingredients, there’s no need to go to specialty stores for rare ingredients that would stay in your cupboard forever.  Rachel , thanks for showing me a healthier take on greens and corn bread.  I promise; no more Jiffy mix!

Rachel,
Michael and I can not thank you and Doug enough for making last night the perfect dinner party. What a fantastic way to welcome the New Year. You helped make everything so elegant and fun. You were professional and a joy to work with. We especially enjoyed the personal service provided, giving us suggestions for the menu, shopping for all the food items and meeting with you beforehand made the whole process stress free. We have never tasted such delicious dishes, you must add all of the recipes on your blog. Each and ever dish was just amazing, but if I had to pick just one, it would be the shrimp. It was done to perfection and was out-of-sight. We ate way more than we should have, but we just couldn’t help ourselves. You are truly a gifted chef. Again, thank you for helping to make our New Years a perfect party. We will definitely recommend you to our friends and feel free to use us as a reference. We look forward to working with you in the future.

Sincerely,
Jean and Michael

EXCELLENT MENU!
A FUN EXPERIENCE!
RECIPES WERE GREAT!
TOO MUCH FOOD!!! 🙂

This is the most delicious and one of the easiest recipes ever!! We were just on vacation with the entire family and ended up making this recipe numerous time. The dish was such a HUGE hit, even the kids couldn’t stop eating it.  We ended up using farm fresh organic heirloom tomatoes, as well as all organic herbs,  I will definitely be making this for many a dinner party.  Thanks Rachel, can’t wait to try more of your outstanding recipes!

Rachel’s class was a terrific, hands on get together for me, my wife and two close friends in our home.  In addition to learning a lot of great background on the dishes and ingredients, she was energetic, an excellent story teller, and able to manage a party with folks of various cooking experience.  Thanks, Rachel!

Rachel, I posted this review on Yelp as well…but here it is:

A group of girlfriends and I decided that the perfect gift for our friend’s 30th birthday would be a cooking class where we could all learn some new cooking techniques, some new recipes, and just do something fun and different. Rachel and FoodFix did not disappoint! Our custom menu that Rachel provided was perfect for us: a selection of appetizers that we could easily re-create and bring to future gatherings as well as a couple cocktails! As one reviewer here has mentioned, her balsamic tomatoes have CHANGED MY LIFE. Seriously. I think I have an addiction. But more than the food (which was all awesome) it was a great and creative way to celebrate as a group, learn some new stuff, and have a lot of fun in the process. Rachel was a blast and seemed to even enjoy the sarcasm and overall silliness of our group. I would highly recommend this class to anyone, but be forewarned. You’re going to be VERY full and happy at the end. So you know, hope you’re into that kind of thing.

BEST BIRTHDAY GIFT EVER. This year for my fiance’s birthday I decided to surprise him with an experience. Since he loves cooking, I wanted to find someone to come to our apartment (in Manhattan) and give us a private cooking lesson. I hoped for a charismatic, intelligent, interesting chef who could come teach us some basics (for me) and advanced techniques (for him), while we produced and ate a fab meal and drank our own wines in the comfort of our home. Rachel was all of what I hoped and more. She nailed it. She arrived with suitcase in hand, wielding some better cutting boards, knifes, aprons, and some special professional tools. I had purchased the groceries beforehand based on the menu that Rachel tailored for us. She successfully created a menu that would challenge us (he is a REALLY good cook) and also be somewhat romantic and fun. We settled on a version of her “romantic bistro menu” which was delicious. Rachel is so knowledgeable. She gave us a mini knife skills lesson, told us about “mis en place” (the importance of prep), and we even learned how to properly sear seafood and meat (to achieve a Maillard reaction). We learned how to make a veloute. We learned a clever trick for storing fresh herbs. We learned tips for how to cook out of our pantry (not just follow a recipe). We poached fruit for dessert. We made a foam using her ISI tool.

I swear to you, we use the info Rachel taught us ON A DAILY BASIS. One app we made (roasted crushed grape tomatoes with caramelized balsamic) could be transformed into countless dishes (alone as a spread for crackers/bread, on top of pasta, as a chutney, substituting basil for thyme…etc). We have made a vat of that roasted tomato dish every single Sunday since our lesson, and we store the leftovers and eat it with meals/snacks through the entire week. I’m eating it now as I type.

You have to give Rachel a try, she is INCREDIBLE. I will invest in her again in the future. Highly recommended.

Thank you for the Wonderful Dining Experience of Rachel Willen Cuisine, in honor of the SAFE in Hunterdon Benefit Event.  The food was plentiful and delicious!  My favorite dishes include; the Roasted Red and Yellow Grape Tomatoes, the Fennel Shrimp and White Bean Crostini, and the Blue Cheese Butter on top of the perfectly cooked and seasoned Filet. Thank you!

Now that I’m sober, and not quite so full, I wanted to thank you for an amazingly fabulous meal Friday night!!!  What a great time I had with all those wonderful women and your incredible food!!  I swear to you that I keep reliving (re-eating?) it all in my head.  The salmon on potato chips?  Genius!  The shrimp and beans on toast?  Unbelievable!  The steak was cooked to perfection.  And everything else in between was perfectly sublime.  You, my dear, will go far with your talent!  Thank you so much for volunteering your services for this Safe in Hunterdon auction prize!

We can’t stop talking about our class! These past 10 days have been so busy so I apologize for not responding sooner, but we absolutely loved having you over to the apartment. You are charismatic, incredibly knowledgeable, and a joy. Steve was definitely surprised when you showed up and it was one of the more useful and memorable gifts he said he’s ever received. Steve and I cooked up a storm in Florida last weekend – we have been making the roasted grape tomato dish (twice now!) and I basically lived off of our leftover roasted root vegetables this past week. I will work on getting some of the pictures we took over to you. Thanks again!

What an amazing experience! Not only did we learn cooking techniques, some new recipes, and what designations like “organic” and “umami” actually mean, we had a ton of fun and a great meal to enjoy at the end. Highly recommended!

Cooking in home with Rachel was a wonderful experience. Rachel was so patient and made the whole experience entertaining and educational. My husband and I learnt new basic skills, from cutting, chopping and roasting, to adding flavor and variety to everyday dishes. She gave us the confidence to be creative and try new things. Thanks Rachel – it was a fantastic experience that we will carry with us for a long time!

Hi Rachel,

Thank you for forwarding the pictures you took of our afternoon cooking. I just emailed French Culinary Institute and said:

“Yesterday, my wife and mom had a wonderful cooking lesson with Rachel Willen. It turns out that Rachel is a graduate of FCI. I wasn’t aware of this until yesterday. I encourage you to recommend Rachel anytime. She’s wonderful.”

Rachel, you brought a lot of sunshine into the kitchen yesterday. I appreciate it.

What a fun, fabulous afternoon! I am delighted to have met and worked with you. You are a terrific teacher! Going through the proper cooking order for the dishes with you, and the timeline for what needs to be accomplished in a particular order before sitting down to the dining table, sounds so obvious… but your presentation made it so understandable and doable.

The first thing I did this morning was go through the recipes again, to set them in my mind and to see exactly how we’d deviated from them yesterday, so that when I make them in my kitchen they won’t seem so foreign. I made lots of notes while everything was still fresh in my mind. Your veloute sauce was so velvety! Kudos to you for going to the FCI and starting your own business!