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Testimonials 

 

Students

Feedback from cooking classes & parties

I enjoyed your Thai cooking class.  You are very informative and explained the ingredients and cooking techniques thoroughly.  You are very friendly and made me feel as though we have known each other for years.  I now have the confidence to cook authentic Thai cuisine.  Thank you so very much."
"Thank you for a great evening!  It was a pleasure to meet you both.  Phensri, you are a marvelous Thai chef.  The dishes you demonstrated and assisted us in cooking were delicious and much easier to prepare than I had expectedYour magic sauce made the process so simplistic yet authentic.  I look forward to participating in another one of your cooking classes again.  It was nice sitting down at the table talking with you and Darien while enjoying the fruit of our labor."
“I truly enjoyed cooking with Phensri.  She is an excellent teacher and her step by step instructions made what I thought would be impossible, possible!  With her instruction, I was able to prepare some amazingly delicious Thai food!” 
"The Class was great!  I've purchased my rice cooker yesterday and I've packed my food for the day.  I think you may have helped me with my weight loss program.  I made vegetable fried rice last night.  Not quite as good as yours, Phensri, but almost. Thanks so much.  I will be telling everybody! "
"Darien and Phensri, Thank you for a wonderful night of cooking!  You are masters of entertainment!" - On site NJ cooking party


Feedback from Living Social daily deal Cooking Class NYC & NJ (direct quotes from the Living Social website

Thumbs Up 04/17/2012 I learned a lot. This lovely duo make the class fun and lovely.
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Thumbs Up 04/16/2012

They were AWESOME! I highly recommend them to anyone interested in learning how to cook authentic Thai food! It was delicious!!!!

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Thumbs Up 04/07/2012

great way to make new friends and have a great meal!
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Thumbs Up 04/02/2012

Chef Phensri and Darien were terrific. My girlfriend had a great time while I got to hangout with my buddies. Pad Thai leftovers the next day.
Win, win!

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Thumbs Up 03/29/2012

Chef Phensri simplified what appeared to be a world complex flavors that would never be duplicated in my kitchen. I took the class at the Reagan street location which isn't easily accessible by public transportation, but well worth renting a car to get there. The setting was relaxed and intimate. The kitchen was well stocked with ingredients to accommodate special requests on the spot. Chef Phensri is fun, personable, and generously shares the secrets of her kitchen. I look forward taking class with her again soon.

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Thumbs Up 03/23/2012

I recently attended the “Fantastic Thai Cuisine” cooking class via Living Social. Given that I attended various classes at ICE in the past, I automatically leaned towards a location which most resembled a “teaching kitchen” setting and atmosphere. However after discussing my needs and concerns with Darien and Chef Phensri, I opted for the Old Bridge, NJ location. It was a great choice! We literally ended up cooking at the Chef’s home, in her kitchen! The setting was intimate, very relaxed, and very hands-on. There were a total of five students at my session, all operating under the guidance of Chef Phensri who is very personable, nurturing and funny. Each of us was fully engaged in the preparation of various meals and appetizers. This included everything from chopping veggies, to cleaning shrimp, to slicing meat, followed by the actual cooking, plating, and consuming of our creations. Chef Phensri ensured that each one of us took the lead in cooking multiple dishes. If my tally is correct, we prepared at least seven entrees and four appetizers. Needless to say, you will not go home hungry. I’m quite certain that we couldn’t have accomplished this much at one of the rented kitchen locations given the inherent time constraints. However, being that we were welcomed into the Chef’s home, time was not an issue and her pantry was full of supplies. Loved it, and can’t wait to take another class! I would recommend this class to anyone and would highly recommend taking it at the Old Bridge location. - Justin Holder

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Thumbs Up 03/23/2012

Two thumbs up. I had a wonderful experience. I've been to other culinary classes that cost a lot more, with many more students, and learned very little. Not the case with Fantastic Thai Cuisine. Very intimate setting (strongly suggest the Reagan St. location). Chef Phensri was excellent. She answered all of my questions and alleviated my many fears of cooking Thai dishes. You can't go wrong with this culinary class.

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Thumbs Up 03/06/2012

Chef Phresni and Dareus are great hosts and teachers and the food is delicious! I would take the class for full price too!


Best cooking class (of 4) I have attended...well prepared...friendly..responsive for follow up information and requests..etc
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Thumbs Up 02/29/2012

Lots of fun! Learned a lot. Definitely will go back and take more classes.

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New York Times

article in 3/9/2008
Sometimes the lesson is in the chef’s home, like that of Phensri Francis,... who holds basic Thai classes in Old Bridge.
Whatever the setting, once the introductions are made and the prep work is done, a certain levity can take over.
“It becomes a social affair — people are excited about the food, the idea that they can create these flavors at home,” Ms. Francis said. “They stand side by side and get to know each other. And they take away a great sense of accomplishment.”




wall street journal
Fantastic Thai Cuisine, a New York-based cooking service, has used the social-media platform Skype created in March called "Skype in the Classroom" to find students interested in Thai herbs and spices. The company also has 10 students, in the U.S., Thailand, the U.K. and Jamaica, taking Thai cooking lessons at about $30 an hour. "[We're] inside of their kitchen and they're inside of our kitchen," says Darien Francis, business manager. The company sends "starter packets" of fish sauce, oyster sauce, lemongrass and basil before the first class and emails instructions so everything is ready to go before the first call. The only barrier, Mr. Francis says, is the teacher can't taste the students' work

New Hope Community School Program Director - Nancy Lawson

Praise - Phensri's teaching - Pennsylvania Community School 8 yrs.
For Immediate Release:
Contact: Nancy Lawson: 215-497-8735

THAI COOKING CLASS- FANTASTIC FOR COMMUNITY SCHOOL OF NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY
For the past eight years, Phensri Francis has received rave reviews on her Thai Cooking courses with the Community School of New Hope-Solebury. Each Spring and Fall, people have flocked to her class for a unique hands-on cooking experience in adult continuing education. The three-hour classes include appetizer, main course, and dessert- all with a sit-down meal at the end of class, plus students take home their creations and the recipes to share with their families.
Phensri is a native of Thailand and her restaurant work has been featured in The New York Times. In addition to Thai Cooking, Phensri offered a popular Jamaican Cooking class at the Community School, a nod to her husband’s heritage. Adults attending the classes came from the New Hope-Solebury PA and Lambertville, NJ area, and from a 20-mile radius including Quakertown and Hatboro, PA.
“Phensri travels from Central New Jersey to share her time and expertise with our community, and she’s developed a loyal following of students who attend each semester,” noted Community School Director Nancy Lawson. “Phensri features new dishes and techniques in each class- her talents help make the Community School of New Hope-Solebury successful.”
The Community School of New Hope-Solebury offers continuing education through creative, physical, and intellectual opportunities. For information, call 215-497-8735 or visit our website at www.csnhs.org.
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Susha (Student from - Kiev, Ukraine Europe) -  One week Chef's Course

Feedback from Susha from Kiev Ukraine - Chefs Class in NJ