Testimonials
Sushi cooking class with Lyukum Cooking Labs was such a magical experience! My boyfriend and I had never taken a cooking class before, so this was all very new. She made space feel very comfortable and I could tell she was incredibly prepared. We learned extensively about the culture of the food we were making and she included a variety of hands-on experiences. The ingredients she used were very fresh and she explained where we could buy them at our local grocery stores. The food we made was AMAZING and I couldn’t believe we made it ourselves! We are definitely going to be doing this again!
Amazing cooking lesson and experience!
Can’t say enough good things about Kate and her beautiful kitchen. My wife and I had a great time learning some new vegetarian dishes with fresh ingredients Kate had chosen from her local farmers market. Not only did everything taste great, but Kate is such a kind person, she really made it a special night. If you’re looking to take a cooking class and want some professional coaching, then you’ll be more than pleased choosing Kate!
I hired Lyukum Cooking Lab to do a Japanese cooking class in my home. Kate was easy, creative, and helpful to work with. She was very knowledgeable about Japanese ingredients, preparation, and customs. She tailored her presentation to our group as she went along. And best of all...the food was amazing. She even supplied beautiful authentic plates for serving. I would highly recommend Kate for any entertaining or class you might be interested in.
Our dinner was amazing and Chef Kate was fantastic! She was professional, very knowledgeable and a wonderful chef. I would highly recommend her for any type of meal.
From the moment I looked at Lyukum Cooking Lab website, I was impressed by the creativity, respect, and talent with which Kate approached her relationship to food, its preparation, and presentation. During the entire process, Kate exhibited the highest level of professionalism and responsiveness. She asked great questions that helped clarify what I was wanting. She listened carefully and shared suggestions about what might best fit and enhance my vision of the evening, a dinner party for eight. She conveyed confidence and knowledge without being off-putting which allowed me to trust her fully. It was clear from our initial conversation that Kate possessed a deep and broad knowledge of foods as well as a commitment to using high-quality ingredients and presenting the foods in a way that was both beautiful yet authentic and drew out the best of flavors, colors, textures. I think of simple eleg...
Kate was phenomenal! We needed someone to cook us 18 bone-in ribeyes for a bachelor party, she was up to the task and handled it beautifully. All of the food she prepared for us was delicious and everyone was very happy with the outcome. She was much more reasonably priced than the other quotes I received, and she knocked it outta the park! The meal couldn’t have been done any better. Thanks again, Kate!
Kate was awesome and helped me create a memorable night for my boyfriend’s birthday. She was punctual, professional, and so knowledgeable. After learning a bit about the dishes we were preparing, we got some hands-on experience in the kitchen. To top it all off, the food was SO delicious. I couldn’t have asked for a better dining experience, and will definitely recommend Kate & Lyukum Cooking Lab to anyone looking for a unique date night.
Kate was such a wonderful addition to our party! I absolutely recommend her. Kate prepared a 3-course meal for 9 ladies at my sister’s bachelorette weekend in Marble Falls, TX. I selected her over some of the other chefs because her menu was more creative and interesting. She did a Mexican theme meal which included homemade carnitas, Mexican green rice, a pepper and herb queso with fresh tortillas and these amazing queso fresco balls stuffed with matcha and rolled in various spices. Kate was on time and came perfectly prepared! She came out and talked us through the menu and shared some of her inspirations and culinary influences for this menu. Everyone loved Kate and her cooking.
This was such an incredible experience!! I highly recommend hiring Kate for any and all occasions. We did the Sushi class for 2. She spends time ensuring you have the best experience possible. She is so knowledgeable and is incredibly talented. We enjoyed chatting with Kate about our shared passion for food. Can’t wait to take another class!!!
Katya is AWESOME. My daughter and I had a fantastic time making vegan food. She is incredibly knowledgeable and a wonderful person.
Kate was a true professional, and fun to boot! She responded immediately and professionally. We were doing a sushi cooking lesson with my 11-year-old niece and she was kind and patient and an excellent teacher. She was completely prepared. Kate has incredible communication skills and we were able to follow her directions and learn from her easily. It was a blast.
My experience with Kate has been fantastic. I was looking for a relatively rigorous set of classes to understand the fundamentals of cooking. Kate has delivered this in spades. She has been able to customize classes to my current level so I’m not doing things I already know, and as a result, she is able to transfer a lot of knowledge during the classes. Coming in my expectations were to learn more about the ABCs of actually cooking – I didn’t expect to have fancy results quickly. However, with her diverse experience, Kate provides the full picture, from the cultural background to the cooking mechanics and chemistry, to an interesting final dish that incorporates the new technique and is easily impressive enough to serve to a guest. I have learned at least as much about ingredients, cuisines, and practical home cooking as cooking techniques, which is significantly harder information to the so...
We had a fantastic experience with Kate at my home. I can’t say enough great things about her. Four of us thoroughly enjoyed our Thai cooking lesson and a delicious meal afterward. She was extremely knowledgeable and shared many great tips. She was personable and fun to be around, too. I can’t wait to schedule another lesson for a different cuisine; she has many different areas of expertise.
Kate takes the time to not only teach about cooking but also explain why you’re doing what you’re doing.
I learned many new things in such a short time. It was fun and educational and I am looking forward to the next step.
Tapas anniversary party. Very enjoyable evening! We learned a lot and had a very satisfying meal with great company. Truly entertaining.
My daughter and I had a cooking class, making pasta with three sauces. Very nice and patient. We thoroughly enjoyed our time and would do it again. Highly recommended!!!
Our experience with Kate was phenomenal! She cooked a delicious meal for 15 people. 5 teen girls and 10 adults. A vegetarian, a gluten free, and my husband that doesn’t like white creamy sauces! She was able to make a delicious meal that we could all enjoy and didn’t have to skimp on anything! Our first coursed was her watermelon gazpacho- BIG success! EVERYONE couldn’t stop talking about it! Second course: Edamame hummus with chips and burrata and tomato salad. So good! Our main dish was a Pork Wellington that was moist and so delicious! We had some mushrooms and caramelized cauliflower that was simple but so full of flavor we all just raced at the exquisite taste and how it paired so well with the Wellington. For dessert L, Kate prepared a vegetarian/gluten-free chocolate mousse and a to die for pastel de calabaza! My husband and I enjoyed it so much that we have asked Kate to come back in June ...
We went for a bridal shower and were stunned by the amazing host Katya, who not only prepared a fantastic tea ceremony with delightful sour and sweet finger food but also supplemented it with a verbal tour of the ingredients that came from all over the world. She told us about their origins, and (importantly) places to find them in Austin. Besides, she answered our questions with great enthusiasm and impressive thoroughness. She is not just an excellent chef, she is a very knowledgeable person, who sparks interest in people. I loved the experience, and cannot wait to learn more from her stories and demonstrations!
Kate is an amazing chef and her food was fresh, unique, and delicious. She prepared a meal for a baby shower and it was so special that this is a memory that my friends will never forget. She was kind, and nice and very knowledgeable of food.
Educational Food Fun! We had a wonderful time with Kate. Her approach is very educational and is based on her passion for food, which is contagious. She takes the time to explain the background of every detail and does a lot of taste testing of ingredients, sauces, etc. I liken the experience of reading a good book with heavy character development in the beginning that makes the rest of the book (the actual cooking experience) that much more enjoyable later on. I’ve done other cooking classes that were a lot of fun, but I came away learning MUCH more in this one, while still having a good time. I highly recommend Kate.
Really Wonderful Experience. Really glad we took a class from Katya – she was very thorough and a great teacher. Her kitchen was fantastic for a lesson. The value for the price was just amazing. Looking forward to visiting her again.
Katya did a great job of checking out our wants and experience before committing to a sushi class in our kitchen. When she arrived, she adapted well to our environment and even adjusted her agenda to our distracted ladies-night group. Her experience as a chef and instructor were clear from her comportment, emphasis on safety, and tips on shopping and selection of ingredients and spices. She transmits a great understanding of the cooking process, how you can adjust for preferences, and I look forward to more of her classes and meals.
Awesome experience, lots of good information provided, detailed explanations on every step of the cooking process, will hire her again!
The most doable, understandable, and classy classes – though the result looks fancy and you cannot believe that you actually made it. Highly recommend!
Have taken several cooking classes with Katya. Each one is better than the last. Fun, informative, and serious cooking.
I took Katya’s class on making Chebureks (kind of Russian pies). It was an amazing experience at her high-level kitchen. Katya is a very thoughtful, very neatly prepared for a class instructor. I learned several cooking “tricks” while learning how to make Chebureks. The class was a real fun! I actually made them at home three times after the class though I am not a good cook generally. Every time I had questions, Katya promptly answered to my texts in detail. Now I know I can really please a guest with a wonderfully tasted dish, thank you, Katya!
Katya’s class in the Thai food series was fantastic! So much detail on culture, ingredients, methods, presentation! And of course, the meal itself was a great treat. Cant’s wait to learn more from Katya!
We just left our private cooking class at Katya’s kitchen and we couldn’t wait to write her a great review! This cooking class far exceeded our expectations. We had a call with Katya a couple weeks before our class to talk about what was important to us, and she tailored a class around our needs. She purchased all the ingredients, made a nice printout with recipes and tips, and was very thorough every step of the way. Like another student said, she made us feel like guests in her home rather than clients. We loved that she gave her personal recommendations for ingredients and cooking tools that it has taken her many years to figure out, so we can start our road to becoming cooking experts from a much better place. Thank you Katya! We will see you again!
Learned how to make an apple pie/tart and crust from scratch (in preparing for Thanksgiving). I decided to do a one-on-one lesson in my own kitchen. She brought everything we needed and took the time to teach me all I wanted to know about why things are done a certain way which for me was great. She was professional, patient, and kind. I would definitely use her again when I want to learn how to make another dish.
The cooking experience at the Lyukum cooking lab was amazing. It is held in her beautiful kitchen at her beautiful home, where you feel like you are out on a country estate, Kate is very easy to work with and her goal is to give you the best cooking experience you can imagine! She is very thorough, explaining what and why she is doing what she is doing and Kate uses very high-quality ingredients. It is definitely a first class operation!
Kate has been very creative and responsive to our group’s ideas for cooking classes. Her passion for cooking and teaching really shows in all she does. Her kitchen lab is gorgeous. Friends and I attended a tasting demo and found the food to be amazing and Kate’s warm hospitality to be top-notch!
Kate did a crepe class for 6 women. It was so informative: cutting techniques, two ways to use leeks, practical info on ingredients, and presentation skills. The hands-on chance to make crepes and three stuffings left us all so confident.
