Chef for a Day in New York City

Thank you, Camaje, for such a wonderful time. Everyone made me feel so welcome and I learned so much. I'd definitely recommend this experience to anyone.

Janice Golenbock - Stamford, CT

The Chef for a Day experience was wonderful. The Chef (Johnny) lets you prepare the entire meal from start to finish and gives you a lot of tips along the way. Everyone was very friendly and the food was great. My family really enjoyed it. It was a great experience to be able to cook a meal in a real restaurant kitchen. I can't say enough about this experience. I would highly recommend it to anyone!

Jim - NJ

My girlfriend and I did the chef for a day with another couple and had a great time. The staff was extremely nice and attentive. The food was great. I would absolutely recommend this experience to others. Thank you Camaje for great night!

Len Selenski - Pennsylvania

Great experience. The staff was friendly and made you feel at ease. I learned some new techniques that sharpen my cooking skills at home. The meal was great and I recommend it to anyone that enjoys cooking.

Rocco - Mandaglio

My husband, Richard, and I had a wonderful time. It was our first experience with taking a cooking class and we enjoyed it very much. Not only was the Chef very friendly but very helpful as well.

Stella Peralta - New York City

Fantastic day, The Chef was great, very nice and helpful allowed us to do all the work with little intervention (just small demo's and watching our technique and would help when needed). Not only was the food great but he also passed on helpful little tips to use around the kitchen everyday at home, also answered any and all questions about cooking in general that I had. Thanks!!!

Todd - West New York, NJ

Everything was perfect. Learned new skills, enjoyed the dinner (food was fresh). Kitchen was in good condition. Everyone was helpful and friendly. Chef was great! Would definitely recommend the experience and the restaurant.

Vince & Denise Riverso - Cameje Bistro, NYC

Overall a very enjoyable experience. The chef worked with me to produce a tailored menu that I was excited about, and being in a restaurant kitchen during a service was pretty cool. My family and friends enjoyed the meal and the chef I worked with (Johnny) was fantastic. Anyone who is really into food would love this.

Adam - Camaje Bistro

My husband and I had a lot of fun with this experience. Johnny was really nice, informative, helpful, and patient. We chose the menu options that we thought would be the most difficult, but to our surprise and delight, the dishes were relatively easy and fun to prepare - we were even given the recipes so that we could impress our friends at our next dinner party. Highly recommend this experience.

Irene Lane - Camaje Bistro

What a fantastic experience. I really enjoyed working with the Chef of Camaje Bistro - Johnny. He was patient, diligent, and carefully explained all the things we were doing and the best way to handle it while doing it at home in my kitchen. I enjoyed the little tips - i.e. washing your hands with a spoon to get the garlic smell out of your fingertips, how to dice an onion, etc.

Vikas Bhambri - Plainview, NY

Highly recommended! Well worth the price. The food was incredible and the restaurant staff was so accommodating. We were all ready to go back and do it again! Just a fabulous way to spend a late afternoon.

Hillari Ramsay - Camaje Bistro

It was a very enjoyable evening. The chef was friendly and helpful, the food was great and the sertting was nice.

Eric Pitt - Camaje

It was a fun evening but not what I expected. The kitchen was very small. Smaller than mine at home actually. I learned some things and the chef was very nice it's just that for $400 I was expecting more. We brought a change of clothes but did not feel it was necessary as it was such a tiny restaurant. I usually judge experiences by if I would recommend them and if I would repeat them and I would do neither. I was not unhappy, just somewhat disappointed. I would not have been disappointed for $200

Cheryl - Camaje Bistro

We had a great time! Everyone was very welcoming and, taught us a few new skills and made us feel at home.

Jennie Rosenzweig - Camaje Restaurant

We did this at the Camaje Bistro in Greenwich Village, New York City. Had a wonderful time. Learned some new skills, how to prepare certain foods and had an enjoyable time with the staff.

Eric Jackson - Leesport, PA

To be honest, I really didn’t know what to expect. A cooking lesson from a NYC chef! What an opportunity and a bit intimidating all in one. So, I went in to the evening with high hopes of a fun and educational experience and that’s exactly what I got. Chef Johnny was a true professional and his personality was perfect for the task at hand. He was extremely patient and very accommodating. He took us through the step by step process of preparing and cooking our entire meal starting with the crème brulee first so it could chill while we were working on the rest of our meal. Next, Johnny taught us the tricks of the trade of how to finely chop shallots for our seared sea scallops appetizer. We then proceeded to preparing the tomato-olive broth for our grilled tuna entrée as well as sliced up and seasoned our vegetables for grilling. Once all of the prep work was done, we moved to the stove where we really got a taste of how difficult a job it is to be a chef. Needless to say, it was hot standing over the stove in front of a 550 degree oven. We learned about why it best to use dry scallops as opposed to “wet” scallops (I guess) and how to grill tuna so you get those grill marks for that perfect presentation. It’s a real eye opener when you’re standing there cooking your meal to watch what’s going on around you. Flames shooting up from the frying pans, the oven door opening and closing and each time that blast of 550 degree heat hitting you in the face pots, pans and dishes flying all around you while people are scurrying about preparing meals for the other restaurant patrons.
Bottom line, the food was excellent, the restaurant staff was very friendly and very accommodating and the experience was one that shouldn’t be missed. If you asked me what else I learned besides some very good kitchen tips, my answer would be that I love to cook but I don’t think I’ll be giving up my day job to be a chef!

Frank Tartaglia - Camaje Bistro

Highly recommended! Well worth the price. The food was incredible and the restaurant staff was so accommodating. We were all ready to go back and do it again! Just a fabulous way to spend a late afternoon.

Hillari Ramsay - Camaje Bistro