“Hi Sylvia, thanks so much for a lovely day on Saturday. It was great to meet you and Steve, and to be able to learn so much from you both. Thanks for working with me to organise the surprise visit to Launceston with your cooking class experience for my wife’s 50th birthday celebration.
I was impressed by your friendly, helpful and personable nature from the moment we first spoke on the phone to the numerous texts we exchanged in preparation of the day. You made everything so easy and gave me confidence that the day was going to be something private, personal and special.
You were so accommodating, helpful and generous in customising a personal experience for us including a tour of Tamar Valley Truffle farm, then back to the kitchen for truffle tastings, cooking with truffles, handmade pasta cooking class for us both and a beautiful lunch. Let us know if you’re going to be in Sydney some time. We would love to cook you a meal and show you the sights.”
“Since attending your Knife Skills Class we use the food processor less and less. It’s actually enjoyable preparing food now with a sharp knife, and the chopping process is a pleasure. You have inspired us to get in the kitchen again. Thanks so much.”
Your garden has also been an inspiration to us and we’ve now created raised vegetable beds based on a similar design and irrigation system to what we saw in your garden. We have learnt so much from you and Steve. Thanks heaps!”
“Good Morning Sylvia,It was such a pleasure to have the opportunity to have cooked alongside you. The food was amazing and I have been telling everyone about the food and cooking experience. Here are some photos of the yummy foods that we cooked with your guidance. Once again thank you and good luck with your future endeavors.”
“What an amazing experience! After 20 years of telling myself I couldn’t cook I took the plunge and embarked on cooking coaching with Sylvia. She has instilled in me a confidence I never imagined. For the first time, I felt in control rather than a fish out of water. I have no fear. The value obtained far exceeded my expectations and I am looking forward to doing more classes. Preparing family meals in our house is no longer a chore, but a wonderful part of life. Thank you so much. I feel liberated!”
“Valuable skills and inspiration abound.
I have attended a number of Sylvia’s cooking classes since 2010, on my own, with a group of my friends and later with my husband. We are adventurous cooks and love good food. But we wanted to learn more. And we did. Sylvia shares her knowledge in such a nice manner. She teaches quality skills and techniques that I use to this day. I thoroughly enjoy her classes and the delicious food we produce.
We got so much out of the pasta making class and have made pasta for friends and family many times since. Our little 10 year old grandson loves it so much he now has his own pasta machine and makes the pasta for his family. So, you’ve helped to start a new tradition in our family! Thank you for your wonderful tuition Sylvia!”
“I just wanted to thank you again for a wonderful day last Saturday. Not only did I learn so much from you today, I also came away feeling like I’d been given a very special gift. Thank you for making me feel so welcome in your lovely home and for sharing something that obviously means so much to you. I can’t wait to get myself a pasta machine so I can put it all into practice ASAP and share what I’ve learned with my family. It was great to meet you and I look forward to seeing you again soon.”
“Hola Sylvia! We enjoyed your company a lot and your country and all that we did together including cooking wonderful food together.
Thanks for all the care that you gave us. Thanks for everything!
All my admiration goes to you, the best passionate cook (who cooks from the heart), I ever met. Many kisses.”
“Many thanks for a great cooking class. They all loved it and struggled to eat lunch afterwards! Look forward to working with you again in the future.”
“Many thanks Sylvia, lovely pics which are a great illustration of our commitment to task…..I have also done the (fish) parcels which were very well received and am doing the herb fish next week. Thanks again.”
“Once again thank you for a wonderful day! You have not only inspired me to cook but to garden. I have planted out about 7 different herb pots on Sunday as well as two more apple trees and an olive for our orchard! I also cooked the family the Spatchcock Chicken on Sunday night which was wonderful with some new baby potatoes – so we were thoroughly spoilt! Thanks Sylvia!”
“I think your food philosophy and the way you make it look so easy to prepare and cook wholesome food (that is good for you) is just wonderful. I know you have inspired me through the two cooking classes I have attended. Your cooking classes gave me the confidence to try cooking many things I once would not have dreamed of attempting, and most importantly to follow my instincts. Just because I didn’t have an ingredient, it didn’t mean I couldn’t cook the dish…
I am really looking forward to your cookbook, I can’t wait to have it on my bookshelf. I wish you every success over the coming year.”
“Dear Sylvia, Greetings from HK! Thanks very much for the photos! It did spring up lots of lovely memories in Tasmania (esp when HK is now in a very tense and stressful atmosphere everyday). We loved the cooking class, truffle farm experience and the relaxing walk to the (Cataract) Gorge. It was a wonderful day and thanks for the hospitality 🙂 Tasmania itself is full of goodies, especially good food. I have taken some time reading recipes on your website lately. They are all well-written, easy to understand and I would love to try them all one by one! I personally really admire your passion in food and the professional skills and talent you demonstrate! Let’s keep in touch and take care! Warm regards, Yolanda and Lance”
“Hi Sylvia and Steve. Thanks for the pics, they’ll be great reminders of a special day out 😊 We both really enjoyed the comfortable learning environment you’ve created, plus the lovely company and of course the DELICIOUS food. Thank you both for opening your home to us and teaching us something new, you’ll definitely be seeing us again! All the best, Dee and Scott”
“Hi Sylvia. Thank you for a wonderful day. I thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of the class and really appreciate all the lovely touches … the wine, the beautifully set table, the stroll in the garden. You are fantastic hosts. I look forward to seeing you again. 🙂 Have a lovely day. Cheers, Amanda xx”
“Great learning environment, being taught by Sylvia who has a great wealth of knowledge and experience. I enjoyed an excellent cooking class and received very in depth written documents. Thank you sooo much for your mentoring, greatly appreciated. I will be back.” (Handmade Pasta Liguria and Emilia-Romagna)
“Thank you Sylvia. Such a a lovely way to spend a Saturday and to learn a new skill. Looking forward to next time.” (Pastry Sweet & Savoury)
“I had the best day ever! Felt very relaxed. Learnt new skills, cooked with fresh seasonal vegetables and herbs from their kitchen garden. Made new friends, even had my knives sharpened. I got so much more from the experience than I expected.”
Thank you for the photos. It was so much fun! I had a lovely time. The following Tuesday I bought the Marcato Atlas brand pasta machine (as you recommended) before the sale ended. Yesterday I made my first batch of pasta which was a success – not as perfect as when supervised by you but practice makes perfect. Dale x”
“Hi Sylvia,
Thank you again for the class and delicious lunch on Saturday. I will feel far more confident and adventurous with my pastry making in future.
Kind regards, Sarah”
“Morning Sylvia and Steve, thanks so much for a marvellous course. I learnt so much and be assured that I will put all the new knowledge into practice … See you on your next course …” (Thai Fragrant Barbeque and Essential Knife Skills)
“I did it!!! Made my first pasta! Thanks!!” (Handmade Pasta Liguria). “Love your classes! T”
“Hi S & S, I was on the phone to my sister Lois in Adelaide reading out our class recipes; blew her mind! Am off to get ingredients for the dishes we did in class. Thanks again for a wonderful day! T” (Sauces for Courses 1 – French)
“It is always a terrific class and learning experience with Sylvia.
Since my first class, Italian Flatbreads in 2009, which I really enjoyed, you have helped me achieve my cooking goals one at a time. I learn so much from you and want to keep learning everything!
I had a terrific class with you and my friends today. Thanks very much for all the preparation and the wonderful way you shared your recipes and skills with us in your lovely kitchen and garden. This is just what I wanted and as I expected, given all the previous classes I have attended. You always provide us with excellent ideas, skills and techniques. Your Christmas classes are particularly useful and very inspirational. Well, thanks again for a great day and all the best for the coming year. Cheers for now, Megan”
“Thanks Sylvia and Steve! It was an absolutely fantastic night, enjoyed by all!
I was saying to Megan, one word to describe the evening was “surreal”!
I had great expectations, but my expectations were surpassed! It was amazing. Thank you both ever so much. What a memory!”
“While our husbands learnt fly fishing. We learnt Spanish Tapas cooking at Sylvia’s Kitchen. Thank you for a wonderful day. We learnt so much. The notes are wonderful and we will certainly be trying out the recipes on our friends, neighbours and families once home. Many thanks for the lesson, it was a great experience! We will be back. Best wishes.”
“Thank you so much for the class! We both enjoyed it so much and haven’t stopped talking about cooking delicious food together since.
The photos are great, cheers for sending them on.
Take care and let me know when your book is out!”
“You have had no small influence on my life in the past 5 years! Just wanted to update you on my career plans, as you once told me that you just knew they would somehow involve food.
You may not have known it, but that and the day of handmade pasta has been very influential to me…
I just wanted to thank you for the inspiration you gave me in just one exquisite afternoon. Can’t wait to eat that pasta again!
When you told me you knew I’d be in the food world in some capacity, it stuck. It helped to give me the confidence I needed to formulate my vision. I just want to convey how much I appreciate our short afternoon together and how amazed I am that you are still including me in your community and network of cooking students. And when you sent me the recipes after I left them in your husband’s car (not to mention the ride he gave me to the bus station) I felt how much you cared about your life’s passion. The whole experience has played a major role in me gaining clarity on this ever evolving vision of mine (in food) which is slowly becoming a reality.”
“Thank you Sylvia for the Moroccan experience, culinary and culture. Sylvia’s Kitchen flyer is so accurately expressed, but one has to be present to appreciate ,understand and enjoy the passion of your hands on cooking class.”
“Inspired me to experiment with new tastes and flavours. Everything was well thought out and organised. Provided details on sourcing ingredients from local suppliers.”
“I have thoroughly enjoyed my sessions with Sylvia. Her professionalism, attention to detail and extreme knowledge of food, has placed me in a good position to increase my creativity in the kitchen and think outside the square when organizing family meals. Once a mundane task, she has reassured me and encouraged me to not be bored by the task of cooking but to embrace the challenge and enjoy everything about it.”