Chiang Mai Home Cooking Class with Garden Tour

"We had a wonderful experience visiting Pea and learning about the history of Thai dishes and then making/enjoying our own meal. Pea is a gracious, welcoming host. We really appreciate her sharing her time and expertise with us. I highly recommend her private cooking experience."

"Pea and her son were gracious and welcoming hosts who answered all of our one thousand questions with ease! We felt honored to be admitted into their stunning, sprawling home and learn so much about fresh Thai cuisine from Pea. Her garden provides fresh herbs and vegetables for the dishes prepared, and we walked out vowing to never buy Thai Curry Paste again! Thank you for a wonderful and educational experience!"

"Authentic Thai home cooking with the most gracious host you could ask for. Pea and her family were so welcoming. We loved walking through her garden, picking fresh herbs to smell as she explained what each was used for (and most importantly of all) where to find them in the United States and what substitutes would be acceptable if we could not find the exact. (Though I am determined to find some holy basil and plant it on my balcony now!) We cooked 5 dishes and each was unique. Pea was very sensitive to helping us choose the right level of spice for our tastes and encouraged us to start small and taste each dish as we made it to adjust the spicy, salty, sweet, and sour flavors of Thai cuisine. I am sensitive to spicy foods but was very happy with the end result. My partner enjoys spicy and so his dish was slightly different. Pea listened to us and helped make sure we cooked food we would enjoy. The food we made was so fresh and delicious, but the real treat was Pea’s company. She is an amazing host and we highly recommend taking her class if you visit Chiang Mai. There is no better way to experience authentic quality Thai home cooking!"

"The host, Pea and her son are very nice and her garden and house are stunning! All veggies and herbs are picked right from her organic garden. She made sure that the recipe included ingredients that I can find in Japan so I can try to book back in my home country. I’d come back to Chiangmai just because I want to see her again and learn to cook other things."

"Pea (and her son) were perfect hosts and made our time with them extra special. Great food and great comonay and cannot recommend this tour highly enough. John."

"Pea was a great host!! She was enthusiastic about making the class a great experience for my group. She was very communicative about substitutions and answering our questions about the instructions."

"Pea was an excellent host and teacher! She wanted to teach us Thai cooking that we could take with us beyond a one-time class. She also managed time well and helped us troubleshoot individual cooking problems that arose."

"We loved our class with Pea! She is an excellent and experienced teacher. We learned the fundamentals of Thai cooking and now feel confident to make these dishes ourselves in the future. The food was delicious and we love sharing this experience with friends (we purchased 2 screens). We would definitely take another class in the future."

"What isn't there to say about this experience with Pea! I believe that we more than got our money's worth by not just learning about how to make a dish but learning the essentials of what makes Thai food authentically Thai! Amazing!"

"Pea was awesome! She made the whole experience so fun and informative. We had a blast cooking with her and our meal turned out delicious!"

"Take this class! We had so much fun cooking and the food was delicious. Pea was so responsive during the process answering questions. We loved learning about the four S’s of cooking and a little bit about Pea’s town. During this time of no travel, it was wonderful to be transported to Thailand for an evening. We can’t wait to go visit! Pea was a lovely, kind, and gracious host in her beautiful home from afar."

"We had a fabulous time with Pea learning how to cook Pad Thai and Papaya salad. Not only was the food delicious, but the experience of learning was so fun. I would definitely recommend this class. Pea is a delight! "

"We had a wonderful Thai cooking lesson with Pea! We really appreciated her flexibility around our limited access to ingredients, her encouragement, and her support. She was a very skilled, generous, and welcoming teacher. She distilled basic cooking principles for us that we have already applied in other dishes. We'd love to learn from her again!"

"Pea's class was fantastic. The pad thai and papaya salad turned out better than I ever could have hoped. She was kind and generous and really fun to work with. The three of us loved the class!"

"Thank you so much, Pea. Your instructions were so clear and helpful. We all had a lot of fun and learned something. So nice to have an international experience like this during lockdown."

"The class was fun and interesting, experimented with new ingredients."

"Pea is a personable and delightful person to engage with. The food was phenomenal. I won’t forget her teachings to always include the 4 flavors in every dish!"

"We visited Pea’s lovely home and garden recently. She was very welcoming and made us feel at home. We really enjoyed the cooking experience - learning about Northern Thai cuisine and ingredients. We cooked each dish and ate it before moving on to the next. Pea explained everything clearly and her recipes are easy to replicate. I would recommend booking a cooking and meal with Pea if you are visiting Chiang Mai!"

"We were a group of 8 that just was with Pea on 26 Dec. The youngest in the group was 7. Pea was very accommodating for everyone in our group. We were picked up by her son and driven to her house to the SE of Old City. Upon arrival we did a short tour of her garden where she grows the produce used for her class. We started with a quick intro to the basics of Thai cooking and then began preparing our 5 dishes. Pea’s instructions were great and she’s very willing to assist or answer any questions along the way. She does basically all of the prep work which allows you to just focus on the actual preparation. At the outset she explains she doesn’t want you to focus on worrying about what ingredients, how much, etc. because she sends you everything electronically after the fact. All in all, it was a great 2.5 hours and very useful class in that we learned how to make manageable, authentic, reproducible Thai dishes. I would highly recommend, we all loved it!"

"Cooking with Pea was an incredible experience which I highly recommend to anyone with an interest in Thai cuisine or cooking regardless of skill level. It was fun, informative, and the highlight of our stay Chiang Mai.After being picked up by Pea, we were treated to a tour of the garden where she grows all of the herbs and vegetables for her meals. We followed with a refreshing traditional snack and discussion on fundamental Thai flavors before launching into cooking ourselves. Pea’s instructions are clear, easy to follow, and she’s happy to answer questions along the way. She explained each step of the process and together we made five dishes from three regions of Thailand for the best meal of our trip! As a side note, we are both vegetarian and Pea was completely accommodating of our diet. She even sent us home with extra plant based substitutes to try."

"My wife and I absolutely loved our cooking class and Pea! She taught us a handful of memorable and useful memories and tailored the evening to our needs (we had another cooking class and didn’t want to overlap). Her home is so gorgeous and we loved every minute of it. It was just the two of us so we got a very hands on and intimate class!"

"We had the most fantastic time learning to cook Thai food with Pea. She made us feel welcome in her home and really took the time to guide us through each dish, letting us take pictures and giving feedback. After we finished cooking, she sat with us for quite some time talking about the culture of Thai's and how food fits into that. It was so great spending time with her, a big highlight of our trip! She is clearly passionate about what she is doing. We would recommend anyone to her class."

"It was even better than we expected. First of all the driver was right on time picking us up at out hotel. Then we arrived at the house of Pea with her nice garden and dogs where we would learn and pick the ingredients for the dishes. During the making of the dishes we would learn authentic Thai homecooking so not the touristy bs. It was all so tasty, we learned a lot had a great time and were full to the brim. Definitely would recommend to anyone who likes cooking"

"July 2017 Review: As a single traveler, this was quite a pricey experience. I added the Cooking Experience and the whole process took a little less than 2 hours, not including the transportation. The webpage listed a 4-hour experience and I am not sure if it is accurate or not. I felt a bit rushed with Pea and despite having a lunch booking, did not visit the market. The Teak home was also unfortunately under construction during the time so I was unable to take a tour-- something that I found out at the very end of the experience when I inquired. Pea was very kind and explained the dishes and ingredients thoroughly. I was able to cook with Jah's girlfriend, who also picked me up. Overall, I learned quite a bit and the hosts were kind. I would recommend a minimum of 2 people to maximize this experience and more bang for your buck. Pea sent me her recipes and let me know that I can contact her at any time. If you want to cook specific dishes, let her know beforehand. If not, she will surprise you with a few of her favorites."

"We had a wonderful time with Pea! She hosted us in her beautiful home in an area outside Chiang Mai's downtown center. It looks really impressive on the inside and outside and she had a nice garden as well. She and her staff were very welcoming and had an amazing setup for the large group lesson. Each person had their own stove and cooking space and it was very nicely organized. The dining room was also gorgeous and there was plenty of space for everyone to eat."

"Our entire experience was amazing! This is definitely one of the highlights of our honeymoon.A few favorite memories: 1. Exploring the local market - We picked out the live fish for one of our dishes and watched coconut milk being freshly made.2. Walking through and picking different type of produce from Pea's garden - Kaffir lime, galangal, basil, lemongrass, long beans, and cucumber. We also enjoyed seeing the other plants, chickens, turkeys, and roosters!3. Cooking all four dishes - Since just the two of us spending the day with Pea, we got to cook everything on our own. This was just incredible! All the dishes were so fresh, so delicious. We enjoy cooking a lot so getting the chance to prep and cook everything is fantastic. The dishes we made were green curry with chicken, a Chinese-Thai fish dish, Nam Prik Ong (resembling a bolognese sauce/dip with dried chili, tomato, and ground pork) eaten with sticky rice, and pad thai.4. Learning about our host and Thai culture - Pea was such a generous host. After sharing our meal she gave us a tour of her house and shared many stories with us. One part we particularly enjoyed was viewing and learning about her family shrine. She explained the significance of the room for Buddha, her family history and the different heirlooms."

"While in Chiang Mai during our honeymoon, we hoped to find something out of the ordinary. Traveling Spoon was just what we had hoped for! We had the most incredible evening with Pea. Her son picked us up from our hotel and took us to her home where we spent about three hours. She began the evening with a tour of her house and then we enjoying conversation over a giant home cooked meal. Pea was so warm and inviting and I would absolutely send friends back to her home for an absolutely delicious meal!"

"Pea's class was just what we've been looking for! It's incredibly difficult to find someone willing to teach homestyle Thai cooking in Thailand - most people teach the same menu of classics that as far as we can tell the majority of Thai people don't even eat that often. In Pea's class you'll learn simple, delicious dishes that use easy-to-find ingredients, dishes that you'll definitely want to recreate at home. In a city oversaturated with cooking classes, Pea's stands out."

"My friends and I are cooking enthusiasts. We believe that one way of getting to know a country is through it's food. Our host in Chiang Mai was Pea. Over 2 days, she shared with us many of the dishes that she cooks for her family - taught us about the many herbs, vegetables and ingredients used in a typical Northern Thai home - a lot of which she grows in her own garden. The experience was unique as we were taught Northern Thai specialties - dishes which would not be taught by the commercial schools. As the sessions were tailored to what we wanted to learn - and with Pea's generous imparting of her knowledge and skills, we took home a lot more than what we expected. We shared our experiences with other local Thais in Chiang Mai, who were impressed that we now know how to cook a typical Isaan/Lanna meal!We had such a great experience with Pea that we are now planning our next trip. Pea promised to teach us many more Isaan/Lanna dishes - we just can't wait to go again!"

"This was one of the best food experience of our entire trip to Thailand. It really made our trip to Chiang Mai special. Pea was so welcoming and open to all of our questions. We did the food tour, cooking class and meal. She explained a lot of things to us when we went to the market (ie, the coconut milk press) and introduced us to some different fruits/veggies that we would never try. The food we made was amazing and she took us through it step by step. We had plenty of time and never felt rushed. The one on one attention was really great. I would recommend this experience to everyone. I have been telling all of my friends and family about it. this experience really went above and beyond our expectations. I would highly recommend this!"

"Pea was a delightful host. She (and her son) went out of their way to make sure my friend and I left full from delicious foods, full with lessons about Thai cuisine, culture and cooking techniques, and our hearts full of her warm advice and thoughts on life. While traveling (especially in Thailand) you'll meet other travelers and hear their stories about cooking classes with 20+ people in a very generic space. Traveling Spoons, and this experience with Pea, are the complete opposite experience. The opportunity to visit a home and learn from someone that has been living and cooking in Thailand her entire life is a unique one, and a highlight of my stay in Thailand."

"We had an amazing experience at Pea's house in Chiang Mai. We were picked up by Pea's son, Jah, who took us from the Old City out to their beautiful house while giving us a great audio tour of Chiang Mai. When we arrived, we were warmly greeted by Pea - she is such a lovely person! She took us on a tour of her gardens and her house before sitting us down for dinner. We were given a variety of authentic dishes that we had never tried before and loved every one of them. There was enough food to feed a small army! In addition to the lovely company and conversation that Pea and Jah provided us, they also took us to the "Walking Streets" Saturday night market in their neighborhood. It was definitely the most authentic, non-touristy experience we've had since getting to Thailand. The entire evening was life changing and we would do it again in a heartbeat!"

"Pea's class was just what we've been looking for! It's incredibly difficult to find someone willing to teach homestyle Thai cooking in Thailand - most people teach the same menu of classics that as far as we can tell the majority of Thai people don't even eat that often. In Pea's class you'll learn simple, delicious dishes that use easy-to-find ingredients, dishes that you'll definitely want to recreate at home. In a city oversaturated with cooking classes, Pea's stands out."

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"We had the most fantastic time learning to cook thai food with Pea. She made us feel welcome in her home and really took the time to guide us through each dish, letting us take pictures and giving feedback. After we finished cooking, she sat with us for quite some time talking about the culture of Thai's and how food fits into that. It was so great spending time with her, a big highlight of our trip! She is clearly passionate about what she is doing. We would recommend anyone to her class."

"Pea and her son Jah were amazing hosts! First, Jah picked us up from our hotel and guided us through a local market. It was an awesome experience. Next, we went to their beautiful teak house. Pea greeted us there. She is a an amazingly fun and interesting woman. She was sassy and sweet. Al 6 of us thoroughly enjoyed the class. After the class, Jah dropped us home and recommended we check out his local food market with band that night. We went and it was an awesome local experience. Thank you for sharing your home with us Pea and Jah!"

"I would definitely repeat this class, "

"Pea was a delightful host. She (and her son) went out of their way to make sure my friend and I left full from delicious foods, full with lessons about Thai cuisine, culture and cooking techniques, and our hearts full of her warm advice and thoughts on life. While traveling (especially in Thailand) you'll meet other travelers and hear their stories about cooking classes with 20+ people in a very generic space. Traveling Spoons, and this experience with Pea, are the complete opposite experience. The opportunity to visit a home and learn from someone that has been living and cooking in Thailand her entire life is a unique one, and a highlight of my stay in Thailand."

"Pea was fantastic! She was incredibly welcoming and shared so much not only about Thai cooking, but culture and her family traditions as well. We had a fantastic time with her. She showed us the farm where she grows her vegetables and herbs, and then used those to make an amazing meal. I even bought a mortar and pestal at home so I could start making them myself!"

"It was a most enjoyable and comfortable experience to cook with Pea in her house. She was happy to share much insights about the food and the local cultures."

"My friends and I are cooking enthusiasts. We believe that one way of getting to know a country is through It's food. Our host in Chiang Mai was Pea. Over 2 days, she shared with us many of the dishes that she cooks for her family - taught us about the many herbs, vegetables and ingredients used in a typical Northern Thai home - a lot of which she grows in her own garden. The experience was unique as we were taught Northern Thai specialties - dishes which would not be taught by the commercial schools. As the sessions were tailored to what we wanted to learn - and with Pea's generous imparting of her knowledge and skills, we took home a lot more than what we expected. We shared our experiences with other local Thais in Chiang Mai, who were impressed that we now know how to cook a typical Isaan/Lanna meal!"

"Pea and her son, Jah, were excellent hosts! Jah was timely with our pick up from our hotel. We enjoyed our market tour and conversation with Jah on the way to their house. We learned about not only Pea's love for cooking and sharing Thai food but, Jah's passion for the same. When we arrived at their house Pea greeted us like family and gave us a tour of the garden. It was inspiring to learn about all the produce they grow for themselves. Pea continued to be very informative as we started cooking, explaining the flavoring of the foods and which goes in the mortar first to create smooth curry. We learned how to fix four dishes and the process was fun and easy. Pea had completed all the preparation for the dishes. After cooking we all sat together and "dug in" to our creations. The dishes were delicious and conversation with Pea effortless. We left with our bellies full and lifelong friends in Thailand!!! Thank you, Traveling Spoon, for making the connection for us!!! It was an experience that will not soon be forgotten."

"We had a wonderful evening. Pea's son picked us up from our hotel and took us to Pea's home where we spent about three hours. She began the evening with a home tour and then we enjoying conversation over a giant home cooked meal. Pea was so warm and inviting and I would absolutely send friends back to her home for a delicious meal!"

"We had an amazing experience at Pea's house in Chiang Mai. We were picked up by Pea's son, Jah, who took us from the Old City out to their beautiful house while giving us a great audio tour of Chiang Mai. When we arrived, we were warmly greeted by Pea - she is such a lovely person! She took us on a tour of her gardens and her house before sitting us down for dinner. We were given a variety of authentic dishes that we had never tried before and loved every one of them. There was enough food to feed a small army! In addition to the lovely company and conversation that Pea and Jah provided us, they also took us to the "Walking Streets" Saturday night market in their neighborhood. It was definitely the most authentic, non-touristy experience we've had since getting to Thailand. The entire evening was life changing and we would do it again in a heartbeat!"

"We really enjoyed our time with Pea, especially the trip to the market before the cooking class. We discovered lots of local fruits and veggies and Pea gave us interesting insights into the Thai food culture. Afterwards we went back to Pea's lovely home where our host showed us around her garden to pick some more ingredients for the curry we were about to prepare. The food was delicious and we are looking forward to cooking it again once we are back home."

"Pea was a fantastic host and her house was impeccably suited for this experience. She was a great teacher and entertainer. We learned how to cook several meals which we could replicate at home. Pea even provided each of us with our burner to cook the meals ourself and she monitored the progress with coaching. Each meal was punctuated with a break in which we ate our latest tasty creation. This may have been the highlight of our trip to Thailand!"

"The two of us had an incredible time with Pea. She took us to the market, showed us through her incredible garden but the highlight was working with her in the kitchen. While in the market we told her we also loved seafood and mango sticky rice, so she picked up ingredients for us to make fish and rice! Pea walked us through all of the dishes and we each got to try our hands at cooking the entire time. We had so much fun and can't wait to try these recipes at home. Thank you Pea!"

"We had a wonderful time with Pea and the group of MBA students from UC Berkeley's Haas school of business! Pea hosted us in her beautiful home in an area outside Chiang Mai's downtown center. It looks really impressive on the inside and outside and she had a nice garden as well. She and her staff were very welcoming and had an amazing setup for the large group lesson. Each person had their own stove and cooking space and it was very nicely organized. The dining room was also gorgeous and there was plenty of space for everyone to eat. There was a little bit of confusion on the day of because Pea hadn't received our emails confirming that we would be joining the dinner. But once we reached her by phone, Pea did an amazing job coordinating a last minute car pick up for us from our hotel and was very accommodating at her house. As the photography ambassadors for the group experience, we and Pea were a little confused about whether Greg and I were going to actually participate in the lesson or just take pictures. She had actually prepared two spaces for us to participate, but we didn't want to intrude on the group experience, so we decided to just take pictures and Pea and her staff kindly prepared some dishes for us to eat at the end. It all worked out great in the end and the students were fun to meet as well. They seemed to enjoy having photos taken of them since they were a large group :)"

"This was one of the best food experience of our entire trip to Thailand. It really made our trip to Chiang Mai special. Pea was so welcoming and open to all of our questions.She explained a lot of things to us when we went to the market (ie, the coconut milk press) and introduced us to some different fruits/veggies that we would never try. The food we made was amazing and she took us through it step by step. We had plenty of time and never felt rushed. The one on one attention was really great. I would recommend this experience to everyone. I have been telling all of my friends and family about it. this experience really went above and beyond our expectations."

"Our entire experience was amazing! This is definitely one of the highlights of our honeymoon. A few favorite memories: 1. Exploring the local market - We picked out the live fish for one of our dishes and watched coconut milk being freshly made. 2. Walking through and picking different type of produce from Pea's garden - Kaffir lime, galangal, basil, lemongrass, long beans, and cucumber. We also enjoyed seeing the other plants, chickens, turkeys, and roosters! 3. Cooking all four dishes - Since just the two of us spending the day with Pea, we got to cook everything on our own. This was just incredible! All the dishes were so fresh, so delicious. We enjoy cooking a lot so getting the chance to prep and cook everything is fantastic. The dishes we made were green curry with chicken, a Chinese-Thai fish dish, Nam Prik Ong (resembling a bolognese sauce/dip with dried chili, tomato, and ground pork) eaten with sticky rice, and pad thai. 4. Learning about our host and Thai culture - Pea was such a generous host. After sharing our meal she gave us a tour of her house and shared many stories with us. One part we particularly enjoyed was viewing and learning about her family shrine. She explained the significance of the room for Buddha, her family history and the different heirlooms."