Fans
Thank you for a GREAT experience doing the Chili Cookoff! My daughter got inspired afterwards to make brownie cupcakes (from brownie mix and doctoring it) and then the next day graduated, on her own, to opening up Joy of Cooking for scratch cupcake recipe and another cookbook for a butter cream icing recipe. She then did the work on her own other than asking what THE Baking Powder container would look like… she proudly wore her Chili Cook Off apron while cooking away. She came up with her own strawberry filling as well. You kicked off independence and creativity!! Also, experimentation! The butter cream icing also resulted in learning to re-read directions to get the order of things right… butter went in too early… Gabriell
One of the most rewarding parts of running La Toque de Cindy is the words of flattery I receive from customers. I thought I’d give you a peek into what they had to say.
“Riley and Chloe both loved the camp and we were thrilled with the leftovers! The girls are excited to teach us how to make some of the recipes from the camp. They can’t wait to try out the recipes again!” Donna
“There’s no way Jonathan is going to miss your class, as he’s been waiting for it the whole summer. Going through the recipes, I was very impressed with how awesome they are, and I’m sure Jonathan is up for a treat. ” Dror
“Andrew loved the class and the sliders. I’m looking forward to testing at home all of the great recipes he’s making with you. He doesn’t love brussel sprouts, but his older siblings and the rest of our family are big fans. Hopefully he’ll be willing to try the brussel sprouts that you make with him. We’re trying to expand his repertoire!” Lisa
“Thanks for camp! I’m grateful that Carson is expanding his palate…and having fun.” Tricia
“Theo really enjoyed the camp – he overcame his fear of Bunsen burners (!) and was really proud of the food he made. Thank you for a great experience!” Holly
“ Hannah had a great time at your camp. She will be interested in this next year as well. She shared some of her chocolates with my friends which made her feel so proud!” Pattie
“My son took the Best of NY Times camp last week and loved it! He said he learned a lot and everything tasted really good. One day he asked to stop at the store on the way home so he could buy the ingredients for strawberry fool and he made it for us (told me I had to get the NYT cooking app!). It was delicious and he narrated each step for me to learn. Some days he brought home leftovers and plated them beautifully for us. We’re now on vacation and went to a great restaurant that he appreciated very much with the exception of a cabbage slaw that he felt had a little too much cumin (food critic!).” Sarah
My son absolutely loved the camp! He brought home delicious goodies every day — which he was very proud of — and was inspired to keep cooking after he got home. He made home made pasta for us last night and chocolate cupcakes today. The teachers were caring and well-organized and obviously professionals. – Suzan
Happy Students Cooking at Home
2015 camper
Press
Palo Alto Weekly – March, 2017 Residents offer culinary classes to children
Roberts’ La Toque de Cindy California Culinary Experiences are geared to instill a love for cooking and eating. In her white chef’s jacket and toque — a professional’s tall hat with vertical folds for every dish she has mastered — Roberts holds contests and trivia quizzes, cooking games and raffle tickets to spice up her cooking sessions. She has offered themed classes such as the “Best of NY Times,” “Easy Peasy Meals for Younger Kids” and “Pizza and Pasta Pros.” She has guest instructors, Christmas cookie baking and a class for older teens, “Chocolate Challengers.” Read Whole Article Here
Palo Alto Weekly – March, 2015
In keeping with that trend of greater variety, Chang has observed how a new type of specialty or “homegrown” camp has emerged. She described these as often being led by individuals who run a small, less-publicized operation and do it for the love of a particular activity or subject. She has seen more of these businesses crop up on ActivityHero, where camps can be posted for free. Donnelly said her kids have participated in camps like this before, including a chocolate cooking camp called La Toque de Cindy operating out of a Palo Alto home (which Chang’s daughter also attended) Read the full article.
Food Network, Guy’s Grocery Games – January, 2015
Cindy and her two children were invited to compete on Guy’s Grocery Games, Family Style. See some of the shots from the tv appearance: the family profile, photo #3, and GGG’s “top moments“, photo #13. For complete video, contact La Toque directly.
Palo Alto Weekly – June 6, 2008
PAWeekly showcased Cindy’s business, calling it “Easy as a Picnic in the Park”. They visited her home to write about her culinary adventures and how she uses seasonal ingredients to spice up her cooking classes.
La Toque De Cindy Culinary Experiences 