The Fig Cooking School - Milford, Connecticut

Taylor Lynn

The Fig Cooking School is a gorgeous space to take a cooking class. The space is bright with plenty of space for a group of roughly 15 people. The owner, is very passionate about offering these classes; however, the class missed the mark. I will preface our review by saying it may have been an off night based on the many other positive reviews.

Unfortunately, the class was flawed in its design and execution. The first hour of the course is spent standing listening - not about the food our technique but about the instructors backstory/introductions of other students. While this is a necessary step of any good class, it should not have taken nearly an hour. By the time the recipes were went through, many of the people were already disengaged.

We have attended several other cooking classes, the design is typically setup in stations where everyone works in small groups to create a portion of the meal and learn a specific skill. Depending on the complexity of the techniques you will have the opportunity to rotate through some of the stations. The Fig is setup differently: all ~20 people work together through every step of the meal. On paper that sounds like a great concept; however, it lead to a class that was not very engaging or hands on. Throughout the entire four hours I completed the following steps of the recipes: chopped one button mushroom, chopped a handful of porcini mushrooms, stirred some cake batter, filled a tart shell, salted a steak, flipped a steak.

The instructor shared a few basic pieces of instruction. For a very beginner cook learning how to whisk or chop a shallot would be interesting. For a more intermediate home cook the emulsification process was explained. I was hoping that the class would be more technique driven as opposed to following a series of basic steps.

The biggest reason for the poor review was the execution of the food. The class was expensive and dragged on way longer than expected (which would have been great if it was engaging). The instructor did not seem familiar with the recipes and was often reading directly from the packet. The assistant instructor was often issuing corrections/reminders. See below the components we put together:

Mushroom Tarts - were delicious, would have been better hot but it is difficult to time something like that.
Mixed Greens Salad - a good simple salad, also delicious.
Pepper Crusted Steak - The steaks were not cooked evenly (which would have been a good technique to teach). The pieces we were served were completely grey with no sign of pink or moisture. Others did have nice medium pieces. On our pieces the seasoning was scorched and extremely bitter leaving an acrid aftertaste.
Chocolate Red Wine Cake - was completely overcooked, the cake was supposed to be dense like a flourless chocolate cake. Instead it was dry, crumbled to the touch and flavorless. The glaze was tasty but the cake was not properly executed.

Unfortunately, when the class ended we went to go find a place to eat. Hopefully, this feedback can be taken as constructive. We never like leaving negative reviews of a local business. These classes are expensive at nearly $300 a couple our expectations were significantly higher.

Alexandra Altrui

When I went to Fig cooking class, I didn’t really know what to expect. Heide taught us how to transform some typical dishes I cook every day - pasta and salad - into amazing, flavorful dishes! I had the best time in the class that I attended as a team building event. She was very personable, fun and energetic and remembered all of us by name. Heide and her staff were incredibly welcoming and helpful during the whole process. This class was a great hands-on experience that I would love to do again.

Yasmeine G

My sister and I went to a class and had so much fun! Heidi and Christina were fantastic instructors and the food was DELICIOUS. We are looking forward to go again along with our other sibling. This class is a great way to spend quality time with a loved one and you learn something new! For me it was learning to cut a shallot the correct way

Joelle Zullo

It was definitely a fun and enjoyable cooking class. Everyone from the class was so kind and welcoming to one another. By the end of the class, we all got to know each other well and created great memories. I highly recommend going even if you’re just thinking about it! Not to mention the food was very good and I learned a lot about cooking!

Patrick Muldoon

We recently attended their Southern Comfort class and it was incredible!! Can't say enough good things about the experience we had. It's super informative and the small group setting allows you to be as hands on as you'd like. We really enjoyed that you got to see the entire process from start to finish, and the food was worth all the time and energy. The fried chicken was insanely good and paired perfectly well with the cucumber salad. The real surprise was the Jack Daniels chocolate pudding, it was delicious and a great way to end the meal. We can't wait to go back to try another one of their classes!

Francesca Bruno

Fun and effective cooking course with a good combo of information and practical application. Heide and Christina kept things moving along and everyone lended a hand, culminating in a delicious, Mediterranean-timed dinner. Do not go on an empty stomach, but definitely leave room!

Christine and Brad Ahern

We just took the Ferragosto: Italian Celebration class last night and can’t say enough great things about our experience. The food was incredible, the class was fun and collaborative, and Heide and Jess were so friendly and fun to learn from - they certainly know what they’re talking about and make it easy to pick up new skills. This was an awesome date night and we only wish we had done it sooner!

Seamus McEvoy

What a great experience. The class was engaging, educational and thoroughly enjoyable. They have a great layout, amazing kitchen (I left with serious pot and pan envy) and the instructor/owner (sorry I forgot her name) was fantastic, and while I couldn’t remember one name she managed to remember all 19 of us and used our names throughout the night. One of her many talents. If you like food. You need to do this. You will walk away with more understanding and knowledge, all while enjoying the company of others. One tiny critique, wish we didn’t have to wear masks, but it was is a small critique.