What makes a Freda’s Kitchen experience so unique?

There is something magical that happens every time we bring a group of people together in the kitchen. It starts as a bit of nervousness, but within minutes, that melts away, and people cheer each other on, laugh at mistakes, and just act like kids again.

No two events are the same. Whether it’s an intimate culinary experience or Iron-Chef style competition, the connections we make through our shared experiences are always different and memorable.

We don’t just teach a recipe or technique; we create a joyful human experience through a love of authentic food.

At Freda’s Kitchen you won’t just be making a meal…you’ll be making memories. 

We are rated 5 star consistently on Yelp and Facebook.   Please read our testimonials and see what our clients say about us!  We love hosting unique team building experiences for corporations and created unforgettable memories for AMD, Dell, WholeFoods, Google, Apple, Edward Jones and many, many other wonderful organizations in Austin.  

Gather your friends and colleagues and create your own custom experience!

“Our team cannot stop talking about last night’s event!!!!! I’ve done many teambuilding events over the years and honestly, this one has been THE one to beat!!!!!” – AMD in Austin, TX

I highly recommend Freda’s Kitchen. They scrambled at our very last minute request and did a fantastic coordinating a fabulous team building “Iron Chef” style competition. The whole team had an absolute blast, the chefs and staff were wonderful to work with and the instruction was perfect. i would recommend them to anyone looking for a fun and well planned cooking class or team building event. We can’t wait to go again! — Kaitlyn from Dell in CA

 Thank you for such a wonderful evening! It was both highly informative and delicious! Can’t wait to introduce my friends and family to Freda’s kitchen! — Stephanie from Dripping Springs, TX

 I had a wonderful time tonight learning about Indian cuisine and helping prepare a delicious meal. The whole event was incredible. I will be dreaming about those peas! — Sarah from Austin, TX

 Super fun night and AMAZING food! Thank you so much for sharing your cooking with us Sunita! — Michelle from Austin, TX

 What an experience!  I participated in a team event with a large group where there was a mix of expertise in cooking.  We had the ‘iron chef’ style event and it was easily the best time I had at a team building exercise.  

We split up into four teams and every single dish came out great.  We had Chef Uyen and four assistants that coached us thru the entire exercise.  We had a spanish theme with paella being the main course.  We had premium fresh ingredients with full access to a commercial kitchen.  Everyone had a blast and the for those like me that have never seriously cooked a dish that required more than 1 ingredient came away armed with brand new skills along with a true appreciation of the teammates we get to work with.  

Thank you again Michell for making sure we had everything!!” — Lyndon at HomeAway, Austin, TX

See more reviews on Yelp!

So, who’s Freda?  She’s that beloved person we have beautiful memories of. She patiently taught us how to crack an egg, laughed when we were covered in flour while making cookies, and created dishes that we can still taste and smell from our childhood.

She reminds us of that special connection that only comes when we cook together. Lasting memories are created; the smells, textures, and most importantly the conversations. Freda’s Kitchen brings those experiences to life through hands-on cooking experiences for friends, family, or teammates. Our international chefs bring authentic flavors from their family recipes, bringing people together to create magic around the kitchen counter.

Chef Mario Batali said it best, “I can look at my grandma’s hand-written biscotti recipe on a little 4-by-6 card and can very clearly hear her voice, smell her kitchen, taste her antipasto, and remember things a photograph in an album will not bring me to.”

Spend some time with us, cooking, laughing, learning, and eating, just like family.

Click here to meet our chefs!

Maggie Zhu was born in Beijing and moved to Austin, Texas in 2016. A former banker, she is the chef, author, and photographer behind Omnivore’s Cookbook, a food blog that shares recipes for authentic Chinese dishes.

Maggie learned how to cook traditional Chinese food from both her mom and grandmother. She then started to learn cooking Japanese and other cuisines in 2007 while living in Japan and became a self-taught home cook. She has been sharing her knowledge of Chinese cooking through her blog since 2013.

She teaches her students how easy it is to use local wholesome ingredients to prepare fresh and great tasting meals, by employing techniques such as stir-frying, grilling, and dumpling making.

Book a private event with Maggie Zhu.

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Freda’s Kitchen’s Indian expert, Yuga Iyer, loves to make this light, delicious, dish for her children on weekends. Give your kids a fun taste of India with her recipe.

Dosa Batter- Makes 20 dosas

 Ingredients

• Parboiled rice – 1 cup
• Split black gram lentil (urad Dal) – 1/2 cup
• Fenugreek seeds – 1/2 tsp
• Rice flakes – 2 tablespoons.
• Salt – to taste

 Method

1.  Soak rice and urad dal in separate vessels for 6 -8 hours
2. Wash rice 2-3 times till water runs clear. Soak rice in 3 cups of water along with the Rice Flakes.
3. In a separate vessel take the Urad dal. Wash it only once and soak it in 11/2 cups of water . Add the fenugreek seeds to it.
4. Grind rice and urad dal separately
5. Drain the rice and rice flakes , do not throw the water, add the rice into blender and blend to a smooth paste adding water little by little (the water in which you have soaked the rice). Remove the ground rice paste/water in a large vessel.
6. Drain the urad dal and fenugreek seeds. do not throw the water. add the soaked dal to the blender and blend to a smooth paste adding water little by little. Remove the ground dal paste and pour it in the rice paste.
7. Add water little by little and mix the two pastes together. Add salt to taste.
8. Leave the batter in a warm place like an oven with the light on to ferment over night /8 hours.
9. You will see the batter rise. It does not need to ferment a lot but just enough to make the dosas light and soft.
10. The dosa batter is now ready

Potato filling- good for 8 dosas

 Ingredients:

• Potatoes – 4
• Oil – 2tbsp
• Curry leaves -4
• Mustard seeds – 1/4 tsp
• cumin -1/4 tsp
• yellow gram dal -1/2 tablespoon
• Black split dal -1/2 tablespoon
• Garlic-2 cloves
• Ginger – 1 inch
• Onion – 1/2
• Curry powder – 1 tsp
• Turmeric -1/4 tsp
• Serrano pepper – 1 (depends on how spicy it is )
• Salt to taste
• Sugar – 1/4 tsp
• Cilantro- finely chopped leaves -2 tblspn
• lime – 1/2

Procedure

1. Boil potatoes with skin on. They should be well cooked. Let them cool down. Peel and chop potatoes in medium size squares
2. Thinly slice onions. finely chop garlic, ginger and Serrano pepper.
3. heat oil in a wok, add mustard seeds, curry leaves, cumin, Serrano peppers. They should splutter, sauté them slightly, add the yellow gram dal and the black split dal. They should be nice and toasted in oil, careful not to burn them. They should be orange in color
4. Add ginger garlic, keep sautéing
5. Add onion, pinch of salt and sauté till its soft and transparent
6. Add turmeric, chopped potatoes, mix and sauté
7. Add curry powder and mix well. Add salt and sugar.
8. Lower the flame and Put the lid and let it steam and cook further for 5-7 mins.
9. Once all spices are cooked garnish with cilantro and squeeze half a lime.

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We are beyond excited to welcome Fer Candil the the Freda’s Kitchen family!  The first time I met her, I was struck with her warmth and passion for cooking and knew she was going to be a great addition to our team.  She is going to be sharing her Spanish heritage in upcoming classes in 2017!

Here’s a little bit more about the woman in the red scarf.  

Fer is the Chef at Paellas, Tapas & More. Born and raised in Madrid, Spain, she also lived in Cadiz (South Spain), and in Santiago de Compostela (North Spain).

Fer began learning to cook customary Spanish food at an early age from her mother. She continues to use the same recipes that her family has transmitted orally from mother to daughter for generations. These recipes are being transferred to the new generation, especially now that her son has joined the family business.

Fer continue developing her cooking talents attending various culinary programs and through private lessons with professional Chefs in Spain. She started teaching cooking classes for kids and adults 12 years ago.

Fer always loved food, and was always the host and cook for her family, which with 2 sons, 3 daughters, 8 siblings and more than 30 nieces and nephews, family reunions head count was generally in the dozens. Being a close knit family, even by Spanish standards, these reunions took place almost weekly.

She has traveled through Spain and the rest of Europe with an open mind learning the many European food traditions. From delicate caviar in the selective New Year concert in Vienna to wild salmon out of the Scandinavian rivers. However, Fer’s biggest pleasure is not really eating but seeing her guests filling their plates again and again with a big smile in their faces.

Even though she has a law degree, she never practiced. Her passion has always been connecting with people, and for more than 15 years she worked in a major Spanish public company organizing high-end domestic and international events. She actually met her husband organizing a NATO conference.

Strengthen your work team by cooking together in one of our team building cooking classes.  Culinary team building events incorporate strategy, teamwork, problem solving, learning, and imagination.

Your group will be led by one of our talented home cooks or chefs in a cultural exchange, developing new business skills, while taking a deep dive into a different culture through food.  After the hands-on experience, everyone will dine together, sharing the satisfaction of creating a new cuisine and discovering secrets to an unexplored culture.

Freda’s Kitchen has two memorable team building events for your team!

Small group culinary events for groups of 8 to 15

Iron Chef-Style Team Competitions for groups of 10+

Each event is unique to your company’s team goals and budget.  We can create simple events in a home kitchen or use one of our partner kitchens in the Austin area. 

Each event offers:

• Experienced ethnic chefs whose passion is connection through food.
• Fully-customized menus, incorporating food restrictions.
• A memorable experience that your team will talk about for a long time!

Here’s a sneak peak of the fun one group from France had after their unique cooking experience!

 Want to learn more?  Send us a message, and we’ll help you plan the perfect event!

Chef Daniele made this delicious Spanish tapas dish with the kids at our summer camp, and they LOVED them! Get your kids in the kitchen and whip up some to eat while you watch football.

INGREDIENTS

• 1lb Ground beef
• 1lb Ground pork
• 1 cup Rice
• 4 eggs
• 1 garlic clove
• paprika
• 2 shallots
• 1 orange
• Tabasco
• Salt 
• 16 oz tomato sauce
• 1 white onion
• 16 oz veggie broth
• Frying oil and bread crumbs as much as needed
• Baking soda

PREPARATION

1. In a bowl, mix the meat,1/2 orange zest, cooked rice, minced garlic, 2 yolks, a little paprika and few drops of tabasco.
2. Add finely chopped shallots, 2 boiled eggs, salt and mix well.
3. Slowly mix in the breadcrumbs until you get a consistency that will allow you to form a ball. 
4. Make the tomato sauce: sautee 1 chopped onion, add a few drops of tabasco and cook until translucent.
5. Add tomato sauce, a pinch of baking soda, broth and cook for about 15 minutes. Adjust with salt.
6. Form meatballs and fry them until golden brown. Serve meatballs with the tomato sauce.

Want to cook with Chef Daniele?  See when his next class is, or request him for a private party in your home or office!

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We’d love to create a customized event for your team!  We have two kinds of events, the Culinary Experience and the Iron Chef-style competition.  Here’s a description of each:

 Custom Hands-On Culinary Experience

We have several wonderful chefs from Thailand, Korea, Vietnam, Italy, and Spain who could create a fully customized four-course culinary experience for you.  All of our chefs are immigrant or first generation, so our recipes are authentic, from our own families.

The cost is $115 per person, plus tax and 18% gratuity.  This includes a chef, assistance, and all food costs.  Your group will cook together, family style, for a couple hours, and then enjoy your four-course meal.  Minimum charge of 10 people.  

 Iron Chef Style Competition

This event is a blast!  Our Executive Chef Uyen Pham, a former judge on Food Network All-Stars and instructor at the Culinary Institute of America will create an incredible competition.  We break up the group into teams, provide instructions, ingredients, a chef coach, and 60 minutes to create an entrée and two sides. 

Chef provides the dessert, plus the judging on presentation, taste and teamwork.  The cost for this event is $165 per person, plus tax and gratuity. Minimum charge of 10 people.   

– All events are BYOB.  If you need a kitchen, we can arrange one for an additional cost.  Call us today to schedule!  512-900-6643