Authentic Belgian cooking class in a beautiful home in Ghent
Host offerings
Meet Suzy
Suzy is an incredibly warm, wonderful and delightful host with a lovely sense of humor. She is also a creative cook who makes her own sambal with peppers from the garden as well as ketchup, quince jelly and apricot and rhubarb jams. Her home (which is the house she was raised in) is a beautiful and peaceful haven filled with beautiful Flemish art inherited from her family and surrounded by gorgeous rambling gardens. Suzy learned to cook through experimentation and from her mother who was a great cook. Suzy's favorite memories of growing up always involve the dinner table, where she remembers enjoying healthy, delicious food and delightful conversations with family. She is now excited to create new memories over food, hosting travelers and engaging conversation at her table. Suzy is particular about cooking with high quality ingredients - she gets her meat from a local butcher that personally sources from a local farm. A retired high school teacher, Suzy hosts along with her husband, Bob, who is a genetics professor at the university. In her retirement, Suzy presides over social organizations, travels a lot and is currently taking art lessons at the Academy of Fine Art.
What to expect
Please note menu might vary. If there are particular dishes you are interested in trying, please include your request in the booking form.
In-home meal (1 - 4 guests) Begin your culinary adventure with a walk around Suzy's lush garden dotted with fruit trees and several varieties of herbs. Then sit down with Suzy and Bob to a hearty meal, a creative take on Belgian cuisine, that will be served either indoors or at any of Suzy's many outdoor dining locations, depending on the time of day and season. Your meal will start with appetizers like a variety of pestos with homemade bread followed by a seasonal first course like maatjes (salted herring) or white asparagus a la Flamande (only available in May and June and sourced from a farm in Holland) and a fresh salad or soup. This is followed by a main course which includes a fish or meat dish that Suzy procures from a butcher that raises his own cattle accompanied by fresh a seasonal vegetable side and homemade bread. You might try Ghent Waterzooi (creamy chicken stew), vol au vent (chicken and mushrooms in a bechamel sauce), fish or steak for a main. You can expect Suzy's dishes to have a wonderful touch of spices and fresh garden herbs. Your Belgian meal will conclude with homemade ice-cream or Belgian chocolate mousse. In summer you can expect a fresh dessert with fruit from the garden or from a local farm. Your meal is served on elegant silverware and china and is accompanied by fine wine or specialty beers and freshly baked fresh bread. Coffee or tea is served upon request.
Cooking experience (1 - 4 guests) Join Suzy in her modern kitchen for a Ghent cooking class and learn to prepare a 4-course meal including a traditional Belgian appetizer, starter, main course and dessert. You can expect the cooking experience to last two hours before you sit down and share the meal you helped prepare. You will go home with a fully belly, comprehensive recipes of the dishes you prepared and memories that last a lifetime!
Suzy is excited to share her culture through food and offer an authentic/traditional cooking class in Ghent. She can also accommodate vegetarian diet in her Ghent cooking class.
Notes: Fine wine or specialty beer is included in the cost of your experience.
Languages spoken: #<HostLanguage::ActiveRecord_Associations_CollectionProxy:0x00007f9c63a89f60>
Sample menu
This is just a sample menu to give you an idea of the types of dishes the host cooks. Your menu will vary according to seasonal availability.
- First course served with homemade bread
- Salad or soup
- Main of fish or meat
- Seasonal vegetable side
- Dessert
- Two kinds of appetizers
GOOD REVIEWS
{ "ambassador" : [{"author_name" : "Traveling Spoon Ambassador", "rating" : 5, "body" : "Suzy is your quintessential grandmother - warm, loving, kind, cheerful and fun! She and Bob host these big, wonderful dinners for friends and family that you wished you could attend. I could sense her deep passion for food just by the way she spoke about her produce and the care she takes into creating each dish. I loved visiting her home which is simply gorgeous - I especially loved her collection of art and the stunning gardens. It was a most memorable afternoon."}], "trip_advisor" : [{"author_name" : "ltknock", "rating" : 5, "body" : "My husband has Belgium ancestry and I love to cook so it was natural that we booked a cooking lesson with Suzy and Bob. From the moment we walked down their driveway they greeted us with extraordinary warmth. We walked along the property which included distinctive landscaping and a purposeful herb garden. Cocktails and hors d'oeuvres (made by us) were enjoyed on one of the three patios. With a slight chill in the air we turned in to the dining room to slowly nosh away at our chicken flambe entree and fresh roasted vegetables. After beer, wine and coffee, Suzy treated us to a deep chocolate mousse.Our conversations were non-stop until we, sadly, headed back out the driveway for our drive to Bruges.This was a MUST DO experience!"}, {"author_name" : "ManindraS2018", "rating" : 5, "body" : "There's a word for the feeling you get when you meet people and it seems as though you've known them for much longer...I don't know what that word is, but, I do know what that feeling feels like, because that is what we felt all throughout the evening we had with Suzy and Bob at their lovely home in Ghent.Myself and my two companions were traveling around London and Belgium for the previous 5 days, and as we are prone to do, had mostly been ignoring our health and not caring about what we ate or taking time to reflect and relax. You know how people say they need a vacation from a vacation? Yeah, that's the road we were headed down.The one good thing I'll say about how we travel is that we absolutely love meeting new people, and so we had booked this dinner in advance knowing that it would be something to look forward to. It turned out to be one of our most memorable experiences in Belgium, one that I will remember for a long time to come.Bob and Suzy were gracious right from the start, showing us around their home and making us feel comfortable and welcome, answering all of the questions that our curious minds could think of. When traveling to a different country for the first time, it's tough to learn things that only locals would know, Bob and Suzy were immensely helpful on that front.As I mentioned earlier, we hadn't been eating too well on the trip up to that point (waffles and beer seemed to have been 90% of our diet), and the food that Suzy cooked up for us to eat together was not just incredibly tasty, but it felt incredibly good for our souls. We felt like we were renewed through the food. Suzy gave us the recipes to use, and although I know I won't be able to cook it half as well, it's certainly worth a try.Most importantly, any experience like this is about the people you meet, the friends you make, and the time spent in good conversation. Our party was sad when the night had ended, we would have loved to spend several more hours with Bob and Suzy but time doesn't slow or stop for any of us, no matter how much we want it to. I know my companions and I will be back at some point, and we'll go out of our way to see our new friends in Ghent.Thanks for the excellent memories."}, {"author_name" : "Steven Jacob K", "rating" : 5, "body" : "We did this as a couple for lunch on our day trip to Ghent and the host, Suzy, was wonderful. We prepared several courses of the meal, including local seasonal vegetables and of course a chocolate dessert. This is a great way to have some tasty food (and beer or wine) and meet a very lovely local couple (who can give you plenty of insight on the local area as well)."}, {"author_name" : "kimmadbrux", "rating" : 5, "body" : "I had booked this cooking experience for my boyfriend as a birthday gift....neither of us are experienced chefs or very brave in the kitchen but we both are interested in fresh ingredients and local cuisines.I live in Brussels and he is Dutch and we love Ghent both as a day trip and for a weekend escape.Suzy and Bob could not have been more welcoming or friendly. They genuinely enjoy hosting people and are very open and sharing of their time.The cooking was fun. Suzy made it very accessible and not at all intimidating. The food was amazing and plentiful. I highly recommend this to anyone interested in getting to know a local and experience a very authentic home cooked meal.Would definitely book again!"}, {"author_name" : "jph1210", "rating" : 5, "body" : "From the minute we met Suzy & Bob we felt most welcome in their beautiful home. Suzy is an amazing cook and we enjoyed a very tasty delicous meal which was great fun helping to prepare with her. Suzy and Bob are a friendly and interesting couple and make you feel comfortable in their home. This is an experience I would highly recommend."}] }
PERSONALLY VETTED REVIEW
A Traveling Spoon ambassador visited this host. Here is their personal review.
Suzy is your quintessential grandmother - warm, loving, kind, cheerful and fun! She and Bob host these big, wonderful dinners for friends and family that you wished you could attend. I could sense her deep passion for food just by the way she spoke about her produce and the care she takes into creating each dish. I loved visiting her home which is simply gorgeous - I especially loved her collection of art and the stunning gardens. It was a most memorable afternoon.
Traveling Spoon Ambassador, Traveling Spoon Ambassador
