LOVE FOR COOKING - DON’T PASS THIS UP IF YOU LOVE TO COOK AND TASTE LOCAL CUISINE- I had a great day on this tour - I was full of delicious food, I walked away with loads of new information and a beautiful new experience. The markets Aoywaan took me to are amazing, so much pride goes into the presentation. We also went to her friend’s orchid farm then to her restaurant to cook and eat again - Aoywaan and her family staff shared their rich life - I felt right at home with them.

A wonderful experience of delicious food and culture! - Highly recommended! Aoy's warm energy, passion for food and chef's expertise make her a perfect guide to the flavorful world of Thai cooking. She's full of love for her work and obviously enjoys sharing it with her guests. In the market tour we witnessed an amazing bounty of fresh ingredients and saw the importance of having producers who can supply them. The boat ride was a soothing and refreshing ride along a verdant river. In the kitchen, learning about the ingredients that make up the dishes’ complex flavors and aromas — then preparing them by cutting, crushing, boiling and frying — was a lot of fun and really deepened my appreciation for Thai food. Garnishing the dishes we’d prepared with edible flowers, then finally eating them among the lush greenery of the restaurant’s riverside deck felt like living in paradise.

Most memorable experience from Thailand - Wow. If this had been the only thing we had done while in Thailand, the trip would have been well worth it. Aoy had some amazing things to share with us, and Nani was extremely helpful. Aoy is very passionate about what she does, and she obviously cares about those with whom she interacts. Truly one of the great culinary experiences of my life!

The ultimate cooking experience!! - Aoywaan is an amazing chef full of fun stories and endless cooking knowledge. We cooked 5 dishes in her air conditioned kitchen then ate along the waterfront. I also found out and confirmed she is a winner of Iron Chef Thailand! Factor in the several markets we toured and the food we ate there, the local coffees, and the boat ride along the river... and this turned into my favorite excursion on a month long trip. 10/10 will definitely do this again next time i am in bangkok... Thank you so much, Aoywaan!

Off the Beaten Path… - We highly recommend this activity, particularly if you are looking for a private, personalized full-day experience with a real Thai Chef, not just a random cooking class in Bangkok. (And if you don’t mind travelling to a nearby suburban town called Bang Kratheuk, immediately west of Bangkok, rather than staying in Bangkok proper. It’s still fairly convenient, since Aoy arranges for transportation from the Bang Wa station of the Bangkok BTS system.) Initially, when I was searching for a cooking class for our Bangkok leg of our Thailand trip, I noticed many less expensive options for group classes, some with added-on market tours. We tend to prefer instead spending one-on-one time with locals on our vacations, having down-to-earth conversations about the people, culture, politics, life, and food. And we love to cook! This activity fit the bill. Our day with Aoywaan was fun-filled and action-packed! (Ie including our 50 min BTS commute each way to the most-west Bangkok Bang-wa metro station from/to our downtown hotel, full 7 am-3 pm) Aoy made pickup from Bang-wa easy and punctual, and even sent confirmed directions and BTS public transit instructions and map on the whatsup app the day before. We started our day with visits to 3 markets: -quick morning visit to Pak Klong Talat Mai Flower market (with gorgeous flowers+++ still with the morning dew on them, as the market was getting ready for the day) -longer visit to World Market (west side of Bangkok) to see Thai vegetables, fruit, live seafood and fresh meat). -Don Wai “Floating” market (just west of Bangkok in Bang Krathuek)— food market by the river local to Aoywaan’s house (Not a True “floating market”, which in Bangkok are for tourists only anyways.) Refreshing to see almost no foreigners at these places, just locals. Even greater is that Aoy showing you around the markets is like having your own private Thai local tour guide who can show and explain to you the different Thai fruits, vegetables, the fish and meat that are popular there. From Toronto, with its large Asian population, we were acquainted with much of the Asian produce, but the sheer scale of market goodies was amazing to explore! We had a quick bite to eat and coffee/tea at street stalls /“food courts” at both World Market and Don Wai (I guess we should have skipped the hotel breakfast!) Then Aoy took us on a private boat ride from the market to her riverside restaurant located at her home. We met her family, who were very friendly and even showed us some traditional Thai dance moves! Our cooking class involved Papaya Salad/Som Tam, Tom Kha soup, and Pad Thai. Very organized and went step-by-step, with nice plating of the dishes afterward. Her niece took pics all along the way and even provided us at the end of the day with a personalized laminated recipe sheet including pictures of us and the food, and Airdropped us many photos of our cooking experience! We then enjoyed our lunch we cooked with beers at her peaceful riverside restaurant “Aoywaan” and chatted with Aoy some more, before she dropped us off at Bang-Wa station at the end of the day. All in all, a wonderful experience and opportunity to cook Thai food and chat during the drive between the markets to Aoy about various topics. She’s passionate and warm-hearted. If you’re looking for a more “in-and-out” cooking class in Bangkok city proper, or don’t want to talk much with your tour guide/chef, a more structured, short class with other foreigners like those at Blue Elephant may be more your style. (When we were in Phuket, we happened to observe briefly a Blue Elephant cooking class. We also did another private cooking class at a high-end Phuket region resort earlier in our trip, which was as enjoyable as Aoy’s, and on-site and polished with professional chef and sous-chefs, but didn’t include the market tours and boat ride or extended chats). If you’re looking for more of an individualized, memorable foodie experience with a fluent-English-speaking local Chef, then I suggest spending the day with Aoywaan. She has even been on Iron Chef Thailand! Caveat: you’d probably need at least a 3 d trip in Bangkok to give yourself time to do the other “sights” to see during the rest of your trip. But we enjoyed the reprieve of our private, local tour with Aoy as much if not more than running around in the heat checking out the Grand Palace/Wat Phra Kaew, Wat Pho, Wat Arun, Wat Suthat, Golden Mount, River Boat commute, etc which were crowded with tourists taking their instagram shots.

Excellence! - Our host, Aoy, was so friendly, so kind, and so patient. She not only gave us a wonderful cooking experience, but provided us with many experiences and insights into Thai culture! We would highly recommend this activity to anyone!!

The best day ever!! Thank you Aoy! 🙏🏻❤️ - This tour is a MUST! Aoy is the most gracious, kind, vivacious, and positive person! She is such a pleasure to be around and went above and beyond to make sure we had the best day ever. The market tour was absolutely incredible. We got to taste so many things we’ve never seen before and everything was absolutely delicious. Aoy was so knowledgeable and we learned so much just from walking around the market with her. Her restaurant was completely breathtaking and a real garden waterside oasis! Her entire staff was so friendly and welcoming. We really felt like family there. The cooking class was so well thought out and so much fun! We learned a lot and we ate even more! This is experience is one of the best we have ever done! Thank you to Aoy for helping us make a memory we will cherish forever!

A Lifetime Memory - This experience was incomparable. Aoy made us feel so special the entire time, I left with practicable skills to use in my own kitchen at home, and the food, the people, the ambiance, every moment of it was just incredible. If you are reading this review, take it as a sign that you should book this experience! Now. Do not hesitate. ❤️

Book today, must do this - This was amazing, if you want to do a cooking tour, then I highly recommend this, even though it is dearer then others. We had fun and lots of laughs. Amazing hosts in an amazing location. It’s was interesting visiting the local markets and then travelling down the waterways to the restaurant where we’re made to fell extremely welcome. The cooking class was fun and we got to make yummy food. I must say we had the best pad Thai made by us whilst in Thailand. This is a must so book the experience today and have as much fun as we had.

Delectable Delight - Aoy was an amazing hostess! We travel a lot and have done many cooking classes and food tours. Hers was one of the best! She went above and beyond with photos. She created a memorable experience for us. We walked through the market and learned about food and flowers. Aoy took us on her boat to her restaurant where she helped us create a delicious meal. Aoy explained that Thai food is about detail and sharing. She accomplished both during this experience. One note, we ended up on the wrong side of the street for pick up. Be on the opposite side of the Amazon Cafe.