Barbeques Galore Cooking Experience

Wasn’t thrilled with the customer service. Among other things, When I asked the salesman about the difference between the Elite ($ 2k) and Grand Turbo ($ 3k) grills, his answer, «it has more stuff.» That’s it! I asked for a brochure and figured it out on my own. Long story but we bought the Grand Turbo, paid for delivery and installation and was told we would here from delivery co. within a couple days. I had not heard from anyone in 5 days and called store to find out the order had never been placed by salesman. I cancelled order. I did speak with store manager who was understanding and gave me full refund without hassle. To boot, the same salesman called about a week later to make sure we were enjoying our new Grand Turbo Grill.

I went there and there’s no restaurant. Just a bunch of bbqs for sale. Why is this posted under restaurant section instead of housewares? Very disappointing.

One of the best cooking experiences I’ve had. Moves along swiftly, not too expensive and very informative. GREAT DATE NIGHT.

I can’t wait to come back here to experience another great night of learning and eating delicious food! It’s like watching a cooking show. You sit in a half circle counter top and overlook the grills in the back. There are also small TV screens to see what’s happening on the grill, if you can’t see that is.
Chef John was awesome. He was very informative, friendly, and clear about his instructions on the ingredients, recipes, and techniques. The entire experience was just so fun. They served foccacia bread and veggies with dip (homemade) as an appetizer, along with iced tea. You can also bring your own bottle of wine or beer (highly suggest this). You start with an appetizer, then the main entrée, and then dessert! Chef John goes over all the steps and gives you a copy of everything you eat that night.
The crowd was great. They only take about 16 people I think? So it’s not too big of a crowd. You’re welcome to ask any questions and also hear everything clearly. Awesome service from Chef John and Lauren (she grills and serves all the plates while he goes over the recipes). SUCH A GREAT DATE IDEA!

We really enjoyed our «cooking experience» at Barbecues Galore! It was delicious, fun and educational. The food was super easy to prepare and with Chef John’s instruction and Lauren’s demonstration we feel we can do it at home with great results. They were both very friendly and John added humor to the evening. The setting is cozy and comfortable. My husband and I went with 2 other couples and we all had a great time!
We will definitely be coming back!

Just went again and Chef John and Lauren were awesome again. They make a great team. They are both very knowledgeable about their food and products. They break down barbecuing to very simple terms. The hands on demonstrations are a great way to learn. The chicken wings and ribs were awesome. I loved the blue cheese dressing too. The overall experience was great and made for a very enjoyable evening. I can’t wait to go again.

Went to Fine Dining and Entertainment class— did not disappoint!

Chef John is the best! Had a great evening and everything was delicious. We went for an «Irish» themed dinner and the dishes were all creative with their use ingredients and alcohol :) I’d consider myself pretty knowledgable on the grill, but no matter your knowledge you should be able to pick up some good tips that can be used on your own. Nice relaxed atmosphere and don’t forget to bring your own alcohol of choice!

Returned for the fourth time to the Irvine Cooking Experience and yet again, had a fantastic meal! Chef John and Lauren are an amazing team and do everything to make this a memorable and informative experience for all.
Every time we come, we bring a new set of guests and the overall feeling is mutual among our guests. The information and practical skills taught are so valuable. The quality of food and evening of entertainment is well worth the cost of each class.
Highly recommend!

We attended the Cooking Experience after friends recommended it to us. We took our 34 year old son there for his birthday dinner and he loved it. He looked ahead at their menus online and chose the Irish Cocktail dinner. What a great choice. I enjoyed the learning different ways to make the same old things. I never thought of making chocolate covered bacon and then cooling it for a dessert addition to the Guinness Ice Cream and Bailey’s Irish Cream. The entire dining experience was worth more than the price we paid. The two hours went by fast and now I know how to prepare a good steak before putting it on the grille. No more grille marks for me. Thank you Chef John. We will be back for more classes and meals.

This was my first experience attending a cooking class and my only comparison is that I’ve taken a wine tasting class held at a 4-​star restaurant.
Tonight’s class is: «PORK RIBS on the GRILL with Chef John Cardona»
The attendees were few and far between tonight with one other newbie and a couple of veterans. I was offered wine and birthday cake by the two veterans which was unexpected and only added to casual, warm and personal experience. The kitchen is equipped with cameras and monitors which allow you to see what the chef is doing while he is doing it. As well you are sitting on bar stools at the counter so you are up close and personal.
My back story is that I am an amateur «smoker» via my P.O.S. Brinkmann «Smoke n’ Grill» cost-​cutter smoker. I’ve smoked salmon, various types of beef ribs, baby back ribs and spare ribs. I’ve mostly been unable to achieve delectable smoked meats which is largely due to cost-​cutter equipment but also due to the painful «trial and error» learning which is «smoking». An additional point is that I don’t really like BBQ sauce. I prefer smoked meats with sea salt and a dry rub where the smoke, char and natural flavor of the meat prevail. Once in a blue moon, I find a sauce I deem «passable» but I would never select it over char, smoke and natural flavors.
The class was a well oiled machine with the extremely helpful LAUREN assisting the entire night. Various glasses (for wine or beer), ice water, iced tea, veggies, dips, bread were set-​up on tables.
The menu featured: Smoked South Carolina Ribs w/​Mustard Based BBQ Sauce and BROCCOLI SLAW; Smoked Memphis dry rubbed pork ribs with mac & cheese; grilled pound cake watermelon trifle.
The highlights:
Chef Cardona was able to modify my perception regarding sauce. The mustard sauce was surprisingly my favorite of the two. The baby back ribs were fall-​off-​the-​bone tender or «just before» fall-​off-​the-​bone tender. The mac & cheese with that crust due to being placed back on the grill was un-​be-​liev-​able! The watermelon trifle with the grilled flavor, ever-​so-​fresh cubed melon and fresh whipped cream/​custard was new to me but really good.
I was able to pick Chef Cardona’s brain on a few smoking tips and learned a lot from attending this class. I could not possibly recommend this more. I can’t wait to attend a future class.

Awsome Cooking class
I learned few but very useful tips on grilling seafood (ie grill fish at room temp)
This way food will not stick to grill…
This class /​chiefs gave me the best talapia I have ever tasted in my life!!!
& the talapia was the appetizer…
Ceder Plank Salmon was the star…
ASIAN GRILLING NIGHT WAS A HIT!!!
We r going again for grilling class

We loved it so much the first time, that we are heading back there with friends for my husband’s bday dinner.
They are so friendly and knowledgeable. The food that the chef prepared was amazing. We learned some great grilling and cooking tips and took home recipes for everything we ate.
We got to bring our own wine, enjoyed snacks as well as three additional courses, all freshly made in front of us and had a really enjoyable time. The room is very large with comfortable seating at a U shaped bar around the cooking and grilling theater.
Highly recommended!
Looking forward to our next visit!

We took the tri-​tip cooking class with Chef John and Laren because we bought a grill at BBQ Galore and the class came with it. The class was entertaining, practical and easy to follow. The food was great and we had a great time. You also get 10 percent off most items in store after the class. It’s definitely a unique experience compared to dining out. Can’t wait to break in our new grill and apply the techniques we learned.

Attended our first ICE class this week! Although this is not a hands-​on class, I did learn quite a few tricks from Chef John (and I am a reasonably experienced backyard griller). The setting is very informal and relaxed and allows for plenty of interaction with the other guests, which makes it fun. The class is also a good idea if you are thinking of buying a grill or BBQ, since Chef John will answer any of your questions honestly (he is not there to sell you the actual grills). The food was great and plentiful, so you will get a good meal out of it as well, even if you are not there to learn how to cook. I highly recommend the classes and will probably come back for more!

I was a bit skeptical about a cooking class a BBQ Galore. I am now a convert.
We had a great time. Learned a lot about specific techniques, and ate some wonderful food.
we’ll be coming back.

I attended my first cooking class here at the Barbeques Galore Cooking Experience & found it to be educational and fun. The instructor had a great attitude, was knowledgeable, & playful. I felt comfortable & he encouraged questions. He seems to enjoy his work & it showed.
The food he demonstrated was appealing and delicious. It was a great experience.

Barbecues Galore used to have scores of retail stores around California before the recession hit. They closed most of its stores but a few remained. These stores are big, and well stocked with high end grills and outdoor kitchens. What I did not realize was the fact they run a cooking school at the Tustin location. A buddy of mine from work told me about this program. It’s more of a dinner show than a class. Picture one of Emeril Lagasse’s old cooking show. He is the master of ceremonies and does all the cooking. His audience is sitting in high back stools in a semicircle watching the action… and eating… and getting tipsy on wine.
The class changes daily and there are scores of menus to choose from. I checked out their website and looked for something on a. Friday or Saturday that interested me. I found the «garlic extravaganza» menu and it sounded delicious. We invited another couple and put it on the calendar a couple of months in advance. The class runs about $ 70 per person and you get to bring your own beer or wine. We arrived early and we were warmly greeted by John, the chef. This is his full time gig. His assistant, Lauren, was quietly efficient and very sweet.
We started with a «butt rub» dip and fresh baked focaccia. Everything is done on barbecue grills… no ovens or stoves. Shrimp and peanut lettuce wraps, garlic mashed potatoes, filet mignon, cinnamon ice cream and cookies. The food was perfectly prepared and tasted wonderful. The evening ran well over two hours and we learned a ton about spices, rubs, grilling, meat, and types of cooking grills.
This was a great evening. We wil certainly return for another class.

We wanted to take a class here since it sounded interesting and thought it would be a fun thing to do on one of our free weekends. We happened to find an awesome Living Social deal and booked the last two spots for the grilling with rum class. John and Lauren were awesome. We were one of the last couples to arrive and it’s BYOB with no corkage fee. They kindly uncork your bottle of wine for you and put your bottle in a chiller (they ran out of chillers but they improvised for us). The cork for our wine broke when they were trying to uncork our bottle, but chef John and his assistant Lauren kindly helped us drain our wine and get the cork out, lol. So nice! There was some bread and veggie appetizers for us to snack on before dinner, as well as unlimited iced tea and water. Chef John was entertaining and it was almost like watching a cooking show on the Food Network. It was nice not having to actually cook anything ourselves and it was even nicer getting plates of food we see cooked right in front of us, served to us, haha. For our first course, we had grilled shrimp and pineapple skewers with coconut rum dressing on a bed of salad. Our main course was pork loin wrapped in bacon and topped with gouda, on top of a chive, chipotle potato salad with rum bbq sauce… pretty darn delicious! Best potato salad I’ve ever had! And for dessert, we had rum cake with homemade vanilla ice cream and a rum glaze. All the dishes were really good! And they give you all the recipes to take home! They also do a pretty good job convincing you to buy one of their grills… if only money grew on trees, haha. I would totally come back for another class! It’s a fun date or fun group outing!

It was a date night that my wife prepared. It was hush hush for one week. And it was a great surprise.
I am big on grilling. I own a charcoal grill that I love to use to entertain. So wifey bought groupon/​livingsocial deal for this. She picked the menu where Rib eye is the entrée. I gotta tell you that it was the best experience ever.
The chef is hella funny. The food is excellent. If you had blind folded me and took me to a Morton’s or Lawry’s I wouldn’t be able to tell the difference.
Grilled shrimp was on point. the assistant chef really knows how to grill. The chef prepared fresh cocktail sauce that went well with everything.
Grilled broocolini with cheese sauce was crisp and refreshing
Their garlic mashed potatoes made me want to throw out my instant mashed potatoes and prepared them fresh from now on (Well… I didn’t really throw them out…)
Their costco rib eye was prepared with dry rub and it was delicious. I would definitely have paid top dollar for their steak.
Strawberry shortcake was also a nice finish to the excellent 4-​course meals.
The best part of all. BYOW. We had a 2007 Cabernet and I drank and ate until I can not drink or eat anymore :)
a 5 star meal and 5 star dining experience !!!