One fun activity to do with a friend/family member (or with a group!) is taking an in-person cooking class together at Sur La Table - the cookware store. The store has multiple locations throughout the bay and the one in the Peninsula that I know has cooking classes is the location at Town and Country Village plaza in Palo Alto.
I've mostly taken classes before the pandemic there, but they're back and going strong!
You can browse the upcoming classes on their website - choose the location that's closest to you to see the specific calendar for that store. There's a whole range of classes that focus on different cuisines or focus on specific types of food. For example, I've done the Date Night American Steakhouse cooking class, Making Macarons, and the Bread class as well. Browsing now, I see upcoming classes for Flavors of Spain, Parisian Restaurant Favorites, Latin Steakhouse, Vietnamese Summer Faire, Sushi Making, Global Donuts, and Thai Favorites to name a few. They all sound so delicious! Pricing is usually around $70 - $100 per person.
They're well organized with an experienced teaching chef who walks you through the steps, and it's usually a whole menu with multiple courses - like an appetizer, entree, and dessert. They're very prepared with all the ingredients prepped and some even already portioned out. There's also helpers walking around too if you get lost on the steps. Together the instructor walks you through the next step, and then you go and do it, and so on. It's a good sized teaching kitchen with room for about 10-20 or so people. They sometimes have some light snacks on the side as well because cooking makes you hungry!
There's also a small break in the class too where you can wander the store, and they would offer you a coupon for 20% off an item. Good excuse to get something if you've been eyeing it for awhile! I bought a scanpan pan one time with that coupon.
At the end of the class is the best part - tasting your creation!! And taking home any leftovers too. They give you a packet with all the recipes so you can re-create it later. Honestly, I don't think I've made the recipes again at home (out of laziness), but it was definitely a fun and memorable experience! And you don't have to do the dishes either. :P
Getting a cooking class experience for someone can be a great gift idea for quality time together! Looks like they also have kids cooking classes over the summer too.
Here's the link to browse Sur La Table Cooking Classes.
855 El Camino Real Suite 57
Palo Alto, CA 94301
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