The Chopping Block

Chicago, United States

4.1

20 reviews

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Telephone:
+1 773-472-6700
Website:
www.thechoppingblock.net
Address:
4747 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL, 60625
b/t Lawrence Ave & Giddings St
Lincoln Square, Ravenswood
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
380 ftWestern & Lawrence SB
450 ftWestern & Lawrence NB
540 ftLeland & Western (Brown Line)
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Today

Today –
Local time (Chicago) 21:41 Friday, 29 November 2024

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Description

Specialties

The Chopping Block is Chicago’s premier culinary center offering hundreds of recreational cooking classes, custom designed interactive private cooking parties and teambuilding events, and a specialty gourmet retail and wine shop. The Chopping Block will put you in touch with your inner chef and get you cooking!

History

Established in 1997.

The Chopping Block has enjoyed success by following a simple theory: For everyone who walks in the door, the goal is to foster a certain lifestyle of cooking and enjoying food with friends.

The Chopping Block opened at the original, now closed, location in 1997 as a small antique cookware shop and cooking school in Lincoln Park. Shortly after opening, founder and owner Shelley Young found that many of her customers needed assistance in selecting pots and pans and other kitchen equipment. The retail portion of the store began to grow as Young and her team of instructors started choosing the best aids for home cooks. The partnership worked and in 2003, The Chopping Block opened its second location in Lincoln Square. A third location, Merchandise Mart, replaced the original and opened in summer 2005, greatly expanding the offerings of the school.

Meet the Business Owner

Shelley Y.

Business Owner

Growing up in a small Iowa town may not be the setting that conjures up images of gastronomy, but the influence of an Iowa upbringing has helped shape Shelley’s cooking and teaching style.

Memories of summers spent putting up beans, corn, & tomatoes, afternoons pitting sour cherries for pie or hunting wild morel mushrooms with giant hefty garbage bags, and catching fresh catfish on a weekend camping trip created Shelley’s appreciation for fresh, unfussy, flavorful food.

Shelley’s straightforward style is illustrated by her heartfelt belief that cooking is easy, and anybody can do it. All anybody needs is a few tricks and tips, a handful of well tested recipes, and some time saving cooking tools, all of which Shelley offers at the Chopping Block with sincerity and humility.

After moving to Chicago, she became chef at the now defunct Café du Midi, a groovy Bistro with a Mediterranean twist. After some great years as private chef, she then created the Chopping Block in 1997.

The Chopping Block also recommends

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Shelley Y. says,

«Paulina Meat Market is our one-​stop shop for high quality meat. We especially love their sausages, brats, and yummy smoky beef jerky.»

Goose Island Brew Pub

720

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Bars

,

Breweries

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American (Traditional)

Shelley Y. says,

«We love Goose Island beer! Check out our classes where we pair beer knowledge from Greg Hall and culinary know-​how from our professional chefs.»

Dirk’s Fish & Gourmet Shop

160

reviews

Seafood Markets

Shelley Y. says,

«Dirk’s Fish is our place for fresh fish and seafood! The staff is extremely knowledgable and can suggest cooking tips for any of their products.»

Nearby

Near this location:
1
ft
Martin’s Big & Tall Store For Men
4747 N Lincoln Avenue
30
ft
Timeless Toys
4749 N Lincoln Ave
50
ft
Stanley Brown Jewelist
4751 N Lincoln Ave
110
ft
The Fountainview Lincoln Square
2326 W Giddings St
110
ft
Tigerlilie Salon
4755 N Lincoln Ave
120
ft
Sprint Store
2323 W Lawrence

20 reviews of The Chopping Block

No registration required
Place rating: 5
Chicago, IL
Wow! Despite my concerns in the past, my son and I took a Baking 101 class last Sunday. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. The Chef and assistants were extremely knowledgeable and friendly. We learned a great deal and as a bonus were able to take home our delicious baked goods (sticky buns, lemon poppyseed cake and chocolate walnut tart). I was concerned about the group size but that is not an issue, the staff knows how to interact and make you feel special. As a bonus, you get a store discount on class day. Looking for ward to our knife skills class in February. Thanks Chopping Block for a great experience.
Place rating: 5
Chicago, IL
Had a blast last night at the Knife Skills class! This was my boyfriend and I’s first time at the Chopping Block and we already can’t wait to go back!
There were a total of 11 people in our class and two instructors. I felt like everyone got their share of attention and never felt like I had to wait for instruction or help. Although you aren’t actually cooking anything, I would highly recommend taking this class, it is a good starting point for those out there wanting to enhance your cooking techniques.
I did love that we were able to take our veggies home and will be making a minestrone soup with ours tonight!
Place rating: 5
Chicago, IL
My sisters-​in-​laws and I threw a pre-​wedding party for our niece and her fiancé at The Chopping Block. This was the easiest party to organize, because The Chopping Block did everything for us. The catering staff was prompt in responding to our inquiries and quickly responded to questions throughout the process. Pricing was reasonable, especially in light of the fact that all you need to do is send invitations and show up on the day of the event. My daughter is vegan and this was easily handled, as well as some dietary restrictions for another guest. We cooked the food under the guidance of friendly and knowledgeable staff. The pacing of the meal was relaxed, allowing for plenty of socializing. The only thing I would recommend is to bring small flower arrangements, since the dining area does not have much color. I bought small mason jars with colorful arrangements. All-​in-​all, a wonderful experience.
Place rating: 5
Los Angeles, CA
Went to Chicago Memorial Day weekend several years back and always meant to write this review. Fun, casual outdoor grilling class with great recipe and a variety of different grills/​grill styles to learn on. You participate (voluntarily) or can just watch and take notes and then you eat delicious food in a small enough group. Highlight was the pumpkin seed pesto shrimp and grilled French fries. Great beer menu too. Perfect outside day!
Place rating: 3
Chicago, IL
I took the intro knife skills class here. A decent date, but a very basic class. Note that you don’t cook anything in this class, so it’s not a cooking class with a meal. Instead, some bacon and pancakes were made for everyone ahead of time, which was a nice touch. What I liked the most was that they provided a variety of chef knives to test out to see which one you preferred. The class structure was pretty much the chef talking at us in the beginning for 30 minutes, then walking through ways to cut different things. It would have been a better structure if the lecture part were broken up throughout the 2 hours. Overall though, staff was nice and I would be willing to pay to test out another class.
Place rating: 1
Evanston, IL
THEY SELL EXPIRED SAUCE!!!
I angrily found today that a sauce I used a while expired in 2013, which is two years ago. But I bought the sauce from chopping block in 2014. Luckily for them I haven’t got food poisoning because of this.
Place rating: 5
Chicago, IL
Had a blast last night doing the wine n dine with GF! Food was good, drink was acceptable but the chefs and help were awesome and great fun. Learned a whole lot, and am already hungry thinking about all the things I am going to try to make now.
Was great for someone with a little experience or none at all in the kitchen. Lots of money saving ideas, and suggestions on different variations of what we actually cooked.
Place rating: 4
Chicago, IL
Love the Chopping Block, and this particular location!
I’ve taken cooking classes here (Moroccan and Spanish), as well as attended several of their events (Thanksgiving baking event, hosting party, and customer appreciation day’s).
The staff and services always makes the Chopping Block a viable option for an activity to do, or for new domestic ideas to learn. Pricing for classes/​events can be steeper than other similar ‘blocks.’
Place rating: 4
Chicago, IL
If we cut to the chase, it’s expensive. The great thing is you feel like you got what you paid for. The chef our private party had was outstanding. He gave us general cooking tips. He guided us well along the way. He was engaging and made it fun. My friend is Italian and the dishes we made from scratch impressed everyone. Top notch!
Place rating: 5
DePaul, Chicago, IL
My review is long overdue. I took Quincy’s gnocchi class a few months ago and had the best time. Not only was the food AMAZING, and did we learn a lot about many facets of cooking, but Quincy went above and beyond to accommodate my dietary restrictions. Quincy is the best! Highly recommend taking one of his classes!
Place rating: 5
Chicago, IL
Had a great time there in the Elegant Dinner Party class (or whatever it was called) with Trevor and Pup. Class size was perfect, only 5 so plenty of hands-​on opportunity. Also love all the gadgets you can buy there. Will probably go back soon for the lobster class!
Place rating: 5
Denver, CO
I love this place! We were lucky enough to swing by on customer appreciation day and sample hot cocoa, truffle butter popcorn, smoked turkey, Apple and sage stuffing, roasted turkey and fried turkey as well as turkey sliders. The various cooking items here are fantastic and the cooking classes offered are abundant. We are planning on taking a Parisian cooking class with some friends in the next month or so.
I love coming in here, the customer service is great and the selection of kitchen goodies is enough to keep you busy in the kitchen whipping up new treats.
Place rating: 4
Chicago, IL
My husband and I took a couples cooking class here to celebrate our anniversary. It was pretty pricey — $ 80 per person — but we enjoyed ourselves, learned some new skills and had a really tasty meal that we’ll likely try to make at home some time. The store has a nice, large teaching kitchen upstairs with several cooking stations. There were probably 25 people in our class and we were paired up with another couple. The four of us stood around a kitchen island where we did prep work for the meal. We liked Chef Carrie, who led the class. She also had some assistants who seemed a little less experienced. The ingredients were measured out beforehand, but the four of us were responsible for chopping, mixing, and cooking the meal that we would eventually eat. We made pan fried pork medallions, risotto, salad and apple crisp for dessert.
My husband wanted some wine (I wished I could have had some, but I’m pregnant) so he ordered an $ 11 bottle of house wine from the store. It was the cheapest available and only a few dollars more than the price of a glass of wine. You could have brought your own bottle but they charge a $ 10 corking fee. Also, we were told you could bring the unfinished bottle home if you purchased it from them, but not if you brought your own. I wish I would have remembered to check in on Unilocal so my husband could have just got the free glass of house wine, but at least we were able to bring the leftover wine home.
One thing to keep in mind (and I wish they would have made this clear when you schedule the class) is that you won’t eat until the very end of class, which for us was close to 9 pm. They did offer an appetizer at the beginning of class, so that was nice. We ate our meal at large tables set up at one end of the kitchen. The four of us ate most of the food but we had some leftover pork so the two couples split that and took it home.
I took notes on the printed recipes and took them home for future reference, but if you forget, don’t worry because they’ll email you a copy of the recipes used in class.
All in all it was an enjoyable experience, though I don’t think I’d want to spend $ 160 again for the two of us to go.
Place rating: 5
Chicago, IL
I love The Chopping Block — maybe because I love food, cooking, and all kinds of cooking/​kitchen utensils and tools — and the Chopping Block celebrates all of that.
Stop into the cute shop to pick up something special for yourself or others (many nice gift options), or sign up for a cooking class! I’ve done both, and I have also taken one pasta-​making class at the C.B.‘s other location in the Merchandise Mart. The Mart’s location is larger, but there’s something nice about the quaint Lincoln Square location too, and bonus — they have a back area set up for grilling and outdoor cooking classes.
My group of four took a «Global Grilling» class and we had a blast. We came prepared with some beers that were put on ice for us (thank you), and our class of 12 was stationed around a marble island where we chopped, marinated, and prepped our grill-​tastic dinner. We enjoyed grilled chicken (cooked on the big green egg), marinated shrimp, mango salsa, grilled flank steak lettuce wraps, and fresh grilled herb flat-​bread.
I feel like I learned more technical skills in the pasta making class because we literally made everything from scratch, whereas the grilling class was more about chopping and trying some new recipes, but we still really enjoyed the class and the delicious food at the end of the night.
Staff was professional and friendly, ingredients were top notch, and the cooking area was clean and well put together. These cooking classes are such a fun alternative for something different to do around town, or even a special outing for visiting guests.
Place rating: 4
Chicago, IL
I really enjoyed my experience at the Chopping Block. I came here with my boyfriend and another couple and we had a great time. We did the grilling class and made flank steak lettuce wraps, grilled shrimp and learned how to grill chicken on the egg BBQ. Chef Hans and his assistant were great. The assistant was great ! I actually learned a few cooking tips from the assistant :) we will definitely be back !
Place rating: 3
Chicago, IL
For a gourmet cooking store I would expect more items to be sold there. I came in looking for a very good line of baking products and all they carry is Chicago Metallic. Would like to see more variety in a big city like Chicago. Maybe I was just spoiled in Des Moines.
Place rating: 1
Elmhurst, IL
My two girlfriends and I were so excited to spend a Girls’ Night Out at the Chopping Block. Unfortunately, the staff was so condescending that they pretty much ruined our evening.
We got a bad first impression from the moment we walked in the door. The two men who were in front were rude and sarcastic. Luckily, the young lady who checked us in was very sweet and helpful. It seemed that she was trying to make up for the rudeness and sarcasm of her fellow employees. Unfortunately, she was the only professional person we dealt with. It seemed that the rest of the staff had a chip on their shoulder — definitely did not seem happy to be working there and took it out on the customers. After several odd exchanges, we decided to leave before the cooking demonstration even started.
We lost $ 150 by leaving and we were very disappointed (we had been looking forward to this for weeks).
Place rating: 5
Alexandria, VA
I really enjoy the Chopping Block — they have cooking classes, informational sessions, and can host cooking parties and such within their space. My friend and I won a pair of tickets to their Merchandise Mart location a few years ago in regards to an all-​day cooking school on French cuisine, that I thought was loads of fun — we were able to make a 5-​course dinner after a presentation on the cuisine, basic knife skills, and the splitting of the groups into different stations. I’ve also checked out their wine tasting seminars where the wine connoisseur is very knowledgeable in terms of the history, the make-​up of the wine, as well as suggestions of great pairings. The staff in here are always friendly, and they have cook books, kitchen utensils and appliances, as well as spices and seasonings. Some of the cooking classes are kind of pricey, but it’s a great gift idea or a way to do something with friends, family, or a loved one where you can cook together.
+cooking classes
+two locations: Lincoln Square and in Merchandise Mart
Place rating: 4
Chicago, IL
I have a couple of shopping weaknesses — hair products and kitchen stuff. While I’ve reigned in my hair product habit, The Chopping Block is like kryptonite.
For my birthday my partner-​in-​crime got us two spots at this location’s sushi making class. I’ve been to one other Chopping Block cooking class, a hands-​on Unilocal event at the Merchandise Mart, so I knew the caliber of the class was high; unlike another sushi class I took through I Wish. This location, while smaller, has two cooking spaces; a small first floor space, right in the mix of all of wares, and a larger group space on the second floor. Our class was on the first floor.
We were some of the first people to arrive, so we had an opportunity to choose our seats, browse the store and order a beer.* The class was small, maybe 12 people tops, we started out with miso soup as everyone trickled in. The first part of the class was mostly lecture; we learned about making sushi rice, ingredients, and buying quality fish. Our instructor Trevor and his co-​pilot (I forget his name) were cool, they knew how to be informative, engaging and fun. The second part of the class was all hands on; Trevor demonstrated how to make a regular roll, inside out roll, and nigiri. After we watched him, it was out turn to use up all of the fish (tuna, salmon, shrimp, eel) and fillings they put out.
There was a lot of laughing and joking in the class; even non-​cookers would feel comfortable and have a good time. After we made our sushi, we got a lesson in cutting rolls, which was by far the hardest part to do decently. Once done, we spent the rest of the time enjoying our hard work. I made 5 maki rolls and three pieces of nigiri; most of us ended up with to go boxes.
If you’re a savvy cook or a novice, I highly recommend classes at The Chopping Block. Class attendees get a discount on store products, so you can drop some cash on all of the stuff you’ll drool over when you walk in the door.
* You can order off their wine and beer menu or BYOB subject to a corkage fee
Place rating: 4
Chicago, IL
A solid 4 stars for the classes… the manfriend got me a gift card to The Chopping Block for Christmas, and after watching the calendar for months, I finally found a class that was one I really wanted to go to and that worked for both of our schedules.
We went to the lobster making class, and holy cow did we make lobster. I knew what I was getting into when I signed up, that these little critters would still be alive, and that this class would force me to do the unthinkable… kill my own food. And I did it. I can’t believe I did it, but I did. I still haven’t decided if I’m proud or if I’m appalled. Either way…
The menu was great, and the chef/​teacher was really great as well. My only downsides are 1) the cost, and 2) that you don’t really «cook» everything yourself. Granted, there is no time for that unless you took a day-​long class, so I get it, but when you pay so much it’s nice to actually measure out the ingredients yourself, at the very least. I do also like the idea that, instead of everyone’s hands being up in your stuff, that your dishes be kept somewhat separate, but I understand the size of the workspace restraint & size of the class so it isn’t really possible. It’s extra nice when you get partners that do wash their hands every so often at least.
I’m no amazing chef by any means, but I like to think I’m somewhat decent in the kitchen & this class only helped me get better. I think my Grandma would be proud. I’d really like to come back and take some of the basics classes, like the Knife Skills, to polish up things like that. I definitely recommend this for a date night situation, or for a group of friends as an outing as opposed to just sitting & eating dinner out somewhere.