Dish it up!

Out of business.
I filed a complaint with the AG– and they got this response. If you own a gift card like we did– or a Groupon– it’s worthless now.
Dear Jeri,
In regards to this complaint, I wish I could help, but my hands are tied.
It wasn’t our intent to take anyone’s money.
On April 2^nd we closed our doors and declared chapter 7 bankruptcy which was a last minute decision.
I haven’t heard from the trustee as of yet.
I don’t know enough about this process to help you any further.
Thank you,
Dave

Very sorry to see the Ballard store permanently closed as of April 2, 2012. The sign says that the owner’s illness is the reason, which is also very sad to hear. Several of us are holding gift cards for classes and are wondering what the policy is going to be for the return of the class fees we paid. Calling the store, the recorded messages announces the closure and regrets the inconvenience but gives no information regarding refunds or other business that may be left to settle. The website is also closed, so it is hard to get any further information at this time.

Just received an email that Dish it up! closed. Any idea what happened here? I have a gift certificate for a cooking class, that alas will never happen. Too bad. They had some very fun classes.

My husband and I have attended several classes at Dish it Up! at both the Ballard and Magnolia locations. I’ll start my saying that two years ago, I would have rated Dish it Up! with 5 stars. Their classes were regularly fantastic. Even though they tended to be on the pricey side, they were always worth the money. A handful of the recipes that we cook regularly are from these classes!
A few weeks ago we attended a wine class at the Ballard location, and using some gift certificates purchased on Living Social. The full price class was $ 70, we paid $ 35. The class was at best worth $ 35 — probably more like $ 25. We were given 5 small pours, and each pour was accompanied by a bite — something so small, they were literally one bite size.
I’d rather see Dish it Up not offer the Living Social deals anymore, and instead offer their great classes at full price.

So bought a living social deal with Dish It up. Every single time they posted their classes, they were full! I called to see if they could extend the deal and they wouldn’t at all! Basically saying it was my problem, not theirs. There are far better cooking schools/​classes in the city ie: Blue Ribbon, who take care of their customers. This place was a waste of money. NEVER buy a Living Social or Groupon for this place. Ill never go there and will pass this information on to my friends who love cooking classes… WOW after looking at the reviews, Dish It Up needs to figure it out, that they should NEVER do a Living Social again!!! Thanks to Dish It Up for making a lot of people waste money!!! Horrible customer service. NO THANKS!

Very disappointed that I bought a Living Social deal here, but can’t use it because classes have all been sold out every time I check. Calling Dish it up! for help resolving the issue did nothing. Big waste of money.

I purchased a living social cooking class and was unable to use it because EVERY class was filled. I requested for them to extend the deal but was denied and basically told it was my own fault. Needless to say, I will not be patronizing their store or be taking classes with them.

I’d like to write a review for them, but unfortunately they are always booked and I cannot get into a class. I too purchased a LS voucher and am not able to use it. Waste of money — don’t do it.

Bummed! Bought a Groupon last March but there are never openings for teh classes!

I came here before christmas to pick up some gifts for my mom. I was looking for something very specific… a very specific knife to be exact. I was already in ballard for other shopping so I stopped at the other two stores… which had exactly nothing.
This store on the other hand had not only exactly what I was looking for but a version of it I didn’t know existed! I’m a chef and I’m pretty up to date on knives, who makes them, and which ones I like. I’m not really a shun girl but mom needed something pretty and functional so I scoped out the ones I had in mind then this beautiful pounded metal one caught my eye… it was $ 100 and exactly what I was looking for.
The woman took it out of the case, let me hold it and though she wasn’t the most knowledgeable person in the world gave me plenty of reading material to look over before I made my decision. I perused the rest of the store and was pretty impressed with the home cook gadgetry I saw.
Speeking of what I saw, the beautiful granite bar for classes was impressive and I’d love to see what they could do with that space.
Would definitely come back for other such purchases.

I thought the selection was extremely limited here. Kitchen stores are usually so much fun. But it seems the focus here is not on cooking equipment — it is also spread out among cooking classes, cabinets, and kitchen design. The cooking classes might be fun, but this isn’t a store I would choose for kitchen gadgets and equipment.

The comparison that Katy makes about Dish it up! to Sur La Table is pretty apt. It is a local neighborhood kitchen store without the corporate feel. The Ballard location helps to support this point.
I came across a Groupon deal for Dish it up! that I took advantage of. The store is pretty much made up of kitchen supplies on the left side of the store with a kitchen area in the back which I am assuming is the part of the store in which the cooking classes are held.
I thought the kitchen supply selection here was fair. I think maybe you could find a better selection at Sur La Table or Williams-​Sonoma for some things, but what is offered here is decent and are quality offerings.
Picked up a lovely Emile Henry square baking dish, a Le Parfait French glass canning (airtight?) jar perfect for keeping spices and loose leaf teas and a new OXO spatula. The spatula buy is a bit embarassing because apparently I am supposed to be using one made for non-​stick pans. Oops. Now I have one.
While the selection was fair here, I found redeeming the Groupon a bit frustrating. Initially, I wanted to get a pie dish, but I was told that I could not use the Groupon on it because it was a sale item. I asked if I could use the Groupon if they charged me the list price, which was a no go.
The odd thing is that the Groupon description listed the pie dish as an offering, which was one of the reasons I bought the deal in the first place. Also, the description should have specified that the deal was only good on regularly priced items. If I had known that when buying the deal, it would have made the shopping experience a lot less awkward. Frustrating that I had to look around again to look for a replacement item.
Overall, I think Dish it up! is a decent kitchen store. But it is a bit of a drive to Ballard though. Probably not worth it for me when I have a Sur La Table store nearby, but worth venturing in if in the area.

I took advantage of the $ 50 credit for $ 25 Living Social deal because I needed a teflon frying pan. I had not been in this store prior to making my Living Social deal purchase, but I figured a kitchen store would probably carry a ~9 to 11-​inch frying pan. They only had two frying pans in stock in the approximate size that I wanted. They had a Viking one for just shy of $ 300 which is more than my budget. The other one was $ 130, which was also more than my budget but I wanted to use my voucher and be done with it so I proceeded with the transaction. When I showed the cashier my voucher, she informed me that since their price on that frying pan was less than MSRP my voucher was not valid on it. The fine print on the voucher says nothing about «discounted» items not being valid.
I have no problem shopping at a more expensive store as long as their customer service compensates. Normally at upscale retailers, if they can’t match your needs with what they have in stock, they will ask if they can special order something for you. My experience in Dish It Up was a total failure. Poor inventory paired with poor customer service. I am following up with Living Social for a refund so that I don’t have to waste my time in that store again.
Dish It Up’s customer demographic is similar to William Sonoma. I’ve made several purchases at William Sonoma in the U-​Village and always been impressed with their friendly customer service.
I don’t want to be completely negative with my review… so on a more positive note, if you are looking for small trinket type kitchen items, this store has an endless supply.

***Thai Cooking Class Review***
I bought the Living Social Deal, so the class for me was only $ 35 (not $ 75). It was definitely worth $ 35.
We showed up at 9:30am and met with our Thai chef, she was incredible! She had an adorable accent and had an answer to everything! She took us shopping at View-​Wah in the International District as a group (there was about 16 students, it was a full class) so that if we ever try Thai cooking at home, we’ll know what to look for. It was boring at parts and we kept getting in the way of the shoppers, but overall it was interesting. Plus, we didn’t waste time buying food for our class, that food was already pre-​purchased. After an hour and a half of shopping we headed back to the Ballard studio.
We were welcomed with folders filled with Thai recipes and information. The cooking portion began as we sat around a beautiful marble-​slated ktichen. There were 2 big screen TVs showing a view from above. But every view was great, we were only feet away from the stovetop. For each of the 4 – 5 dishes the chef invited 2 of us up to help out. It was the perfect amount of interaction. As the rest of us watched, we enjoyed half-​glasses of wine, trying a couple different types. The sweeter ones were paired perfectly with the spicey thai food.
Time flew by and before I knew it, it was over! We got small portions of each dish, but I was full. It was the perfect amount of food, and I was never too full to sample the next dish. And I have to say, the coconut mango rice dessert was insanely good!
My only suggestion is the class should be in the $ 30 – 40 range, I probably wouldn’t have paid $ 75 for it. I’d love to grab another deal on it soon!

Colanders and wine glasses make up the light fixtures in here. Major props for creativity. No matter where I am I always look up and notice the lights.
While this store isn’t really about lights and light fixtures, it’s about cooking, learning to cook buying kitchen accessories, decorating kitchens, and more. But chandeliers of wine glasses are definitely adorable! (I wonder if they’re for sale?)
Whether you need something as simple as a pot holder or you want to take a cooking class, Dish It Up has got you covered. Think Sur La Table 15 years ago before they expanded and spread all over. Not that I hate that store, but still… Dish It Up has that local, small town vibe while still having a massive display of kitchen accouterments. Very lovely. This spot would make for the perfect place to buy a gift for anyone that loves spending quality time in the most social room in the house.

Here is the response I received from «Dish It Up»:
«Dear Ann, Thank you for your comments on Unilocal.We appreciate your feedback especially on pricing. We price match all our major competitors so be sure to let us know that you found the same item for a lower price and we will match it! Zoe, our goldendoodle, is allowed in our store as we are not a restaurant and monitored by the Health Department in that same regard.
Thank you again for your comments.»
I’m glad to know about the price matching in the future, but I already bought the items in question elsewhere. But I’m sure other Ballard residents will find this information valuable.

***Cooking Class Review!***
I just returned from the Market Tour cooking class with guest chef Jason Vickers. Jason was the perfect chef for this unique class. He was fun, passionate, light hearted, and really enjoyed what he was doing.
This class began with a field trip around the Ballard Farmer’s Market where Jason stopped at various spots to buy delicious greens, veggies, squash, condiments, seafood, bread, bacon, cream, etc. He had many of the vendors explain more about their goods and how they were grown or made. I was excited that he chose several items that I probably never would have purchased myself!
We then returned to the store and sat around a beautiful granite island where we were served coffee and water as we watched, learned, and drooled over the creations that were being made in front of us. They have two large flat panel TV’s giving you a view of everything that Jason was doing. We learned about technique, flavors, pairing, how to serve and much more. We then got to sample the delicious food prepared. We had butternut squash soup, beet and apple salad with bacon and mustard greens, roasted salmon with kimchi, and honey crisp apples tossed in Hell’s honey with crumbled cheese.
For $ 25, you can’t beat it. After we were finished, we took another spin around the market and picked up some of the things that were used. These dishes could easily be replicated at home… I think.
Cooking class attendees get 10% off store items (good for a week) and leave with a Dish it Up reusable bag.
I can’t wait to come back! Thank you Jason, Nancy, and Mervi for a wonderful class!

Just as a disclaimer: I can’t comment on the caliber of the cooking demos, I have only visited the retail section of the store.
Dish It Up is gorgeous, big displays, everything is very organized, the staff is knowledgable and they have EVERYTHING you could possibly need. I’m young and often get sized up at cooking stores by the staff but everyone I talked to was friendly and helpful.
Just last week I called asking about miniature gingerbread men cookie cutters, the woman on the phone picked out the last one for me and kept it on hold until I was able to pick it up. I’ll definitely be back, I’ve been eyeing an espresso machine there for weeks now…

Just got back from a pie class with the pie guru Kate McDermott. Dish It Up is a beautiful space in 3 parts– part cooking gadget and cookware, part kitchen, part design room. Not a place to bring little ones with darting hands since there are lots of glassware that can break. In fact, during the class a customer knocked something. Oops.
The pie class was not hands-​on, so it was more of a 2 hour demonstration while you sit at an enormous granite counter and relax with coffee, apple cider, water, etc. The staff at Dish It Up kept our glasses full and fed up little pie scraps that were like rugelach. Yum. They get 5 stars alone for service!
My piece of my had a little extra protein thanks to a stray hair. It had to have been Kate’s because she said that she made the pie just this morning. Not yummy.
The kinks of this new space are few– the camera that feeds the tv on one end of the counter wasn’t adjustable. It did not focus on the activity in the center of the counter. Would have been nice to see an overhead of just how crumbly the pie dough should be or how she flipped the dough just so, etc. but we asked and the staff couldn’t fix the camera angle. Bummer.
The other quirk was that there is validated parking but you have to bring your ticket in to the shop. Not an easy thing if you are in the garage (entrance off Leary) because you are supposed to leave your ticket on your dash. Our driver didn’t feel like popping back in to Dish It Up to get her validation after we saw another car with a ticket on their windshield. Small things, I know. Any validated parking in Ballard is amazing, really.
This place has tons of potential as you can rent it out for your own situation– cooking class, corporate team building or individual, or personal parties. Would be fun to use their fancy kitchen!

I brought my bf here for the «Joy of Thai Cookiing» cooking class on a Wed night. Overall, it was a great experience just to say «I’ve done that,» but I left feeling a little underwhelmed.
PROS:
1. Awesome chef/​instructor. Pranee was so cute, friendly, funny. She was always smiling, and cracked jokes. Her accent was a bit strong and it was sometimes hard to understand her, but she was happy to repeat herself and poke fun at herself (e.g. «When I say ‘lam’ I mean ‘lam’ «…she meant lime).
2. Great menu. Five different courses including fresh wraps with a sweet chili sauce, tom kha gai soup, pad kee mau wide rice noodles, a green curry with Thai eggplant, and black sticky rice and coconut milk for dessert. Plus a couple glasses of wine.
3. Great staff assistants, ready to assist and give you whatever you needed.
CONS:
1. Too many students. There were 20 of us crammed at the counter, with barely any elbow room. It was just too many people to feed. This also made it hard to interact with the chef and each other much.
2. Not very hands-​on. Pretty much demonstrative, save for the four students who got to help stir the noodles or curry.
3. Poor timing. We got a 15 minute late start, and had to stay 30 minutes past the end time. Also, pace was a little slow. Again, this could probably be fixed with fewer students.
4. A couple of the dishes were a little bland. She watered down the curry with water. It was so diluted and lacked the flavor I was expecting. Again, this was because she felt obliged to make the food stretch to feed us all.
5. A little overpriced? Not sure what the going rate is for other similar cooking classes, but $ 75 a head seems a little much if you ask me, considering the quality of instruction and amount of food.