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YesChef is a fairly new platform in the world of online cooking classes. It helps you learn from the world’s best chefs to cook the most delicious food at home.
When we found out that Francis Malmann, an Argentinian celebrity chef we met in Buenos Aires, was featured, we were intrigued.
When offered the opportunity to check out the online learning platform, we jumped on it.
With Netflix-like cinematic filming and captivating stories, we were quickly addicted to watching the award-winning chefs.
After making recipes and watching several episodes, we are providing our review of Yes Chef.
Get the details, pros and cons, Yeschef cost, and our experience making recipes from these great chefs.
Ultimately we answer the question; is Yes Chef worth it? Read on to find out our verdict.
What is YesChef
YesChef was founded by entrepreneur Steve Avery, on the idea that everyone should be able to learn from the world’s best chefs.
The YesChef platform makes it possible for anyone to learn the art of home cooking through inspirational, hands-on online classes from the world’s greatest chefs.
The chefs take you on a culinary journey as they teach their foods, techniques and recipes and help you make the dishes in your own kitchen.
The classes take place in the chef’s own home, restaurant kitchen, or their backyard, drawing you into their world.
Each cooking video is beautifully shot and accompanied by an ingredient list and step by step instructions to recreate delicious meals at home.
Equipped with a knife, cutting board, a good set of pans and an internet connection, anyone can learn from the world’s best chefs.
How Does YesChef Work
Interested in learning from top chefs? Signing up and getting started is relatively easy. All you need is an email and password and your account gets created instantly.
Read up on the chefs and their cooking courses and see previews of some of their cooking videos.
In addition to their inspiring stories, you can learn useful tips and recipes from the chefs’ articles posted on the site.
YesChef Cost
YesChef offers yearly membership with unlimited access to their ever-growing library of online cooking classes.
You get immersive 4K video lessons, step-by-step instructions, PDF recipe books, and access on up to five devices.
YesChef offers three different plans to help you make delicious food at home.
- 1 month – $29.99 per month + 30-day money-back guarantee
- 12 months – $12. 99 per month + 30-day money-back guarantee. This is the most popular plan.
- Lifetime plan – a one-time payment of $389 + 30-day money-back guarantee
Sometimes, YesChef offers pricing discounts up to 35% OFF
YesChef Guarantee
The best part is the 30-day Satisfaction Guarantee. You get to test the platform and all the classes from the top chefs.
And, if you are not satisfied, simply request a refund within your first 30 days from the YesChef team.
YesChef App
At the time of this review, YesChef is a web app that can be accessed on your desktop, tablet or smartphone.
While there are plans to release native apps in the future, app.yeschef.me acts as a home screen app for now.
What Do You Get With YesChef
YesChef delivers an exclusive experience where chefs teach home cooking to cooking enthusiasts of all skill levels.
When you sign up to the learning platform, you have complete access to exclusive video content and recipes.
Each professional chef’s cooking class has about 5+ hours of video content.
A 45-minute documentary style video tells the inspirational story of the chef including the people, places and flavors that have shaped their philosophy.
Then you have 12+ recipe videos where the chefs elaborate on their unique techniques learned over a lifetime of cooking.
Accompanying each video is a list of ingredients, step by step instructions and the kitchen equipment to have on hand.
There is also a tab alongside each recipe where you can leave your feedback.
For each of the top chefs, there is a fun”behind the scenes” section. Engaging photography captured during filming humanizes the talented chefs allowing for an even deeper connection.
Currently, there are eight chefs on the platform with additional chefs to be added soon.
For now, you can learn new skills from Jamie Oliver, Francis Mallmann, Nancy Silverton, Kwame Onwauchi, Asma Khan, Edward Lee, Erez Komarovsky, and Dario Cecchini.
All the online courses are broken down into byte sized video content and the learning is self-paced.
Who Is YesChef For?
YesChef is best suited for home cooks of all skill levels looking to be inspired and learn from top chefs.
Beyond cooking techniques, the YesChef platform is also interesting for those who love food and want to learn about different culinary cultures.
Those that love cooking shows and cinematic Netflix-like quality will be drawn into the chef’s inspiring stories just like we were.
After watching any of the chefs, you’ll want to head straight to the kitchen to start cooking.
Who Is YesChef Not For?
The YesChef teaching style is unique to each chef while being casual and conversational.
If you’re the type of home cook looking for very formatted instructions this may not be the best online learning platform for you.
Similarly, YesChef is not for those seeking live instruction where they can interact with each chef. Instead, it’s a self-learning approach with inspiring video instructions and amazing recipes from award winning chefs.
Unlike other learning platforms, YesChef does not provide credit for culinary school education. The platform is not suited for those looking for accredited classes for their education.
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YesChef Pros – What We Liked About YesChef
The ability to learn home cooking from the world’s greatest chefs is an amazing opportunity that YesChef provides. There are many reasons we love YesChef such as:
- The impressive range of Michelin starred chefs as instructors. YesChef offers an opportunity of a lifetime to invite the likes of Jamie Oliver, Francis Mallmamm, Nancy Silverton, and other great chefs into your kitchen.
- Wide variety and range of recipes from around the world. The top chefs share their signature dishes, cooking techniques and culinary secrets while empowering and improving your culinary skills,
- Well structured content and easy to navigate platform. Easily access each chef’s class from the top-down menu. All lessons are sequentially arranged with snippets and recipe details.
- Cinematic and immersive video lessons. The production quality is amazing with Netflix-like cinematic filming. The chefs’ captivating stories had us addicted from day one.
- Engaging storytelling teaching style. By combining storytelling, hands-on teaching and immersive lessons, YesChef makes it fun to learn to cook like a chef at home.
YesChef Cons – What Could Be Better
While great, the YesChef learning platform could benefit from a few improvements. It’s still a fairly new platform and changes are being made all the time.
- No possibility to stream the videos faster or slower. When cooking using the videos, it’s sometimes helpful to be able to control the pace of the video. The ability to speed up or slow down the online video recipes is currently not available.
- Slow to add new content. Some of the video courses from the renowned chefs were slow to be released early on. YesChef has improved though the information from Chef Dario Ceccini is incomplete.
- Slow Customer Support. We used the customer support function and while we got our answers, it took longer than expected. You may want to be a little patient when contacting the YesChef team.
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Review of 6 Specific Chefs Featured on Yes Chef
For this YesChef review, we provide an overview of five top chefs, what we liked and our experience making some recipes.
Jamie Oliver – Home Cooking
Famous in Britain, Jamie Oliver is now one of the most successful and world-renowned chefs around.
His TV show “Jamie’s School Dinners” led to the national campaign “Feed Me Better”, which focused on improving British school meals. As a result of the successful campaign, the British government agreed to increase the budget per school meal.
Beyond his advocacy and food revolution work, Oliver is also a champion at producing delicious, quick and easy recipes.
Jamie’s “Teaches His Home Cooking” course on YesChef is his first ever online cooking class.
His hands-on and immersive course focuses on “the simplest things done right.”
From baking bread, to making salads, pizzas and pasta, to cooking fish and roasting meat and grilling vegetables, this course brings Jamie’s expertise into your own kitchen.
In over 6 hours of teaching, spread across more than 20 lessons, you will learn at least 50 of Jamie’s rustic recipes. All brought to you in his passionate and friendly teaching style.
What We Like Best About The Jamie Oliver Class
Jamie’s personable demeanor and undeniable love of food practically jumps out of the screen during his lessons. This makes for a fun and inspiring cooking experience.
We made Jamie’s simple and sublime Greek Salad, which we then enjoyed as a lovely light lunch.
The recipe was easy to follow, and we appreciated Jamie’s explanations for each ingredient choice and technique.
We found his tip to score cucumber skin with a fork so that it absorbs more flavor from the herbs and oils particularly useful.
Jamie’s approach to cooking is really hands-on. You get your hands into the food you’re making: for example, mixing the Greek Salad with your hands and not utensils.
This style of culinary education allows you to really get to know the food you’re making.
What’s more, Jamie’s relaxed and chatty attitude is not as intimidating as some professional chefs which makes his course accessible to all levels of cooks.
Francis Mallmann – Argentine Cuisine
From his secret island in Patagonia, famed South American chef, Francis Mallman, sets the stage for teaching you “Seven Fires” cooking.
The pioneer of open fire grilling shows you how to recreate delicious Argentinian dishes at home.
Mallman’s course titled “At the Edge of Uncertainty” takes you on an adventurous and immersive culinary journey.
You will learn to make over 40 signature dishes including his tips and secrets in 27 lessons.
You start with specific cooking methods including the perfect ways to grill meat, potatoes, chicken, fish and vegetables.
You’ll also learn to make empanadas, dulce de leche crepes, eggs, fisherman’s soup and much more.
Before you know it, you’ll be able to sear, grill, blacken and season like an Argentinian pro.
Francis teaches in an engaging, poetic conversational style making you feel like you are having a one-to-one private cooking lesson.
What We Like Best About The Francis Mallmann Class
Listening to Francis Mallman took us back a few years to when we met Francis at his restaurant in Buenos Aires.
Just like when we met him in person, he draws you in with his engaging stories sprinkled with life lessons.
We made Francis Mallmann’s scrambled eggs recipe and enjoyed his tips and techniques for our favorite breakfast dish.
When teaching, Mallmann, talks directly to you on camera with inspirational and motivational stories.
We really appreciated his cooking tips from each lesson and practical advice on how to make them in a traditional kitchen.
It was also interesting to see his take on some Argentinian recipes we’ve written about such as chimichurri sauce, dulce de leche or Argentina milanesa.
Nancy Silverton – Californian Cuisine
Nancy, a five-time James Beard award winner, cookbook author and a Michelin starred chef takes you on her chef’s journey from Italy to California.
Nancy’s class titled “The Pursuit of Deliciousness” teaches you how ordinary ingredients can produce extraordinary flavors.
From her homes in Panicale, Italy to Los Angeles, California, you’ll discover her inspirational story and secrets learned over her culinary career.
Through documentary style storytelling, you enter Nancy’s world and meet her friends in over five hours of hands on teachings.
In 13 lessons covering 40+ recipes you’ll learn to make some of her signature dishes. You’ll discover the stunning simplicity of her favorite recipes like Chi Spacca pepper steak, caesar salad, roasted vegetable, Mom’s Apple Pie and many others.
She even devotes a session to teaching you about the legendary mozzarella bar from Osteria Mozza.
Nancy also covers tips for creating delightful family and dinner party meals including beautiful settings for gatherings.
What We Like Best About The Nancy Silverton Class
Nancy’s inviting and approachable personality comes across easily through her class and personal story.
Her teaching style, though, is a bit different from the other YesChef instructors as she doesn’t talk directly to the camera.
You’re invited into her kitchen where she is cooking along with another chef and friend.
What we really enjoyed are the spontaneous remarks and tips as she’s teaching and making the recipes.
From Nancy, we made her roasted eggplant recipe. We were in Sicily at the time and eggplants were in season, and we simply couldn’t resist making the recipe.
Overall, we enjoyed getting to know Nancy and learning how she got started with building La Brea Bakery in California.
Having recently explored the local food specialties in Sicily, Italy, we loved the juxtaposition between Italy and California.
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Erez Komarovsky – Middle-Eastern Cuisine
Erez Komarovsky, a top chef and award winning baker is referred to as the “Godfather of modern Israeli cuisine.”
His YesChef course titled “The Roots of Midle-Eastern Cuisine ” takes you on a delicious adventure from Tel Aviv to north Galilee.
From a master baker and chef who draws inspiration from the Levant region, Eastern Europe, the Mediterranean, and California you’ll learn cooking that is delicious and uncomplicated.
While Erez offers aspiring cooking enthusiasts 6.5 hours of cooking content, his videos are longer than those of other chefs.
You get 20 lessons covering 40+recipes and signature dishes including secrets and techniques to create flavorful foods at home.
The cooking classes are filmed in his gorgeous home kitchen in north Galilee. You learn to make challah bread, hummus mezze, several fresh salads, fish, meat and our favorite, a rustic summer cake.
Erez doesn’t simply teach you to make specific dishes but reveals methods, ingredients and their substitutions to make these meals flavorsome.
Before long, you’ll be baking your own challah bread or entertaining friends with the chef’s own fish or lamb kebab recipes.
What We Like Best About The Erez Komarovsky Class
We’ve been talking about visiting Israel and exploring the local food specialties but haven’t made it yet.
Through Erez it was wonderful to discover Isreali cuisine, the native ingredients and the influences that make up Middle-Eastern cuisine.
From the moment we saw the rustic summer cake recipe from Erez, we knew we had to make it. We made it with peaches and strawberries and it was simple and stunningly delicious.
We found Erez funny, highly entertaining and yet very precise in his teaching methodology.
One thing we especially appreciated was the simplicity of the recipes, his creativity and use of seasonal ingredients.
Asma Khan – Indian Cuisine
British chef and London based restaurateur, Asam Khan teaches you the intricacies of Indian and specifically Bengali cooking.
She takes you on a journey to Kolkata, India where you discover the Bengali region, her favorite foods and family recipes.
In her course titled “The Foods That Made Me”, Asma teaches you how to create amazing Indian flavors in your kitchen with spices and street foods.
The 14 classes covering 25 recipes, showcase everyday Indian foods like saag paneer, chicken korma and others.
You learn about flavor profiles, spice blends, various cooking techniques, and street foods as you discover Asma’s influences.
Through her engaging and hands on teachings, you’ll master how to cook a typical Indian spread.
Parathas, saffron chicken will be jostling for space on your kitchen table along with peas pulao and tarka dal. Sneak in a couple of delicious desserts, like ki kheer, or Indian rice pudding too.
What We Like Best About The Asma Khan Class
While we didn’t make any of Asma’s recipes, we loved learning about Indian culture, the cuisine while getting to know her.
Her teaching style is direct and she does a great job simplifying Indian cooking. We particularly like her tips about substitutions or things you can skip.
We both love Indian cuisine, and I have a particular soft spot for Saag Paneer. This is one of the featured recipes that I can’t wait to make in our kitchen.
Edward Lee – Southern-Korean Cuisine
Edward Lee, celebrated chef and James Beard author takes you on a culinary journey to Louisville, Kentucky.
In his video series titled “From Buttermilk to Bourbon” you dive into the Korean and Southern flavors that have influenced his cooking style.
A fascinating cinematic documentary story introduces you to Edward, his culinary career along with an intimate look at his home and family.
The 4.5 hours of video content are broken down into 12 videos and 35 recipes showcasing his signature dishes and recipes.
The recipes are reimagined classics with an Asian twist like fried chicken with gochujang sauce or oysters and grits. Kimchi gets its own session as does open fire grilling with Kalbi butter.
From his favorite flavor profiles to special techniques including fermenting, bruléeing, and cooking with bourbon, he reveals his secrets (well, most of them).
Taught in a casual style, from the backyard and his own home kitchen you’ll learn new flavor profiles and special techniques.
Fermenting, bruléeing and cooking with bourbon will stretch your culinary muscles.
What We Like Best About The Edward Lee Class
Not familiar with Edward, it was great to learn about him as a professional chef and his non profit, the LEE initiative.
Lee is very personable and approachable. His teaching style celebrates cultures and invites you to explore unique combinations of flavors in an accessible manner.
We’re particularly impressed by his Women’s Chef Initiative, a leadership program for women chefs.
While we enjoyed his cooking lessons, we were not particularly drawn to his recipes. That said, I’m really intrigued to try making kimchi and using Lee’s techniques to ferment any food type.
Is Yes Chef Worth It In 2024? Our Verdict
We quickly got addicted to YesChef and we think people who love food and cooking will love the YesChef platform.
The easy to navigate platform with inspiring stories and recipes taught by the world’s greatest chefs is truly remarkable.
The beautiful and inspiring videos go beyond simple recipes. They connect you to the personal lives of YesChef instructors as you see their kitchens, homes and daily lives.
Through the unique documentary style storytelling you are drawn into the chef’s world as you learn to make their signature dishes.
After watching the video lessons it’s impossible not to want to cook in your kitchen.
The recipes are original and unique to each chef. They are well explained, with ingredient lists and step by step instructions to easily recreate them at home.
The amazing caliber of world class international chefs combined with immersive video lessons make the YesChef course a must for food lovers.
That’s not to say that there is still room for improvement for the YesChef Platform. Getting faster answers from the support team and having a better view on new content releases would be a great start.
If you are still undecided, the 30-day satisfaction guarantee is a wonderful way to try it risk free.
YesChef Reviews From the Web
No YesChef review can be complete without considering the reactions of customers who bought a membership.
While this is a new platform, it has been getting good press and mostly positive responses on Trustpilot. Here is our take on reviews provided by Trustpilot about YesChef.
Two Main Criticisms From Negative Reviews
Disappointed home cooks have two main criticisms about the YesChef site.
Content Slow To Come Out
Some reviews point out that the new content takes a while to get added.
This might have been true for first time users. However, recently YesChef has added a lot of content and new chefs. Just going through Jamie Oliver or Francis Mallman’s recipes can keep you busy for a while.
That said, it is disappointing to see that Dario’s class section still remains empty. We haven’t heard any specific information on when the content will become available.
Recurring Charges
Some users have mentioned having difficulty canceling their subscriptions. Specifically pointing to recurring charges.
The best tip we can offer is to keep a copy of your confirmation page with your reference number once you make a purchase.
You have 30 days to try out YesChef and a 100% satisfaction guarantee.
Takeaways From Positive Reviews
As subscribers have pointed out, the positives are many. Apart from the big names involved, they appreciate the content, especially the variety of recipes and meal options.
Many loved the informal style of teaching and the cinematic effects.
The chefs and the site received kudos for the immersive content and accessible way of showcasing the food and recipes.
Many appreciated the feeling of being part of the cooking journey rather than being lectured.
Overall YesChef receives an excellent rating from TrustPilot with a score of 4.2 from 378 reviews.
Alternative Cooking Platforms
YesChef is a great investment to be able to wants to learn authentic and international dishes from the world’s best chefs.
But this review wouldn’t be the same without touching upon other cooking related online learning platforms.
In our opinion, Masterclass and Rouxbe are the two main alternative cooking platforms to YesChef.
YesChef vs Masterclass
MasterClass is a popular online platform that helps you upgrade a variety of skills. Masterclass also offers cooking classes taught by celebrity chefs, bakers and mixologists.
Chefs like Alice Waters, Gordon Ramsay, and Massimo Bottura share tips for sourcing ingredients, preparing the foods, and cooking their popular dishes from various cuisines.
The membership ranges from $10 to $20 each month with full access on one to six devices.
Masterclass is suited for those who are not so much interested in the storytelling style and prefer to learn new skills.
With Yeschef, the focus is on experimenting with newer dishes as much as on mastering the basics or useful cooking techniques.
I found that YesChef offers more in terms of actual recipes that you can recreate at home.
Overall, the Masterclass platform is great for those who want to broaden their knowledge in different fields in addition to cooking.
YesChef vs Rouxbe
Rouxbe is an industry-recognized and popular online cooking school.
They offer both individual lessons for enthusiastic cooks and certificate programs for aspiring professionals.
The subscription costs $79 per year with a 30-day free trial. You learn everything from knife cutting skills to making stock and meal prepping.
This platform is geared towards professionals in the culinary industry and those serious about advancing their culinary skills.
If you are looking for something more approachable and less formal, YesChef is definitely a better option.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Here are some of the most common questions people ask about YesChef. Find our answers below.
How Much Does YesChef Cost?
– 1 month – $29.99 per month + 30-day money-back guarantee
– 12 months – $12. 99 per month + 30-day money-back guarantee.
– Lifetime plan – a one time payment of $389 + 30-day money-back guarantee
Sometimes, YesChef offers pricing discounts up to 35% OFF
How Do I Cancel My YesChef Account?
You can cancel your YesChef account by contacting Support at [email protected] or via the help function on the YesChef app.
Can I Buy YesChef As A Gift?
Yes, you can buy YesChef as a gift. To do so, sign up with your email on yeschef.me. Mark “This is a gift” box on the checkout page. You will receive an email with a code to forward to your giftee. Once your recipient redeems their code, they can sign in to app.yeschef.me.
Can I Ask For A Refund?
Yes, you can request a refund if you are not satisfied within the first 30 days of your subscription.
Does YesChef Offer a Free Trial?
No, YesChef does not offer a free trial. Instead, they have a great 30-day money back guarantee. If you are not satisfied, simply request a refund within your first 30 days from the YesChef team.
Have you heard of Yes Chef cooking classes before? Based on this Yes Chef review, is it a platform you’d be interested in trying? Please let us know in the comments below.
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Claire is co-founder of Authentic Food Quest and a lover of simple and exquisite cuisine. Since 2015, with her partner, Rosemary, she has been traveling the world as a digital nomad, creating content about local food experiences.
Her advice from visiting 45 countries and more than 240 food cities has been featured in Lonely Planet, Business Insider, Honest Cooking, Food Insider, and Huffington Post. She has also co-authored three books, including one in collaboration with Costa Brava Tourism.
An ex-mechanical engineer, Claire is responsible for SEO, keeping the website running, and the fun food & travel videos on YouTube.
When Claire is not eating, she can be found running or cycling. Find out more about Authentic Food Quest
Based on this review, I purchased YesChef for myself and as a gift for a friend. The current content is pretty good. The Francis Mallmann content is by far the most compelling. Nancy Silverstein’s content is ok, a little self serving, and not great as a tutorial. The butchery segment in Italy is incomplete and has never been updated. They are SLOW SLOW SLOW to add content. Steve, the founder, answers mail, but they are SLOW to respond. And worst… they don’t update issues that are found to be wrong on the website. For instance, the empanada recipe by Mallmann is fantastic, but they leave out the onions on the ingredients list. I lived in Chile and knew what it should be, but the average viewer will not be making the empanadas as shown. There is a mention of 100g of spring onions, but this there should be an additional whopping 2 kilos of onions not listed. I let them know over a year ago and, while they said they would have the team look at it, they never fixed the error. The site does not have a way to print the recipes, so you are forced to open up the app and go through several steps to cook a recipe. All in all…. Love the quality of the videos, Like the content of some of the chefs, but don’t recommend this given the $180 price tag. It feels like they set it up and it is just a cash cow for them to bring in money while not actually running an up to date business.
Thank you Don for your feedback. And, agree with many of your comments. When we got started with Yes Chef, we were really excited about the program. Unfortunately, you are correct about the slow timing to upload content. We are due to update the article and we be making a note of some of these points. Thanks so much.
I’ve never heard of Yes Chef, but it looks like an interesting learning platform. I need to check it out.
It is new, Marta and pretty good with amazing recipes. Excited for you to check it out. Cheers.
What a neat service ! so so cool , thanks for sharing this
You are most welcome, Bella.
This is a interesting concept, we have been watching Julia on TV and it has that pioneering spirit of taking things into the future. I personally would like online cooking classes with more famous chefs like Rachel Ray, Alton Brown, Emeril etc.
The range of top chefs is quite diverse, Jen. So, you may get your wish in the future soon 🙂 The chef stories are quite inspiring!!
I think I’d give YesChef a try. I’m all for anything that can help out in the kitchen.
Lol….having the “chef” in your kitchen certainly makes things easier 🙂 Cheers
This is awesome for someone who loves doing cooking classes. I’ve never heard of this before! Great review
Thank you so much, Tisha. Glad you enjoyed learning about YesChef. Cheers
Never heard of Yeschef till today. I love shows like this with recipes from all around the world.
Thanks, Nadalie. It is both entertaining and delicious for sure 🙂
Such an interesting service, my dad loves to cook so I’ll definitely get it for hom
Great to hear, Mimi. Your dad will enjoy it for sure. Cheers
I can’t believe I’ve never heard of YesChef before. It sounds like such a great concept!
It’s not surprising, Heather, as YesChef is a fairly new platform. It is a delicious one worth getting to know for sure. Cheers