Meetup Ratings and Featured Comments
Number: 221 recent ratings
Average:
"This meetup was excellent! Tons of great food and people!"
"I haven't been to any other meetups with this group yet."
"Cooking is a fun activity to share with others, and there's always tips to learn. I've gotten a lot out of the two sessions I've attended. Learning, fun and food!"
"A great opportunity to meet new people while giving back to the community"
"I'm loving all these events and the turnouts are just growing! I'm looking forward to the future events and meeting more of our members."
"Joelen's events are ALWAYS fun, phenomenal and fabulous!"
"Great, fun group of people. Joelen is very creative and offers unique venues."
"Easy way to meet others, in a comfortable atmosphere."
"Good food and friendly people."
"It's fun with food, what more can I say?"
"There is always a great variety of people and interesting food choices."
"Joelen puts a lot of care and thought into her events and is a gracious hostess."
"The venue was conducive to getting to meeting others."
"New experiences!"
"It was a great event and we had a lot of fun. The host and hostess were awesome and did such a great job with everything. I would highly recommend this group."
"definitely will attend more events with this group!!"
"Joelen is an incredible person and very organized. I learn many things at each meetup and have a good time too!"
"Friendly people and interesting conversations about food and plans for next adventures."
"The nice thing about meetup groups is that you have something in common with the members and so it's easy to go from there."
"Because there is soo much more to learn than just the basics."
"Joelen rocks. She is a great hostess."
"Joelen makes all the meetings warm and welcoming."
"Great way to share recipes"
"Great and diverse group of people"
"Fun!"
"I had a great time at the event! Joelen was really organized and so sweet to host us in her home. I shared my cake for Easter dinner and everyone thought it was so yummy. Thanks Joelen!"
"Events are always well organized and fun - a great group of people and Joelen is amazing!"
"This my first meetup with this group and I was thoroughly impressed. Everything was well organized and ran like clockwork, considering there were about a dozen people in attendance (and another dozen scheduled to arrive a few hours later.) Joelen was a wonderful hostess who made everyone feel welcome and was a geat instructor, giving us lots of fun ideas for decorating cakes. All the other folks there were very nice as well, always fun to learn about others. It is remarkable that Joelen goes through all this effort for little in return!"
"Wonderful food, friendly people and an excellent host and her husband!!"
"Great food, great people."
"See above"
"I cannot wait for the next meeting I am able to attend."
"I will definitely attend more events with this group."
"great group of people"
"Look forward to seeing folks again!"
"Active group, interesting conversation"
"Joelen is a knowledgeable, lovely person that is truly interested in providing a good experience for everyone. Looking forward to attending more events in the future!"
"Joelen is the best, she is really passionate about cooking and it shows!!!"
"It's great."
"Very friendly"
"I will definitely be an active member of this group. The people are fun, interesting and friendly. Joelen takes pride in her passion for food and it shows."
"Great people all the time....can't wait for the next one."
"I am going to become a regular! Nice bunch of people."
"Friendly group."
"Overall, it was a good experience. Thanks for the opportunity!"
"This is the one meetup I am religious about attending. How can you not love great tasting food?! The food is great at these events! I'm never disappointed and always leave with a few good cooking tips/tricks and/or recipes."
"It was nice to finally get out and meet some new people although we all kinda bailed after 45 minutes as it was freezing cold! See you all soon."
"I'm sticking with this one for sure!"
"Joelen rocks!!!"
"Joelen is a great hostess and organizer! Come join the fun!"
"Thanks for organizing, Joelen!"
"Great people. Lots of interesting chats and discussions and over all group effort. "
"Great people!"
"A fun and dynamic group of Chicago foodies!"
"I don't want to say too many good things because I don't want future events to sell out before I can sign up. : )"
"Wonderful group of people"
"Great People"
"Nice group of people. Hope to come to another meetup group soon."
"Without fail I keep looking forward to event after the other. "
"This was my first event - everyone was super friendly. I haven't attended any of the other "eating" events because I recently decided to go Vegan and I feel like I'd be a burden to other foodies :) but when I mentioned it at this event, everyone seemed very interested in it and thought that it could be incorporated, so I didn't feel like such an outsider. That was so sweet. Joelen seems the prefect organizer - everything ran very smoothly and everyone, I believe, felt included and important. Thanks to all!"
"A great group with the opportunit to meet a lot of very nice people."
"IT'S BEEN NICE TO GET A GROUP OF PEOPLE TOGETHER FOR SOME GOOD CONVERSATION AND JUST HAVING SOME FUN. THE ATMOSPHERE WAS COMFORTABLE AND DOWN TO EARTH."
"Love the group wish I could have met you all. Please contact me if you want to have your own Pampered Chef party. www.pamperedchef.biz /michelr"
"Great Group!"
"Cant wait for the next event!"
"I Got a lot of great deals."
"Wonderful people, I'm looking forward to the next event!"
"joelen is a superb hostess...but love to see her in action in the kitchen one day too!"
"Simply great."
"Absolutely great meetup group, and Joelen is so organised and friendly. I recommend this to meetup to all novice and experienced cooks!"
"Looking forward to more events about the joy of cooking!"
"This was my first Meetup experience and so far it's good. I'm looking forward to my next experience."
The What's Cookin Chicago Meetup Group was created because oddly, there wasn't any similar active groups in Chicago at the time. Aside from that, cooking/baking classes in the area didn't allow much time and/or hands-on interaction at an affordable price. As a result, I wanted a cooking/baking group that would foster learning in the kitchen coupled with the opportunity to improve my own cooking/baking skills with other everyday folks like me.
Chicago is a city that is rich with diversity and cuisine and I definitely want to take advantage of it. ... as I'm sure many others do too. So if you like cooking, baking and/or just participating in food related events, come join me in my culinary adventures! It doesn't matter what skill level you're in either. This group applies to those new in the kitchen to seasoned chefs who want a group to share their experiences and knowledge....and everyone in between who just love cooking and baking.
You can find descriptions of our various monthly events HERE.
To see the things we have done in the past few months, check out THIS PAGE.
We even have our own What's Cookin Chicago COOKBOOK!
If you are on FACEBOOK, you can also join our group here!
FEES & PAYMENTS
-- Fees, if any, for attending a meet-up will be minimal (0-$30) to cover food and/or supplies costs. This is also non-profit group.
-- As all food and supplies are purchased before the Meet Up events, advance payment is required via PayPal. Event fees must be submitted thru Paypal no later than 72 hours prior to the event or as specified in the event. Any RSVP without payment in the time specified will be removed. Payments received for "no shows" and cancellations occuring within the 72 hour window are nonrefundable.
-- If you prefer not to use Paypal, please email me to make other arrangements for payment (ie: mail check or payment at event)
-- Payments made, but resulting in last minute cancellations or "no shows" are non refundable.
RSVPs
-- We currently have over 800 members. When you see a meet up scheduled you want to attend, its best to RSVP immediately as they fill up very quickly.
-- It's important to update your RSVP if your plans change.
-- If you rsvp "yes" but haven't paid within 24 hours from when you RSVPed, your reservation will be removed.
-- It isn't necessary to rsvp No to any event EXCEPT if you wish to be placed on the "waiting list". Simply state in the comment section to be placed on the wait list. You will be notified as openings occur.
VENUES
-- A day prior to an event, a detailed email will be sent to those who have RSVPed. This email willl include venue directions via car & public transportation, as well as parking info if applicable.
-- With the varied events offered, some events are held in the same private location (cooking classes, potlucks, Wine & Dines, etc)
-- Parking at the private location is easy and abundant along the street in a residential neighborhood. The neighborhood requires permit parking stickers, however as my guests, those driving will receive guest parking passes for events that go beyond 6pm. No guest parking passes are needed for events held prior to 6pm.
CONTACT ME
My phone number is always posted on the event page for your convenience.
My contact info can be found if you click on my photo avatar.
Hope to have you join in the group's monthly events soon!
~ Joelen