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Chiang Mai Province
San Sai
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Thai Secret Cooking School
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Thai Secret Cooking School

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See all things to do
Thai Secret Cooking School
5
515 reviews
#2 of 9 Classes & Workshops in San Sai
Cooking Classes
Read more
8:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Monday
8:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Tuesday
8:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Wednesday
8:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Thursday
8:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Friday
8:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Saturday
8:00 AM - 7:00 PM
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About
Hi I am May! I am the owner and have always been the only instructor at Thai Secret Cooking School & Organic Garden in Chiang Mai Thailand. I opened my home to host Thai cooking classes 10 years ago and have many more years of experience teaching Thai cooking to people from all walks of life. I am playfully strict when teaching my half menu and full day menu. I want my cooking classes to be fun, educational, entertaining, most importantly a positively memorable experience for everybody. If you are not already a Master Chef, you will not be a Master Chef after my class. My classes are for people to casually enjoy a day cooking with me and new friends. Thai Secret is in the San Sai district of Chiang Mai, about 20 minutes from the old city mote area. Included in the price of my class is round trip transportation from the downtown area and my school. Touring the local Thai market, my garden, your own copy of Thai Secret Cookbook. Hope to cook with you soon! May Owner operated every day:)
Suggested duration
More than 3 hours
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
5.0
515 reviews
Excellent
500
Very good
12
Average
1
Poor
1
Terrible
1
Richard V
Henderson, NV27 contributions
Fantastic experience!
Feb 2023
The class starts at a local market with the instructor May providing a detailed discussion of Thai ingredients including various types of rice. Did you know that some types of rice are aged? The class then continues at the home of May in rural Chiang Mai. A beautiful setting adjacent to rice fields. May has a large home garden where the students pick the ingredients they will use in their dishes. May and her husband go out of their way to provide a professional yet fun class. You are eating your dishes and are stuffed by the end of the day. They then provide you with your own cookbook printed that day with photos of the class. The price for an all-day class is more than reasonable but remember to bring cash as that is the only form of payment accepted. A special experience for foodies.
Written February 24, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Damien D
10 contributions
Excellent food, host & location!!
Feb 2023 • Couples
Best cooking class I've ever done. May is so enthusiastic, funny and sweet it makes the class fun, educational and a great all round experience. Perfect for couples or friends. Location is also excellent and food is authentic and expect to be completely full!
Written February 17, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Christopher R
15 contributions
Incredible!!!
Feb 2023 • Couples
This was one of the best experiences we had during out entire stay in Thailand! May and her team are absolutely wonderful and offer a fantastic experience... This is not a basic "learn how to make Pad Thai and Spring Rolls" type of class. We each learned how to prepare 5 dishes of our choice and it begins with what to buy at a local market and picking fresh ingredients from May's garden. If you don't do this, you're missing out.
Written February 17, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
dsamarin1
1 contribution
Highlight of my trip to Chiang Mai
Feb 2023
This was easily the single greatest thing I experienced while in Chiang Mai!

Who should do this: if you are a foodie, into cooking, into understanding flavor at a deeper level, into exploring different cultures, or like to understand culture through food.

Pro tip: Do this very early in your trip to Chiang Mai. At the start of mine, I wandered around the markets not knowing where to look or how to conduct myself. May is an excellent tour guide and explained so much about the markets and the stuff in them.

May is also an excellent chef! She understands flavor at a deep level, and doesn't only have recipes memorized. She can explain to you WHY and HOW you use certain ingredients and how to think about substitutions.

Finally, May is an excellent teacher! She communicates very clearly. She is funny and light-hearted, and isn't afraid to give you a ribbing when you do something dumb (like putting too much fish sauce in your panang curry).

I wish I had more time in Chiang Mai, I'd probably take her class again just for fun. Thank you May!
Written February 9, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Tiffany C
United States9 contributions
Extraordinary experience!
Feb 2023
May and her team are truly amazing, we learned a lot from May with tips and tricks to all the dishes we made. Especially she was living in US before and understand some of the ingredients cannot be found there, she provides us alternative to make sure we can recreate dishes at home.

Unlike other cooking classes, this is a whole day event that we can slow down and take our time to her organic farm to smell and taste all the herbs she grown, learned, and tried to cook the dishes in the authentic Thai way. Plus, the fun time we shared the dishes with all the ‘classmate’ and have a nice conversation with everyone all around the world.

This was the most memorable experience and I strongly recommend ‘Thai Secret Cooking School’ to everyone. I will say this is the No. 1 things to do in Chiang Mai’s that you should never missed!
Written February 9, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
garyypk
Hong Kong4 contributions
Happy day with Thai Secret Cooking school
Feb 2023
May is the excellent instructor and she is passionate on teaching and sharing for cooking! Not just Thai food, she also shared her secret technical on cooking food. It is full of fun day class. It just takes time and never rush for anything. The best part is using all ingredients from her organic garden. Everything is fresh and lovely.
We tried some half day class before. May's class is a whole day and you will enjoy every moment of the class!
Written February 9, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Lotte K
1 contribution
Lovely day
Jan 2023 • Friends
The whole trip was very well organized! We got picked up at our hostel and first went to the market to meet May. So energetic and enthusiastic, full of passion! The food was amazing and the group we were in was from all over the world and everyone was super nice! I really feel like a had good food AND good conversation plus a very relaxed vibe while everything was taken care off. Highly recommend! ❤️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Written January 30, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Ruth D
14 contributions
Absolutely fantastic day - not to be missed!
Jan 2023
This day definitely lived up to the hype! Mai is a cooking superstar and is charming, fun and a fantastic teacher. Our group had total newbies as well as folks who love and cook their own Thai food frequently. Mai tailored her instruction to fit everyone’s needs. She moved the day along at a great pace, but you don’t feel rushed at all. We loved her inside tips at the market and her garden is beautiful. OK - let’s get to the main reason we came - the food was to die for! Every single dish was scrumptious. Thank you Mai! And thank you Jason for the great pics and to the team. We’ll tell everyone we know not to miss a day at Thai Secret Cooking school.
Written January 13, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Thai Secret Cooking School
Thank you so much for coming and we are so happy to know you had a fantastic day and loved your food :) Have a great trip and see you next time! May
Written January 20, 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Brian R
6 contributions
Much more fun than I expected!
Dec 2022
This activity was great. My wife and I booked it for something to do in our last day in Chaing Mai. It was so much more fun than I expected it to be and would highly recommend it to anyone wanting to learn about Thai food. Not just how to cook it but all about the ingredients and the flavors. We cooked five dishes and spent the day laughing and eating. May is an amazing teacher and cook and she employs an awesome staff. I never imagined I would have so much fun cooking!
Written January 3, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Thai Secret Cooking School
Thank you for your review! and cooking with me on your last day in Chiang Mai! Now you have some good Thai cooking knowledge to bring back home. Thank you again and see you back soon :) May
Written January 20, 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Natalie G
2 contributions
Truly memorable cooking class
Dec 2022 • Couples
This was the most magical, memorable experience. Being able to experience a local market and learn about the foundational ingredients beforehand was very special. May is a very knowledgeable, patient, funny teacher and made the cooking feel seamless. Everything we made was delicious, and May provided everyone with enough tips and tricks to recreate dishes at home. May was also very understanding of others' food allergies and restrictions. Cannot recommend enough!
Written December 19, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Thai Secret Cooking School
I am so happy that you had such a great experience cooking with me! Thank you for taking the time to give me such a nice review! Hope to see you back again! May
Written January 20, 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
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Thai Secret Cooking School (San Sai) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go

Frequently Asked Questions about Thai Secret Cooking School
Thai Secret Cooking School is open:
  • Mon - Sat 8:00 AM - 7:00 PM