AWARDS & REVIEWS

TripAdvisor Award Traveler's Choice in 2020

Lonely Planet highly recommend in Thailand Guide Book 2020

チェンマイガイドブック

From the Saurce -Thailand
Authentic recipes

Google Reviews

Cooking class Chiang Mai by a local Chef Small House 料理教室チェンマイ

5.0

Based on 81 reviews

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Terence Poh

15:09 01 Jan 26

Highly recommend to engage Small House for a private Thai cooking lesson!

Chef name is Arm. He will pick up/drop off from our hotel. Part of the cooking experience is a visit to a local market to buy the basic ingredients to be used for the cooking lesson. Chef will explain to us the different types of fruits, herbs, spices, meat etc at the market, and it was definitely nice interacting and seeing the local’s way of life.

When we arrived at chef's Small House for the cooking class, everything was neat, clean and
efficient. Ingredients were laid out for each session and we just had to follow the simple instructions. A recipe book was given to us at the end of the lesson. Arm was also patient and encouraging along the way.

Truely enjoyed our 3 hours in his house learning to cook simple northern thai food. Do sign up with him!

Isil Tatlicioglu

05:51 29 Dec 25

I had the pleasure of joining Arm's cooking class during my Chiang Mai visit. Such a lovely experience! I was looking for a more genuine, hands-on class where I can really learn some tips and tricks about Thai cuisine, and I'm happy to have found what I want. Arm is such a nice and kind person, he explained all the dishes and gave us just enough direction during the class, and the small group (we were 4) made it feel really authentic. In total we cooked 5 dishes, the class took around 4 hours. Everything was well planned yet genuine, I can totally recommend if you're interested in joining an authentic Thai cooking class.

Jannika

13:41 11 Dec 25

I can highly recommend this cooking course! It was well thought through and felt really personal (max. of 4 people). Arm picked us up from our hotel and brought us to an authentic food market where we shopped a few items and tried some food. We then headed to his house and cooked some delicious Thai dishes and tasted local fruits and vegetables. At the end, we even got a recipe book to try replicate the meals at home. Arm is a great teacher and we enjoyed every minute of his class! Thank you so much, Arm! 🙃

Shane shaneshane

13:32 11 Dec 25

Great if you want an authentic hands on small group Thai cooking class.

Started the day going to a local food market to get the ingredients, we tasted 1 or 2 items there too

Then we went to Arm (the Chef)'s home to cook.
We tried lots of local fruits and herbs 🌿

Cooking began soon after with clear instructions.
We each had our own station to prepare the food and we're shown all the steps.

Everything was effectient and the kitchen setup was professional.

We used lots of local thai ingredients and the food turned out great under the chef Arms guidedance 👨‍🍳

You can spice the food to a level of your choosing

The room is air conditioned too, so its comfortable and not too hot

Questions are encouraged and Chef Arm is very knowledgeable.

Great experience 🍜

Laura Agnesina

01:08 09 Dec 25

Amazing cooking class! Arm is a great teacher and lovely person. We went to the market with him, he showed us different ingredients and made us try different types of streetfood. The cooking class then takes place in his home, a warm and welcoming place where we had an amazing time learning 6 different recipes of Thai and Northern Thai cuisine. With his assistant, the class is extremely well organized and goes very smoothly. Arm is very patient and you actually learn a lot. Everything was incredibly tasty and we will surely cook it at home again! We couldn’t recommend this class more, it’s a must-do!

Norm Strim

08:49 01 Dec 25

Having done classes in larger settings, we found Arm’s approach to teaching Thai cuisine a breath of fresh air. Four people per group, starting with a great market visit for fresh ingredients. The cooking was done in his home which made the experience quite relaxing. We cooked classic Thai recipes that were bursting in flavour in yet a light and simple way! Keep up the good work Arm and thank you for sharing your home and experiences.

Tom O'Hare

14:31 30 Nov 25

We thoroughly enjoyed our afternoon with Arm. He is a wonderful teacher who creates a calm, relaxed atmosphere and explains and demonstrates everything so clearly. We learned a great deal, not just about Thai cuisine and cooking techniques but also about Thai culture. We found this an amazing experience, from start to finish. The food we prepared was delicious. Highly recommended!

Katrin Ulrike Hofmann

08:32 25 Nov 25

Great cooking experience with Arm. We really learned how to make delicious north Thailand dishes. We could ask any questions and Arm explained a lot about the food and many more interesting information. Thank you!

Kateřina Marxtová

06:49 24 Nov 25

An absolutely incredible experience! Wherever we go now, we sing Arm's praises and do his PR for him, because this was absolutely the BEST cooking class ever. Arm was kind, patient and with a great sense of humour. He introduced us to Thai fruits, spices and methods of making the key Northern Thai dishes. We particularly enjoyed browsing through the market together, pointing out things and asking questions. It also wasn't one of the classes where you just chop ingredients and other people do the actual cooking - with Arm, we made our food from the beginning to finish, making us feel ever prouder. Just incredible. Thank you to Arm and to his assistant for the superb afternoon that we will remember forever!

Johana uhlířová

09:05 18 Nov 25

The cooking class was perfect. Arm is very kind and helpful. I think we couldn’t have chosen better. I highly recommend it!

Clara s

09:33 04 Aug 25

We had a wonderful day with Arm. It was a truly non-touristy experience — he made a real effort to introduce us to all the ingredients we were going to use in our cooking. He was attentive to all our needs, our tastes, and how much we wanted to eat. He bought all the typical Thai fruits for us to try.

His house is surrounded by fresh herbs and spices that he uses in his recipes. You can tell he’s genuinely passionate about what he does. He also gave us lots of great tips on what to visit and where to get an amazing Thai massage.

He took us to a local market where we bought all the ingredients together, with plenty of explanations along the way.

Highly recommended — we truly hope to see him again one day. He’s a fantastic person!

Ems Yensail

02:26 26 May 25

Great cooking class with Arm, who is kind and educational. After visiting the market, we went to his house to cook 7 different dishes (5 each). It was a great time, especially since there were only 4 of us. I recommend it!

sabine gaillard

02:44 14 May 25

I had a wonderful time with Pook Yves and his staff.
We were very well received, the quality, the good humor, and of course, the dishes were excellent.
Communicating with Yves via email was very simple and easy, even several months in advance. It was an unforgettable moment, and I'll be back as soon as I can.
Thank you 🥰

Miriam Rabacal

09:16 23 Apr 25

We had a wonderful experience! Arm is very friendly, leads the class with a very good pace, demonstrating the steps and explaining the ingredients. He never takes more than 4 people which created a perfect vibe. We loved cooking all the dishes and learning a lot about thai cuisine and ingredients. Speaking of ingredients, we visited a fresh market in the outskirts of chiang mai before the class, which was also a great experience as it was more spacious and less crowded than the markets in the old town. Arm showed a lot of interest in the food from our home countries as well, it was great to share the love for food among the 5 of us while enjoying the fruits of our labor in the kitchen. We will definitely take the learnings with us and recreate the recipes back at home. Khawp khun kha and bom apetite!

Alan Kerr

05:14 03 Apr 25

had a northern Thai cooking class today. I learned so much in the three hours. I was in the kitchen. We made individual courses and then sat down to eat straight away. I was stuffed, but couldn't resist finishing every dish. Arm, The instructor, is very talented and certainly knows his way around the kitchen. He was very patient and showed me lots of different techniques. Probably one of the best cooking classes I've ever done

Maddy Clarke

13:05 22 Mar 25

Arm did such a good job! Felt very authentic and local and gave us such a good experience. Would definitely recommend!

Anna Bettinazzi

07:59 14 Mar 25

Such a great, local and intime experience! Arm was nice and his house lovely. He explained also a lot about Chiang Mai and Thailand. We loved it! Thank you so much

Lia Verstraaten

13:37 22 Feb 25

Hi
It was really very nice and clearly friendly
Knie in particular did well for us and was very good!
I would definitely recommend this course to others!
Theej and Lia

Aleksander

03:24 20 Feb 25

Amazing classes with very nice chef. Max amount of people is 4 which is rare to this type of classes. Highly recommend, all the dishes was so delicious and easy to make.

Shaun Robson

07:28 10 Feb 25

We were keen to do a cookery course whilst in Chiang Mai. After looking at reviews we chose Arm's Small House. This was a great choice. Arm picked us up from our hotel and we picked up another couple before visiting the city's food market. Once our shopping of fresh ingredients was done we headed back to Arm's place where we were gently guided through 5 dishes, each preparing and cooking our own food. A wonderful experience. Thank you Arm.

Wiola Czerwinski

03:53 20 Dec 24

We had an amazing time! Arm took us to the market and explained all intricacies of thai ingredients, then we went to his house to cook. Very intimate experience as it’s max for 4 people, we learnt a lot and loved our time! Arm even gave us a cook book afterwards and shared many recommendations of places to see around

J B

03:12 11 Dec 24

Arm was so great! We had a blast learning about the local produce at the market and how things were processed for cooking/consumption. He was very knowledgeable and willing to answer any/all questions we had about food and anything in general.
The cooking was simple yet comprehensive and all our dishes turned out well, hopefully we'll be able to bring some of the great tastes of Thailand home with us! Arm's cookbook as a bonus!
I was also very impressed he spoke very good English and seemed to know Japanese well.
It was also quite nice he picked us up and dropped us off at our hotel.

Tripadvisor Reviews

					  This was the best cooking class I’ve ever taken. Arm (Nitipong Moong-njern), the instructor, is a culinary school graduate who worked in a 5* restaurant but chose the more intimate... read more setting of his home for teaching. He picked us up at our hotel and then took us and another couple to a morning produce market. There he explained what we were seeing, informing us how to pick produce at its peak, as he picked out the foods we were going to learn how to cook. He’s Eco-conscious, bringing his own containers and returning the little plastic bags offered by the venders. His house is adequately equipped with six burners in the kitchen even though he specializes in group sizes from 2 to 4. His helper prepped all the food and cleaned up afterwards.  We each made our version of the six or seven on the menu which is so much better than being part of a team and only knowing a part of the process. 

Arm is a great teacher, demonstrating techniques before expecting us to do them. He was always near, offering feedback and assistance in the most positive way. He’s traveled around Asia sampling other cuisines, and he asks interested, friendly questions of us. Often there is a little chuckle to his language revealing to me a happy, contented person. At the end, he gave us his full color cookbook which we will treasure. A day well spent in ChiangMai!				
Feenixwest
December 19, 2019 

					  My brother and I went on a food-focused adventure through Southeast Asia and both agree that the food we cooked with Arm was the best food of the whole trip... read more - and we ate at places with Michelin stars! Arm was an excellent instructor, so friendly and inviting, generous with his time and very willing to share, explain, and answer questions. We thoroughly enjoyed both the experience and the food and would highly recommend spending a day with Arm in his home! Arm offers a wide range of classic Thai cooking options. We took the Northern Thai course and it was delicious! The whole experience was so great, I may have to make a trip back to take the rest of Arm's courses!				
patrickmiles
January 14, 2019 

					  Arm was a fantastic chef and host. This was the first thing we did after arriving in Thailand, and two weeks later it's still our favorite experience. Highly recommended.				
982erina
June 14, 2019 

We offer Signature Thai cooking dishes , Northern Thai cooking, Private Thai cooking, Vegetarian Vegan Thai cooking, Pescetarian(fish&shrimp), Gluten-free Thai cooking, Evening cooking class. You can see all Cooking courses on this page.

Nam Prik Noom – grilled green chili dip น้ำพริกหนุ่ม

Nam Prik Noom or Nam Prik Num is a grilled green chili dip. “Nam Prik”...

Nam Prig Ong – pork tomato chili dip น้ำพริกอ่อง

Nam Prig Ong or Prig Ong is the Northern Thai pork tomato chili dip. “Nam...

Celadon pottery – high-fired stoneware เครื่องเคลือบศิลาดล

Celadon is a kind of high-fired stoneware with a wood ash glaze by a traditional...

Yum Ba Muang – young green spicy mango salad ยำบ่าม่วง ต๋ำบ่าม่วง

Yum Ba Muang is a young green spicy mango salad. “Yum” means to mix and...

Tum Ba Khua – grilled long eggplant/aubergine chili dip ต๋ำบ่าเขือ

Tum Ba Khua or Tum Ba Khuea is the grilled long eggplant/aubergine chili dip. “Tum”...

Abb – grilled herb meat chili paste wrapped in banana leaves แอ๊บ

“Abb” which means to wrap with banana leaves in a rectangular shape is the grilled...

Jin Som – fermented pork จิ๊นส้ม

Jin Som is the Northern Thai fermented pork wrapped in banana leaf. “Jin” means meat(pork...

Khao Tom Madd dessert- steamed sticky rice with banana & bean ข้าวต้มมัด

Khao Tom Madd is a dessert made with sticky rice, coconut milk, sugar, banana, bean...

Coconut milk – กะทิ

...

Saa Yod Makham – young tamarind leaves spicy salad ส้ายอดมะขาม

...

Khao Rat Gaeng cafeteria- ready to eat rice with curry restaurant ข้าวราดแกง

Khao Rat Gaeng is a Central Thai and Southern Thai style fast food resturant which...

Cooking Classes

Payments (You can just pay me on a cooking day)
1. Cash 教室の日現金で払えます。
2. Credit Cards VISA MASTER JCB UnionPay

Student Discount
A gap year – 100 Baht discount : get a Thai food cooking skill during a gap year in Chiang mai
Student under 22y – 100 Baht discount : learn to cook Thai food during your school break

Chat with me via WhatsApp or FB Messenger or LineApp
or E-mail me : ThaiFoodWorkshop@gmail.com
or call me (sometimes I’m busy) : (+66) 09-567-44550

Cooking Class with Local Chef Chiangmai