Il Laboratorio - The Cooking Lab -by Melina's Fresh Pasta
4.9★★★★★ · 67 Google reviews · 23 photos
Cooking school · Durham, NC
Il Laboratorio - The Cooking Lab -by Melina's Fresh Pasta at a glance
Reviewers frequently praise the knowledgeable instructors, clear instructions, and enjoyable group atmosphere, noting that detailed recipes are provided for home use. The school offers diverse cooking experiences, including fresh pasta, cannoli, and Italian cookies, with participants often eating their creations afterward. However, some customers report issues with classroom logistics, such as crowded tables, limited equipment, insufficient ingredients, and seating disruptions for late arrivals.
Google rating: 4.9 out of 5 from 67 reviews (93% five-star).
Reviews on this page: 67 Google reviews (61 with written comments, 9 with photos).
Owner responses: the business replied to 10% of reviews.
Most recent review: April 11, 2026.
Service: Cooking Class serving Durham, North Carolina.
Data from Google, last updated October 25, 2026.
Photos
Customer reviews
4.9
★★★★★
67 reviews on Google
5★62
4★1
3★3
2★1
1★0
Reviews from Google, shown as published (original wording, unedited).
JE
Jasmine E1 review
★★★★★
I attended this class solo and was excited to try something new, but my experience was thrown off by how seating was handled. I arrived on time, got settled, and had already started making my dough for the pasta and connecting with the person next to me when the instructor came up to me mid class and asked me specifically to move to the other side of the class so a late-arriving couple could sit together. An additional guest had also been allowed to join prior to the couple coming, which also interfered with the seating.
While I technically could have stayed, being put on the spot like that made it uncomfortable to say no without coming across as inconsiderate. It didn’t feel fair to be put on the spot in front of the entire class and singled out for attending alone to accommodate the couple, especially since I was on time and already engaged.
I was already out of my comfort zone trying a class as such solo and that moment really shifted my experience in a negative way and took away any interest in attending another class or even coming back with a guest. This could have been avoided with better seating planning or not overbooking the class.
Response from the owner · 6 months ago
Hello Jasmine - I am sorry about this - Someone brought an unregistered guest which makes things difficult. I would like to address this with you personally - please email [email protected]
Fresh Pasta classes are absolutely fabulous, fun, brilliantly led by skilled instructors, and so so delicious! THANK YOU! I will attend as many as I can in months to come :-)
This was my first class at Il Laboratorio, and I guarantee that it won't be my last!!!! Carmella is an experienced teacher and that shows in her thorough explanation of each step of the recipe. She not only tells about the where, why, and how of each recipe, but all of the love that that has gone into it over the centuries.
Carmella, I'll see you soon.
Jamie Forrester
Went for a team event, it was a great and enjoyable experience. Nice to get the very detailed recipes after class was over so we could take the experience home.
The Italian cookie class featuring instructions on making Anginetti (anise) cookies and hands on instruction making Amaretti cookies was wonderful. Daniella was great about giving tips on getting the Amaretti cookie dough to the correct consistency. This was the reason I took the class as I have ended up with tough cookies in the past. Great experience!
What a terrific class and venue! First time attending, but hopefully not the last. Our Instructor (Daniella) was calm, entertaining, knowledgeable and kept us on track. We had a group of 5 and all of us enjoyed the evening immensely.
