Kimberley Chocolates

5

We had a great time making perfume for my 40th Birthday. Our teacher Joseph was lovely and very informative. I highly recommend this place for a perfume workshop.

5

Our a Table for Six members enjoyed the Fragrance Class on Saturday afternoon. They said it was a lot of fun and very interactive with a great teacher.

5

The teacher was very warm and pleasant and we had a lot of fun during the activity. But I feel we should’ve done a lot more for the price we paid. But over all a great experience

5

My daughter and friends had the best time at this class with Joseph for her 11th birthday. An interactive fun class !!

5

I enjoyed the practical lessons of chocolate making and look forward to putting my new knowledge into practise .

5

My daughter’s 12th birthday party at Kimberley Chocolates was a great success. The kids enjoyed making their chocolates and freckles and were delighted with being able to take their creations (over 20 of them!) home. Joseph was a lovely and patient host.

5

Very fun class, Joseph and Connie are both very lovely people. Not to mention the chocolate is just simply amazing!

5

Joseph made the class fun and informative. The chocolates turned out to be very tasty and full of flavour. Class recommended for anyone looking to learn how to make chocolates!

Anita

5

My 10yr old daughter and her friends said it was the best bday party ever.

5

A wonderful experience. Learned so much and enjoyed the chocolate making and tasting. Would highly recommend this class.

2

Poor location for a work shop as everything looked like it was dirty (rotting flowers in one corner attracting tiny flies, the mould most people used was not clean). Exposed wiring didn’t make the place very nice - or safe looking.
Instructor was too eager to step in and “help” which meant you didn’t get to do a lot yourself. You had no choice in which mould you were using (it was advertised there would be a choice) and no choice in filling.
There was no talk about tempering chocolate (let alone doing it) and the fillings were already made so really the class didn’t make you feel like you come away with any skills to be able to make things at home. Even the final product didn’t look that great (isnt tempered chocolate suppose to have a gloss/gleam to it - this doesn’t).
There was a lot of standing around waiting for other members to have their turn.
Someone turned up late and was given a box of chocolates which was comprised of a collection of all the other participants chocolates AND gets to come back to do the course again. There was no asking if this was alright, it was just presumed. The instructor even made his own batch, why he couldn’t have donated his ones to the late comer was a mystery?
Overall not worth the money and a big waste of time if you are actually attending to learn something. If you want something to do for 2 hrs where you personally don’t do much and walk away with some chocolates maybe this is for you.

Response from the teacher: I am sorry you did not enjoy our class, however please note:

- The factory is in Lilyfield 10 minutes from the CBD. It has stainless-steel benches, tiled floors and white tiled walls, all cleaned, and regularly inspected by the food authority and local council. On the day you attended there was a bunch of basil used for a previous class that was slightly wilted. To my knowledge there were no fruit flies.
- I always help the participants for the first time however, I allow them more freedom the second time.
- We had a class in the morning, where the participants used some of the moulds. The moulds were not dirty but as some of them had been used previously, they had a layer of cocoa butter still in them. The advantage of couverture chocolate is if the moulds have been used the thin layer of cocoa butter that is left on the mould allows the ease of release of the chocolate and the chocolate comes out of the mould easier. This I explained to the class.
- We always allow three ganaches for the participants to use as fillings and everyone has

5

Pretty fun and informative. We all got a chance to try making chocolate hands-on and got some helpful tips for practising at home.

5

Enjoyed playing with chocolate. Joseph was excellent and so do the other participants. A memorable experience.

5

Joseph was a great teacher. The group was very happy with this workshop. It was fun and great to take home 2 bottles of fragrance that we personally blended ourselves. Expect a lot of fun more than learning about making perfume. Joseph does give a background to perfume history and touches on the top, heart and base notes but its only a 2 hour class and most of that time appropriately goes into the blending process. Joseph will help with the end product if it needs a little more of this or that. Fun and interesting!

4

A very friendly and relaxed atmosphere. Gorgeous gourmet chocolate used with expert guidance and advice.

5

Joseph is very knowledgeable and generous with his knowledge. He has a great interest in chocolate but also teaching. The class was not too fast which gave me time to talk to the other participants. I’m thinking about doing the class again just because it was so much fun. And you come home with a STACK of chocolates!

2

Joseph was charming but I felt I didn’t really learn anything new and I didn’t like the fact that most of the “oils” used were synthetic. I was not sure why there were premade fragrances eg Arpege to,which we added more oils.
The venue was nice with easy parking in the surrounding streets.

5

It was a Christmas treat for my 9 year old grandson- we both really enjoyed it.

5

We had a work team building day at the Chocolate workshop and Joseph made it a very fun day.
Venue was easy to find and good street parking available. Our chocolates turned out beautiful and it was a lovely treat to take home to family and friends. Thank you from the Gilbarco team.

5

Joseph knows his stuff! He was patient and so willing to share his passion. The class was very engaging and lots of fun!

5

A great way to spend a Friday night. Learnt a brief history on perfume then the rest of the night was spent making your own personalised scents. I wore one of my creations and have had a few compliments already! Thank you for a great workshop.

5

The class was so much fun! Joseph is informative, lovely and super helpful in defining my 2 perfumes. We got to take home 2 bottles of our own signature scent!

5

An enjoyable experience - and learned a lot too. A great way to celebrate a birthday, friendship, Valentines Day or simply an afternoon with an old friend and making new ones.

1

While Joseph was perfectly nice I was hugely disappointed with this workshop and I thought it was very expensive for what it was. I paid $100 for this class because I genuinely wanted to learn something about how to make perfume not to just throw a bunch of scents together in a bottle and hope for the best.
The class was poorly conceived - we weren't educated about how scents fall into different categories e.g. floral vs woody vs oriental, nor were we given any guidance on which scents worked well together, nor were we advised on ratios or volumes. The only scent mentioned was Jasmin and that because it was very strong to only add one drop at a time. Well what about the others?
Most of us needed to get our perfumes 'fixed' which was not surprising because we were adding in scents based on how each one smelled, not on how it would work with another scent. We queued for Joseph's help and invariably we were told to add one of his pre-mixed perfumes. Or he would say: "Do you know what you put in there? You need to repeat it." The answer is no because a) we weren't told to keep a track of what we were doing, b) weren't advised to bring a notepad and pen so that we could keep track and c) essentially told at the start of the class that ratios etc didn't matter.
The class also lacked structure and organisation. There were 13 or 14 students - too many for us to all comfortably have access to the table and scents. I'd recommend putting the base notes, heart notes and top notes on different tables so that they don't get mixed up and it would allow for better movement of people.

5

This class was so much fun, Joseph is so well knowledged about perfume and made it interesting and enjoyable. Thank you so much!

5

Thoroughly enjoyed workshop. Joseph provided some interesting knowledge and background to fragrances. The workshop was enjoyable, creative and very hands on. I’m eager to book in again. James

5

Hi Joseph,

Many thanks for such an enjoyable class. We love the fragrances we created. The setup was smooth with just enough people in the class to allow movement all around the tables.

3

Soooo much waiting around doing nothing. 20 people in the class, twice what would’ve worked well I think. Came home with one small box of chocolates, had one tiny cup of hot chocolate, and 4 small strawberries dipped in chocolate. Just felt like we did nothing for more than 3/4 of the time we were there. People left the group to sit and play on their phones!! Had to get dinner afterwards as we were starving.

5

The class was very nice. Joseph is a great teacher. He and his assistant Connie are very knowledgeable. I really enjoyed my time there and also learned a lot.

4

Excellent. Enjoyed every minute. I was waiting to find a teacher and Joseph was very good. I will recommend to anyone interested.

4

This was really fun. The pace of the class was a little slow for me but it was fun. I was on my own and felt fine without having a friend there. Left with lots of chocolates and great skills I can use at home.

5

The class was informative, fun and the chocolate was delicious, we made lots of chocolate truffle balls & chocolate ganache which we were able to take home and share with our friends & family who were very impressed.

5

Joseph and Connie are really great hosts. We had lots of fun and eat very tasty chocolate.

5

I got this workshop as a birthday present and I was not let down! Joseph was informative, bubbly and took the class to a new level - a proper teacher makes all the difference and he certainly made the drive from Canberra worth it. The venue was clean, large and workable for what we were doing. The treat of Turkish Delight upon arrival was also appreciated!

Although I didn't purchase this course for myself I still think it was worth the money and would buy it again and would buy it for someone else. I went with another family member but we met some lovely people so I think it is also nice to go solo and meet new people in a friendly environment.

I learnt a lot about the history of fragrance, and what scents go well together and what may be too potent. Not only did I leave knowledgeable but I left with two custom bottles and I now get complimented daily on my creations.

A charming experience which I highly recommend. Thanks Joseph you were fabulous!

4

I’m really happy with the fragrances but would have been better to have less people as it was too crowded.

5

This course was very fun. The class was full of a mixture of couples, friends and family (like in my case!). The teacher explained everything very well and I liked that we all had the chance to use the professional chocolate making machines for the experience but they also told us how to make the chocolate at home without all the equipment. The chocolate also ended up being some of the best I have ever had!

4

Great class! Was really happy with the end products. Very friendly teachers and was a very informative class.

5

Great teacher, welcoming environment and lots of fun. Will recommend to friends and family. Thanks.

4

Good class, took my niece as a birthday present, she loved it! only thing to change would be to have a smaller class.

5

Awesome hands on class! Joseph was a great facilitator and very knowledgeable about blending fragrances.

5

Great class! Both Joseph and Connie were very knowledgeable and accommodating. Would highly recommend to all.

5

Great class , fun environment and enjoyed the whole process of making chocolates from A to Z ... highly recommended for anyone who loves chocolates and wants to learnt the history and hands on approach of how to make it .. this could be something really interesting ....

5

Loved the class! Our instructor Joseph was extremely knowledgeable and kind. Got to make some amazing perfumes , I made one scent for my partner and one for myself . We loved every second of it !

5

Although late the class was set out to simplify the creation process in stages the paper given out helped us map out the quantities of each scent with ease. I thoroughly enjoyed the turkish delight ans was amazed we got to take home 2 bottles and create different scents.

5

Loved the class. Wish there were more location options maybe say Parramatta?

Good amounts of materials maybe could've had some more niche ingredients but overall great variety.

Very good value for money and the instructor was very lovely and extremely knowledgeable.

Labelling on ingredients could have been better, more scientific descriptions as options for more learning.

Would recommend to others.

5

Joseph is a lovely teacher and very helpful. He made sure we went home with a perfume we were happy with. Thank you for a great class.

5

Incredible fun! Thank you for such an amazing event and making my mum’s birthday so much fun

4

The teacher was easy to speak too easy to understand. A bit more hands on would have been better so each of us having our own equipment and following teacher. The area was not as clean as it should have been mostly the floors but over all I did feel worth the knowledge gained, the information given. In end we all did take a lot of made chocolate home.

5

Great, ebjoyable class. Both teachers were very helpful. Had a blast, would happily go again.

5

My friends and I really enjoyed this experience! Joseph was an excellent guide and is very knowledgable. He helped each and every one of us along the way to make sure we were happy with the final product. The whole class was lots of fun and it's quite special to have our own unique fragrances at the end of it.

5

My friends and I really enjoyed this experience! Joseph was an excellent guide and is very knowledgable. He helped each and every one of us along the way to make sure we were happy with the final product. The whole class was lots of fun and it's quite special to have our own unique fragrances at the end of it.

5

Had a great time at the make your own fragrance workshop!!!. For me there was a good balance of theory and just getting in there and having a go. While the workshop is all about being creative some kind of guidance on what groups of fragrances we had would have helped too.

5

My friend and I had a terrific time with Joseph in the workshop! So much fragrances, so much fun, and Joseph has so much knowledge and experience to share! No questions is ever too hard for Joseph to answer, and there is no stuffed up that he can't fixed either (provided that we follow his instructions to begin with). The only suggestion is perhaps, to have a smaller class size or a support person, as Joseph tried so hard to give his attention to everyone of us, but overall, it was a great day and we enjoyed it so much!

4

Good stories, tasty treats but a little slow on the pacing/too much time spent standing around.

5

The teacher was engaging, highly knowledgeable, and explained everything very well. Would definitely recommend this class to others.

5

What a great class. Joseph was excellent with the kids and to do a class with all the professional kitchen equipment was fantastic. Highly recommended.

4

Joseph was very knowledgeable and clearly knows a lot about fragrance however the class size was far too big. It felt a little chaotic with 18 people trying to create their signature fragrances. Some structure and concise content would help Joseph keep the class on track.

5

The teacher was very friendly and engaging. The workshop was very enjoyable and a great group activity.

3

I recently attended the perfume making class . It was a pleasant experience and we had plenty of time to experiment and mix our own perfumes. Cute little bottles to take home. I would have liked more tuition to understand the fundamentals of making perfume and a more orderly process of blending different components to achieve the desired outcome

5

From the moment we walked into the workshop, our teacher Joseph was very welcoming and friendly. We booked the chocolate truffle workshop as a team bonding activity. It was great to get out of the office and get deliciously messy! My team and I enjoyed every moment. Joseph incorporated learning into the workshop by sharing some history and facts about chocolate and of course the practical/fun side of creating and EATING the yummy chocolate. GREAT value for money, thank you!!

5

Joseph is a lovely teacher. He let us play around different fragrances and fixed us up when we were not sure what to mix or match. He is very approachable and have a lot of knowledge about perfume. I have no doubt to recommend his class to anyone. Have fun x

5

Joseph was very knowledgable not only on chocolates but most aspects of food and food sciences. Great class to be in, lean venue, everything supplied and come away with a box of chocolates to share with my friends.
I recommend anyone wanting to play with chocolates a home take this course.

5

Excellent course for people skilled in the kitchen or just chocolate lovers. Joseph and Connie were excellent teachers and made the whole class interactive and fun.

5

Great teacher, lots of fun!! The kids loved it, was a lovely activity to do together

5

Joseph was fantastic! We loved learning about the history of chocolate and it was a really fun atmosphere!! Thank you!

5

Class was fantastic! I learned so much and came away with some great scents. Thanks Joseph.

4

I loved the perfume making class. Our teacher Joseph was very knowledgeable and helpful and encouraged us to experiment with all the scents. I made my own perfume and am so pleased with how it turned out. Since wearing my own personalized scent, I have had many compliments on its fragrance, which lasts for hours.
Making perfume is a complex art but it was so enjoyable smelling the different aromas and trying to mix them into our own personalized scent. It was a lovely way to spend 2 hours and I would certainly do this class again.

4

Joseph was a lovely person to work with for my signature scent workshop. The workshop was very popular and sold out quickly. Thank you.

5

Loved Joseph’s enthusiasm and energy. He was a great teacher with a personal touch for all his students.
Was pleasantly surprised not just by the workshop but Joseph also provided history and chocolate snacks to complete the whole experience.

5

My daughter loved it, very clean venue and Joseph is very knowledgeable, weall learnt a lot from him. Fun class

5

It was a really fun workshop! We got to make a few different flavours and everyone got to take a whole heap of chocolates home for our families. The instructor was really nice and taught us about a lot of interesting chocolate history.

5

A wonderful Fun Chocolate Truffle Workshop! Joseph was great, the chocolates we made were absolutely delicious and I now know more about my favourite food. I will be recommending it to everyone.

4

Great day. Informative in both techniques, “tricks of the trade” and the history of chocolate. Joseph made the class fun and interactive. Will be back for the session on how to make chocolate. Thanks Joseph

5

Joseph was very knowledgeable about perfume making and he kindly helped everyone in the class achieve the best scent possible.

5

The venue is good clean and tidy , Joseph is very informative all the question has been answered and very helpful

5

Such a fun night! And I will never forget that amazing hot chocolate either !! Joseph was awesome and had so much knowledge too

4

Fun and interesting afternoon with some delicious chocolates to take home. If you love chocolate you will enjoy this.

5

This was a fun class and the chocolates were very tasty. Overall a great way to spend an afternoon.

5

Good class, had lots of fun and happy with the 2 bottles I mixed! Very knowledable and patience teacher. Highly recommended!

5

Great informal class setting, Joseph was great at explaining concepts and ideas on the best way to add flavours, make the chocolate ganache etc. I loved the experience and its something I can now do at home. I would definitely recommend the course for any chocolate lover.

5

This class was a wonderful experience. Joseph, the teacher was awesome. The venue was easy to locate and was perfect. The class was really good value for money. I went with no idea about chocolates and learnt so much. I am so glad I took this class. Thanks, Joseph!

5

We made ganache-filled chocolates in molds. We learned about the origins of chocolate and the coco bean, and also, the different types of chocolate. We enjoyed a sample of rich hot chocolate and ganache.

Our teacher, Joseph, was engaging and accommodating, particularly for the children in the presence of a large adult group. He explained concepts very clearly and was very helpful. It was obvious that he clearly enjoys what he does. Connie was also wonderful and very personable.

Great care was taken in encouraging proper safe food handling. I would go again, but next time, for the longer course.

5

Joseph was amazing! He always had a smile on his face and endless patience for every person in the class. It was an amazing environment and Joseph’s brief history of perfume was very informative. Thank you so much!

5

Really enjoyed this unique class - learnt a lot & came out with some lovely perfume. Thank you Joseph for setting us off on a new olfactory journey!

5

Teacher was awesome, was very knowledgeable and the class was fun! would highly recommend to others.

5

Joseph is a very charismatic, knowledgeable leader. It very interesting to learn the process of making perfumes. Most importantly, we had so much fun in the process! A great way to spend a Saturday.

Thanks Jo!

5

Great class. Joseph is very knowledgeable and it was lots of fun. I would highly recommend.

5

Amazing class and great way to introduce yourself to how cologne is made. Thank you for your time today, I just wish you had a second advanced class!

Thanks again,
Blane

4

Joseph is a lovely man. Helpful full of history. A little confusing but a fun class.

4

Great fun and would definitely recommend! Nice brief history lesson followed by trialling all sorts of smells. The one tiny improvement suggestion is to have common scent favourites such as cinnamon, but this hardly detracts from the quality of the class and teacher.

5

Great class . And anyone can do it .
Very interesting to learn about they different chocolates
Very yummy

5

The class was very enjoyable. We were all a bit lost in the beginning, but Joseph helped us perfect our signature scents. Would recommend!

5

very informative, very friendly, and professional at the same time

overall great class.. learnt heaps

4

The venue was easy to find.
The teacher have the look of the "chocolate man" - he's funny and happy to work with chocolate with some seriousness.
I really enjoyed the hot chocolate drink served while waiting for our chocolate to cool and take shape.

5

Joseph was fantastic! Very knowledgable and really helpful and generous with his time especially as we were a full class! Would highly recommend.

5

Informative and fun! Perhaps also good would be a page handout to take home with info on good pairings etc
Eg sandalwood helps offset vanilla

All v informative - so fun to do with my friend

4

Joseph was very knowledgeable and had a great nose for fixing scents. He connected well with the group. The group was very large and it took a long time for Jospeh to assess your perfume. At the end we all had two bottles of our own unique scents.

5

The big class started on a slightly serious note and it seemed a bit overcrowded to begin.

Joseph soon had everyone relaxed and having fun learning how to make filled chocolates or truffles. He and his charming assistant soon had everyone eating out of their hands and managing what had seemed a big group at first.

I would be surprised if there was anyone that didn’t enjoy the class, gain useful information and the ability to make truffles. Highly recommend it.

And the ‘homework’ we took away was delicious as was the hot chocolate served during the class.

5

Jo and Connie were great teachers, very accomodating and lots of fun.

Would highly recommend.

5

Joseph was very knowledgeable and ran a great workshop - we learnt about the history of perfume, the layers and complexity involved in making it - and then got to work and found that yes, it's harder than it looks! Walked away with two home-made perfumes under the careful tuition of Joseph. We really enjoyed it, and recommend it.

5

Joseph was incredibly engaging and informative, not to mention inclusive.
I walk away from the class today with my head full of what to do, what not to, and best practise.