Can I transfer a cooking class? Sur La Table, Gourmandise, Hipcooks and LA Cooking School policies
Missed the cancellation window for a cooking class in LA? What Sur La Table, The Gourmandise School, Hipcooks and LA Cooking School allow, and how to send someone in your place.
Updated 2026-10-20. Quoted facts link to their sources; everything else is general information. Not legal advice.
Published cooking class policies (checked Oct 20, 2026)
Sur La Table: 48+ hours before the scheduled start you can “choose a full refund to the original payment method, a Sur La Table virtual gift card, or exchange into another class.” Under 48 hours: “we’re unable to offer refunds, exchanges, or in-store credits. You’re welcome to send someone in your place.” Changes go through the online portal, the store or (317) 559-2041; “We can’t process cancellations by email or voicemail.”Source: Sur La Table, Cooking class FAQ (checked 2026-10-20)
The Gourmandise School (Santa Monica): “we cannot offer refunds; no exceptions,” but you get a full class credit if you cancel at least 48 hours before class. Inside 48 hours, “you may transfer your spot to a guest. Simply call or email us with your guest’s name before class. Your guest must meet the minimum age requirement for the class.”Source: The Gourmandise School, FAQ (checked 2026-10-20)
Hipcooks (West LA): “You may cancel your class up to 48 hours before the class start time to receive class credit only. No refunds are issued and payment is final.” Past the 48-hour mark, “You can, however, send someone in your place to attend the class.” Cancelling online notifies the wait list, and if someone from it takes your place you get a class credit (“this is not a guarantee”).Source: Hipcooks West LA, Class policies (checked 2026-10-20)
Los Angeles Cooking School: cancel with at least three days' notice for a full refund; with less, “a credit will be issued” toward a future class, and same-day cancellations get no refund or rescheduling. “If you are unable to attend, you are welcome to transfer your reservation to another guest. This policy only pertains to one-off classes and not our long or short series.”Source: Los Angeles Cooking School, FAQs (checked 2026-10-20)
The short answer
Yes, for a single class, at all four places we checked. None of them refunds a late cancellation, but each one's published policy lets someone else take your seat: Sur La Table, Gourmandise and Hipcooks after their 48-hour cutoff, and LA Cooking School for one-off classes. A multi-week series is the exception at LA Cooking School.
Check which side of the cutoff you're on
Before the cutoff (48 hours at Sur La Table, Gourmandise and Hipcooks; three days at LA Cooking School), you usually don't need a replacement at all: Sur La Table offers a refund, gift card or exchange, and the others give class credit or a refund. After the cutoff, sending someone in your place is the only published way to get value from the seat.
How to hand off the seat
Tell the school who's coming. Gourmandise asks you to call or email the guest's name before class, and the guest must meet the class's minimum age. Sur La Table doesn't take changes by email or voicemail, so use its portal, the store or its phone line. The person taking your seat should pay you back after the school has their name, not before.
Listing a cooking class seat on Unrefundable
One-off classes are usually easier to hand to a friend directly. For a pricier class, a series or a private event, you can list it free under classes and workshops: we check your booking and the school's transfer terms, introduce someone who wants it, and charge 8% of what you recover only after the school confirms the new guest.