Chiang Mai is one of the best places in Thailand to learn to cook Thai food, and cooking classes have become a major part of the tourist economy. Most classes follow a similar pattern: a morning market visit to pick ingredients, then three to four hours in a kitchen preparing a full meal. You eat what you cook.
Several reputable schools operate in and around the old city. Thai Farm Cooking School takes groups to an organic farm outside the city for a more agricultural experience. Gap's Thai Culinary Art School on Ratchaphakhinai Road is small and well-regarded. Baan Thai on Ratchadamnoen Road offers half and full-day options with good northern Thai coverage. Prices range from around 900 to 1,500 baht for a day class. Book ahead in high season.