How To Host Your First Cooking Class — The Complete Guide

Starting your very own cooking business can be an exciting venture. If you’re confident in your cooking skills and have a passion for experimenting with food, it’s the logical next step to take. But there’s a lot of work that goes into this line of business. You have many factors to consider, ranging from choosing venues to allocating a budget to finding a niche that will attract a large enough audience. In this article, you will find tips on how to host your first cooking class like a pro.  

Cooking classes are designed to help people develop a good understanding of the culinary arts. They learn the proper techniques to pull off different prepping and cooking methods, how to observe basic food hygiene, and how to practice safety in the kitchen.

Here are the basic steps to help you run a successful cooking class

Step 1 — The Planning Phase

The initial step to preparing for your first cooking class is to plan the following key aspects:  

• Identify Your Target Audience

Who are you aiming to target with your cooking classes? Will you be teaching absolute beginners or those who already know the basics of cooking? Mapping out these key details at the start will help you set the right menu and pitch your cooking class structure accordingly.

• Choose a Theme

The world is full of hundreds of thousands of exciting cuisines, but you need to choose a theme for your classes that will interest and entice customers. There are several options to consider, including baking classes, frying classes, vegan-based cooking classes, cultural dishes and more. 

Choose according to your skillset and what you believe will provide you with the best reach with the people in your locality.

• Set Key Objectives

What are you aiming to achieve from these classes? Set short and long-term objectives to help you add structure. Are you going to pursue this during your spare time or will it be your full-time occupation? Will it be a hands-on experience or just an instructional class?  

• Decide on the Menu

Choose dishes based on the theme you’ve set and the audience you’ve chosen for your classes. If it’s for beginners, you want to keep it simple with basic recipes. But if it’s for experienced cooks, you can put more complex dishes on the menu.

• Prepare Your Recipes

Perfect each dish on the menu and note down all the recipes. Make sure you have a couple of star recipes that people around you go crazy for. These signature dishes can be your ultimate weapon when it comes to promoting your cooking classes, as they are what make you ‘famous’. 

Step 2 — Landing on the Right Venue

The next step involves choosing the perfect venue to host your cooking classes. Here are your options along with their pros and cons:

‍

Home Kitchen

Home Kitchen Pros

• Save up on costs
• Large profit margin
• No travel involved

Home Kitchen Cons

• Not enough space for a large group
• Suboptimal ventilation
• Not suitable for business growth
• Lack of equipment

Rental Kitchen

Rental Kitchen Pros

• Suitable for business growth
• Ample space for a large group
• Specialty equipment included
• Cleaning staff typically provided

Rental Kitchen Cons

• Lower profit margin compared to home kitchens
• Not a good long-term investment

Community Kitchen

Community Kitchen Pros

• Good for growing business
• Flexibility to rent based on hourly/weekly/monthly rates
• Less costly than commercial kitchens

Community Kitchen Cons

• Only basic equipment included
• Often tough to get a time slot

Outdoor Locations

Outdoor Locations Pros

• Additional space to entertain many customers
• Save on energy costs
• Open space creates an excellent ambience

Outdoor Locations Cons

• Costly and complicated to rent/set up
• Unfavorable in bad weather

Step 2 — Landing on the Right Venue

The next step involves choosing the perfect venue to host your cooking classes. Here are your options along with their pros and cons:

‍

Home Kitchen

Home Kitchen Pros

• Save up on costs
• Large profit margin
• No travel involved

Home Kitchen Cons

• Not enough space for a large group
• Suboptimal ventilation
• Not suitable for business growth
• Lack of equipment

Rental Kitchen

Rental Kitchen Pros

• Suitable for business growth
• Ample space for a large group
• Specialty equipment included
• Cleaning staff typically provided

Rental Kitchen Cons

• Lower profit margin compared to home kitchens
• Not a good long-term investment

Community Kitchen

Community Kitchen Pros

• Good for growing business
• Flexibility to rent based on hourly/weekly/monthly rates
• Less costly than commercial kitchens

Community Kitchen Cons

• Only basic equipment included
• Often tough to get a time slot

Outdoor Locations

Outdoor Locations Pros

• Additional space to entertain many customers
• Save on energy costs
• Open space creates an excellent ambience

Outdoor Locations Cons

• Costly and complicated to rent/set up
• Unfavorable in bad weather

Step 3 — Spreading the Word

The next phase involves marketing your business to reel in your desired audience. Here are your options to do so:

• Website or Landing Page

If you’re not exactly tech-savvy, you can still come up with your very own website with the help of automated tools. Website builders like Wix typically take around three to four hours to create a simple website. You will have to research keywords to make your website rank high in SERPs.

• Social Media Campaigns

You can also promote your cooking classes on social media by creating your business page. Share high-quality images of your best recipes to grab attention. Run ad campaigns on Facebook and Instagram to get people to follow and share.  

• Online Ads

You can also use Google Ads to get the word out about your cooking classes and boost attendance. You will rank high for a chosen phrase, such as “Pastry cooking classes in NY.” You will only have to pay when someone clicks on your ad.

• Partnering with Other Businesses

Partnering with other businesses like local restaurants, catering services, and food trucks in your area can be very beneficial for a few reasons:

1. It saves you time since you don’t have to build an audience all by yourself. The other business will already have a strong presence.
2. It gives your cooking business credibility.
3. You can host combined events and give discounts to each other’s customers.

Step 4 — The Execution

Now it’s time to put your plan and strategy into action.

• Preparing and Setting Up

Get ready for the first day of your cooking classes by finalizing all the details and confirming your booking if you’ve chosen to rent a venue. Arrive a couple hours early (if it’s not booked) and perform last-minute checks. Make sure everything in the kitchen is set up and all the equipment required for the class is in place.

• Welcoming Guests

Welcome your guests with a drink and introduce yourself. Share a little bit about your passion and journey. Ask them to give short intros to the class before starting and help them settle in. This will help break the ice and make everyone a little more comfortable.

• Giving Instructions

Divide the attendees into teams, assign them their cooking stations, and give them a recipe to make. Before getting started with the cooking process, tell them all they need to know to pull off the dish.

Don’t just assume that your students know the right way to use a knife. Demonstrate how they can keep their fingers safe while chopping. Stress the importance of practicing food hygiene, including proper hand washing and not double dipping spoons after tasting to avoid spreading bacteria. Spend a few minutes going over vital safety lessons to minimize the chances of accidents and ensure that students use the tools safely.  

• Preparing the Food

Now, it’s time to put your students to work and start preparing the recipe from scratch. Guide them through the steps they will need to take.

Use captivating vocabulary and fun activities to take them on a culinary journey. Go to everyone’s cooking stations one by one and observe. Encourage them to ask questions and ensure everyone is getting involved. In case you’re short on certain kitchen tools, such as the pasta maker, encourage them to share in turn.  

• Keeping Attendees Engaged

While learning to hone their culinary skills, your students should also have a fun time. That’s what they will remember and tell their friends and family about. 

Keep them entertained with some light-hearted humor throughout the process. Tell them a short story of how you came up with the recipe they’re making, its essence, and what it means to you. 

If it’s solely an instructional class, give them a little demo of the preparation before getting started. This will help guide their cooking process and bring them closer to the desired result.

• Serving and Presentation

Encourage creativity in the kitchen. Let everyone express themselves through their plates by asking them to present in their own styles. After you’ve observed everyone’s plate-setting skills, you can then demonstrate the professional way to display. It will be interesting to compare and contrast.

Gather all the dishes and put them on a table for everyone to take photos and enjoy. This helps you improve your visibility as users are likely to share what they made with their friends and family. Ask them to tag you in posts and to use a unique hashtag. These little mementoes of your event will help increase your reach.

Remember to leave some food for the students to take home. Set aside some leftovers so the friends and family members of the attendees can eat too. It might encourage them to sign up for your next class.

Step 5 — Post-Event Follow-Up

How well did you do in your first cooking class? The only way to find out is to conduct the following post-event follow-up checks:

• Collecting Feedback

Encourage your students to share their experiences and give feedback on what they liked about the class. Ask them if there’s anything in particular they’d hope for in your cooking class that didn’t live up to their expectations. This will help you gauge what to improve and what your plus points are.

• Asking for Referrals

Asking for referrals can be tricky because you don’t want to run the risk of sounding needy. Only ask if you genuinely believe you’ve provided a good enough service to warrant a referral from your students. Ask them to mention your class to anyone they know who would benefit from these cooking lessons. You could even offer a discount for future classes for both the person giving the referral and the person they refer. 

• Analyzing Performance

How well did your students do? Did their prepared dishes live up to your expectations? Take note of how you think everyone performed compared to their prior experience with cooking. It can help you understand how effective your techniques were and whether you started at the right pace for your audience to follow.