If you love to cook but aren’t a fan of the busy restaurant racket, then changing your career trajectory to offer cooking classes instead can be an excellent approach. Cooking classes are very popular, and they’re something that people can do with friends, on their own, as part of date night, and so much more. You can host multi-day cooking courses, single-day workshops, online digital classes, and more. Not sure where to start? Not to fear, this guide will help you understand the general structure of bringing a cooking class business to life.
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Create Your Curriculum
The first step in starting your cooking classes is to create your curriculum. You should decide what type of cooking classes you want to offer, whether it be baking, Italian cuisine, or plant-based cooking. You should also consider the level of experience of your target audience and create classes that cater to their skill level.
Decide Where You’ll Teach
Once you have your curriculum in place, you should decide where you will teach your cooking classes. You can teach them in your home kitchen, rent a commercial kitchen, or partner with a local restaurant or community center. Don’t think you have to teach in-person, either. You can start with digital cooking classes where you lead students through a dish they make in their own homes. These types of events became popular during the lockdowns and are still used today.
Get the Necessary Equipment for Your Students
To teach cooking classes, you’ll need to provide your students with the necessary equipment, such as knives, cutting boards, pots, and pans. As you grow, you’ll then be able to invest in higher-quality appliances like food mixers. Try to buy what you can outright, as this will work out cheaper in the long run, but don’t be afraid to rent when appropriate.
It would help if you also looked into getting personalized chef aprons from Aprons.com with your business logo embroidered on them. This way, you can keep your students clean, and if they take photos during class and post them, your business will be immediately advertised.
Start Teaching Friends and Family
Before you start advertising your cooking classes, you should practice teaching with friends and family to get comfortable with the process. This also gives you an opportunity to get feedback on your curriculum and teaching style. You should already have things like your website and business profile set up online by this time, so your friends and family can review your class and help establish trust for newcomers.
Marketing Your New Cooking Classes
Once you’re ready to start promoting your cooking classes, you should consider various marketing channels. You can create a website or blog, social media accounts, or advertise in local newspapers and magazines. You can also partner with local food bloggers or influencers to promote your classes. Show people what you’re like when teaching, and don’t be afraid to teach for free in short videos. You want to show your potential customers just how well they can learn from you, so offer teasers.
How to Expand
As your cooking classes become more popular, you may want to consider expanding your business. You can create online courses or publish a cookbook to increase your reach. You can also consider hiring additional instructors to teach classes and expanding your class offerings to include private events, team-building activities, and catering. For example, you can start marketing your classes to businesses looking for something fun to do as a team bonding perk.