Booking a hands-on private cooking class is now just a call away in Bengaluru

BENGALURU: Vegetarian by birth, businessman and foodie Aditya Subramaniam (33) decided to take matters in his hands when he wanted to incorporate meat dishes in his weekly diet.

He hired a private tutor to take a hands-on cooking class. In the comfort of his home kitchen, the motorcycle dealer learnt to make a European meal that included a carrot-orange-coriander soup, pomegranate-walnut salad, spaghetti with red wine Bolognese, garlic bread and caramel custard.

“Eating out is an easy temptation but I want to eat home-cooked food,” says Subramaniam, adding, “With business and golf, I don’t have much time to attend a culinary school. Internet tutorials are superficial. The private cooking class was tailored to my needs where I got hands-on experience on cooking techniques, knife skills and kitchen management.”



Booking a hands-on private cooking class is the new trend in Bengaluru. With increasing popularity of world cuisine, health consciousness and cooking at home becoming cool all over again, millennials are happy to spend Rs 8000-Rs 10,000 for a one-on-one cooking class at home.

Independent cuisinier Natasha Hinshaw, known for her subscription food range, added private cooking classes to her profile six months ago. After the student picks a cuisine, Hinshaw curates a three-course menu based on preference and kitchen set-up. Equipped with the ingredients and a follow-up recipe book, she visits the home for a two-hour cooking class. She notes that her clients, primarily in their 30s, have been singles, brides and those families bored of routine menu. European, Asian and Indian cuisines are the most popular with keen interest in roast chicken and pasta recipes.

“Cooking is no more looked upon as a chore. With strong influences like Masterchef TV series, Bengalureans want to eat interesting and nutritious meals at home now. They want to recreate restaurant-style food and fancy recipes for their own dining tables,” says Hinshaw, who takes about eight such classes per week.


In response to the growing number of queries, food stylist and teacher Natasha Celmi started giving private lessons too.

“Bengaluru’s traffic-laden roads prompted many entrepreneurs, new mothers, expats and creative professionals from areas like Whitefield to ask me for private classes,” says Celmi.

Curiosity about Indian cuisine and replicating it in their European kitchens has expats making a beeline too. Freelance chef Kanishka Sharma gets at least two such clients every month. “Lack of familiarity with the Indian cuisine, linguistic and accent constraints convince expats to opt for dedicated private classes instead of group workshops,” she says.