The best cooking classes in Melbourne

Add some spice to your weekly cooking repertoire at Free to Feed, a social enterprise founded by community worker Loretta Bolotin and her husband Daniel Bolotin, where classes are run by refugees and asylum seekers. The instructors, for whom Free to Feed may be their very first job in Australia, come from diverse backgrounds from Syria to Sri Lanka, and they are all passionate about teaching Melburnians authentic dishes that they might cook at home themselves, such as Tamil curries and Iranian desserts. The teachers share stories of their experiences as refugees as they sit down to dinner with fellow cooks. Head to the Free to Feed website to check out your options.

Cost per class: from $99

This legendary cooking school and online academy is for serious chocolate and pastry connoisseurs only. Participants are in the capable hands of the extraordinary talent of Kirsten Tibballs, who you may recognise from Masterchef Australia as the queen of all things sweet and delectable. Macaroon and French pastry classes fill quickly, so it pays to get in early. From croquembouche to choux pastries and plant-based desserts, there's a whole world of treats that you can learn how to make from scratch with Savour, either at the stylish HQ in Brunswick or from your computer at home. Beginners, intermediate and advanced learners are all welcome, with each class suited to different levels of ability.

Cost per class: $99 to $1450

Teach us your ways oh Sandra, queen of Italian home cooking! Sandra del Greco is the master behind La Cucina di Sandra, intimate cooking classes set in Sandra’s own Richmond home. Her classes are set like dinner parties where you also watch the gracious host potter around the kitchen, dropping shopping and cooking tips – like what cuts to buy at the butchers or what sauces go with which pasta shapes. Sessions take four hours, finishing with participants sitting over a three-course meal from the day’s cooking. Classes include a session on Nonna-approved comfort food, Sicilian classics, and a seafood feast drawing from the North and South of Italy. Got mates who love cooking? We recommend gathering a group together for a private group class. Book your classes through the La Cucina di Sandra website. 

Cost per class: from $105

Prahran Market’s famous cooking school is conveniently located in a treasure trove of great pantry ingredients and kitchen tools. The Essential Ingredient may be better known as the place to get fancy cooking supplies, but they’ve also been running their cooking school for close to 20 years. It hosts hands-on demonstrations about putting together a Korean banquet, mastering hot, sour, sweet and spicy flavour profiles in Thai cooking, cooking your way through Ottolenghi's roster and more. 

Cost: from $75

They say the best way to learn is by doing. Thankfully, the Centre for Adult Education’s (CAE) cooking classes are all about hands-on learning. Take part in comprehensive classes to learn a new cuisine (they teach anything from French to Indian) or perfect your favourite recipes. You can even brush up on essential kitchen skills from basic knife skills to making your own bread. Head to the CAE website to browse your options. 

Cost: from $180

When Nellie Kerrison started the Relish Mama cooking school in 2009, all she wanted was to share her kitchen prowess with more people. Now, her labour of love includes annual culinary trips to Italy, and a wide range of classes from guest instructors teaching vegetarian and vegan cooking classes to baking and dessert-making. Kerrison’s stress-free approach to cooking means that you won’t have to channel your inner MasterChef at home, she’s more than happy to dish out advice based on what kitchen set-up you already have at home. Head to the Relish Mama website to book a class. 

Cost: from $205

When chef Ha Nguyen founded Otao Kitchen back in 2014, his goal was to celebrate the rich and varied cooking experiences and techniques of Melbourne's immigrant multicultural communities. He named the Richmond business after Ông Táo, the Vietnamese kitchen god who many Vietnamese people regard as a family member. Here, you can try an array of food experiences and classes across cuisines from Thailand, Japan, India, Korea, France and more. 

Cost: from $139

For more than ten years, Spice Bazaar has been hosting popular cooking classes out of its Victoria Street venue in Seddon. These are hands-on and super fun classes that give you all the skills you'll need to recreate these recipes at home. Learn to make Spanish paella and tapas, Japanese dishes like okonomiyaki and yakitori and so much more. 

Cost: from $145