Cooking Studios

[Nancy in Pátzcuaro]

I don't know if this is the proper place to ask this question, but here goes:

Does anyone remember that a few years ago there were "cooking studios" sometimes associated with a food market, where people gathered to prepare a week's worth of meals? There were experienced chefs on hand to answer questions and give advice.

I'm asking this question on behalf of a German friend, who's been unsuccessful finding out more information about it. He thinks there was something like this in Seattle.

Personally, I think the start-up cost for something like this would put it out of the reach of most home cooks (who, after all, have their own kitchens to work in), and it's possible these places went out of business after the downturn.

Thanks for your help--N.

[Lisa Shock]

There were a bunch of franchise businesses with that business model. Here's a list of some, before the economic downturn there were a lot of these places out there. Well, there were 5 of them within a mile of my house. There were definitely more franchises than this site lists: http://www.easymealprep.com/main/direct02.php

Overall, it's not a bad concept. You just need to have a big customer base and retain them by having good menus and variety. I recall one such place getting scathing reviews because they were provisioned with the cheapest possible Sysco foods.

[Nancy in Pátzcuaro]

Thanks very much for that informative reply. I have no idea why my German friend wants to know about these places, but at least I can tell him that they still exist. Frankly I'm a little surprised that the economy hasn't snuffed them out, as it has so many other worthy endeavors.

N.