Process and pricing of chocolate-making demos

[pastryani]

While we're on the subject of pricing... Someone has inquired to see if I could do a chocolate-making demo/class at their company, but I'm not sure of both the logistics and what to charge.

 

How much do you folks charge for a chocolate-making class?  I don't know the size of the group just yet, but do you typically charge per person, a flat fee for your time/ingredients, or some combination of the two?

 

Also in terms of logistics - how do you run such a class?  I'm assuming it'll be on-site, so I'd have to haul my equipment there and hope I don't forget anything.  But more than that, do you have to have multiple scrapers, spatulas, bowls, thermometers, etc for everyone to be able to work concurrently, or do you have stations with groups and only one group gets to make ganache, paint, mold, etc.?  What is a reasonable number of chocolate pieces that each person should leave with?  (Oh that reminds me, I'd have to bring packaging supplies too)

 

As with the costing of chocolates and ingredients, it's got to be worth it to you, and in this case it needs to account for both the cost of the ingredients and packaging as well as your travel time and on-site time as well.  Any info would be appreciated. 

 

[Chocolot]

I charge $300 plus expenses. Usually have them work in teams. I only go to kitchens, so would charge more if I had to haul everything. This is for a one hour demo. For a 3 hour hands on, it would be more.

[Kerry Beal]

Sounds like Ruth and I charge much the same - $300 plus cost of supplies based on number of people.  I usually do demo with limited hands on - I'll show the first person how to dip or whatever - then they get to show the next person - they cycle through. So I might get them to dip oreos in milk chocolate - each person dips a couple - then show them some basics of decoration - hand over a couple of squeeze bottles of tempered white and dark and let them have at it. I might get them to dip some liquorice sticks or big pretzels etc - again decorate with the contrasting chocolate. With a microwave and extra squeeze bottle lids I keep the decorating chocolate warm and in temper. 

 

I might demo making some solid molds. They need enough time to set and a fridge to carry off the latent heat - they are usually ready to be knocked out by the end of the event if I make them first. 

 

With remaining chocolate I usually have them make barks.

 

I take a bunch of cello bags - let them package their stuff in cello - or for people who come to the house to learn I usually suggest they bring some containers (perhaps the plastic containers you get when you order chinese food or the disposable Ziplock containers.

 

Each person would leave with the couple of oreos they had decorated, a couple of pieces of liquorice, some bark. 

 

 

Edited March 2, 2017 by Kerry Beal (log)

[chromedome]

I haven't done chocolate classes but I have done a ton of cooking classes, and I treat them differently depending whether it's a straight-up demo or a hands-on session.

 

I usually worked backward from the time involved, then added in my costs. Once I knew what I needed to make an appropriate profit on the session, I usually submitted a proposal on a basis of "$(x) per head, $(my desired dollar amount) minimum, enrolment capped at (x) number of people." The number of people can be higher for a straight-up demo, as long as everybody can see. 

 

I charged more for hands-on sessions, on the basis that they're a PITA and I usually had at least one additional cook overseeing the participants. I'd venture to guess that the risk of your students burning or cutting themselves is probably lower than I faced.

 

If you're doing a hands-on session, minimize the number of skills and techniques you'll try to do. In a straight demo format you can do lots of things, but when others are getting involved it slows you down tremendously. I don't know how much of this is transferable to your scenario, but it's offered up FWIW.

[Lisa Shock]

Yeah, if it's a one-off class for people who otherwise don't cook professionally, limit your topic. Tempering alone can take over an hour to teach and almost no one gets it right the first time. Plus, you might not have access to a fridge to chill/set tempered chocolate. -Along with a host of other issues. I mean, in culinary school, we take a couple weeks of 5 hour days to teach every skill you listed.

 

You'd probably be better off teaching a couple of ganache flavors and have the class make a variety of truffles -rolled in cocoa, chopped nuts, powdered sugar, spiced powdered sugar, etc. (maybe also show them how to make a ganache to use for hot chocolate and mocha drinks)

[Bentley]

If it helps, here is my experience at a Norman Love class.  He charged $90 per person.  That included light appetizers and chocolates before the class.  Each person left with about a pound of chocolates (1 mold worth of chocolates - don't remember the size of the molds - somewhere between 24 and 32 pieces).  There were two instructors.  Each person had their own mold.  They provided a few tools for decorating with white cocoa butter (sponges, paintbrushes, etc) and also had black cocoa butter in an airbrush that people could take turns using.  We were doing a cookies and cream bonbon so those are the only colors they had available.  There were two large mol d'art melters with pre-tempered chocolate.  There were a few ladles and a few scrapers.  People took turns using them.  The filling was made in bulk by the instructors (not pre-made but done in front of the class) and put in a large piping bag which was then passed around for people to fill their molds.  As the filling crystalized in their walk-in fridges, they gave a tour of their facility.  Then we came back, capped our bonbons, unmolded them and boxed them to take home.  The whole class was about 3 hours.     

[pastryani]

Thanks all for the info - these are good guidelines.  I was thinking about doing dipped truffles instead of molded chocs as it's easier and faster.  I'd like to demo a ganache but that would depend on if they had a kitchen/stovetop. 

 

How do you typically temper chocolate while on-site?  Most people don't have marble slabs for tabling, so I'm guessing it would have to be seeding or Mycryo (oh EZ temper, why oh why can't you be pocket-sized?!).   

[Kerry Beal]

2 hours ago, pastryani said:

Thanks all for the info - these are good guidelines.  I was thinking about doing dipped truffles instead of molded chocs as it's easier and faster.  I'd like to demo a ganache but that would depend on if they had a kitchen/stovetop. 

 

How do you typically temper chocolate while on-site?  Most people don't have marble slabs for tabling, so I'm guessing it would have to be seeding or Mycryo (oh EZ temper, why oh why can't you be pocket-sized?!).   

I have a battery for my EZtemper - so I can take it with me. Still not pocket sized!

 

In previous to EZtemper days I would often do the half melting temper technique - microwave until chocolate is partially melted, stir and put back in the nuke 8 secs or so at a time until the seed is just melting out and you are hovering around the working temperature.

 

I do truffles in the microwave too - chocolate to 30º C, cream to 40º C - stir to emulsify. I take along already scooped truffles that have had a chance to dry to make them easy to coat, a batch made the day before that I get the participants to scoop and roll, then I make a batch there - that one I usually use for the demo of molded chocolates (I rarely let the participants mold if the group is large - it just doesn't seem to work well). 

 

Edited March 3, 2017 by Kerry Beal (log)

[AnythingButPlainChocolate]

I often go in to schools (which my children are at) so I don't really aim to make a profit from it, as long as my costs are covered I'm happy.  However equipment-wise I melt my chocolate the night before in my holding tank and take that and my ChocoVision Rev2 on site along with piping bags etc. If I need to re-temper I tend to use a microwave and re-seed it as Kerry mentioned.

[Kerry Beal]

Oh yeah - and I take along boxes of nitrile gloves - rather than dipping the truffles I have them roll them in gloved hands twice.

[MelissaH]

Kerry did a workshop for the university's chemistry club a few years back. Some of the students (now all long graduated) still talk about it.

[Kerry Beal]

50 minutes ago, MelissaH said:

Kerry did a workshop for the university's chemistry club a few years back. Some of the students (now all long graduated) still talk about it.

Was telling someone about that just the other day! I think it came up because while I was explaining something someone suggested there seemed to be a lot of science around chocolate. I find it hard to avoid talking about the science - particularly when trouble shooting.

Edited March 4, 2017 by Kerry Beal (log)