7 Brisbane Cooking Schools to Ignite Your Passion for Food

Switch on the stove and ignite your passion for food at these hands-on cooking classes in Brisbane and support local culinary schools in your area! Guided by passionate chefs, you’ll learn how to cook easy pasta recipes, explore the art of Japanese cooking and even have a go at making macaroons all while seriously improving your culinary skills and socialising with others.

In the vibrant city of Brisbane, where the river winds through a tapestry of cultures and flavours, there's no shortage of opportunities to explore the art of cooking. Whether you're a novice eager to sharpen your skills or a seasoned home cook looking for fresh inspiration, Brisbane's cooking schools offer an array of classes to suit every palate and preference.

Gain confidence in your abilities as you learn to cook a restaurant-worthy meal from scratch, whip up a feast or explore an unfamiliar cuisine. Not the most experienced chef? Rest assured that you’ll receive all the best tips, tricks and practical know-how that you need to feel cool, calm and collected when you step into the kitchen.

Have a foodie family? Gather all your loved ones and do a class together! We all know sharing a meal is one of the best ways to connect but what about sharing a meal everyone has had a part in making? Plus you can all learn the skills to keep up the family cooking days at home. Perhaps it will spark a new tradition. 

Got a birthday coming up in your restaurant-hopping crew? Give a class as an experience gift! Learning how to cook is one of the most exciting birthday gifts you can give to the foodie in your life, as they’ll be able to gain skills and confidence in the kitchen that’ll last a lifetime. Try out a class at a culinary school for private events like team building or hens parties and connect with your group as you learn how to make ramen, pizza dough, a seafood BBQ and so much more. 

So, tie on your apron, sharpen your knives, and prepare to immerse yourself in the flavours of Brisbane as we uncover 7 Brisbane cooking schools ready to take your passion for food to the next level in 2024.

Travel the world with Vanilla Zulu Culinary Adventures

With a huge variety of international cuisines to choose from, including both savoury and sweet dishes, it’s no wonder that the bubbly, Afro-Australian chef Melanie Alafaci and her team at Vanilla Zulu offer some of the most mouth-watering, must do Brisbane cooking courses out there. After a tough few years, Vanilla Zulu Culinary Adventures was able to bounce back stronger than ever by hosting informative and entertaining cooking classes, featuring their signature, Instagram-worthy dishes. 

Born in Zimbabwe, Vanilla Zulu founder Mel is completely at home in the kitchen. She was given her first cookbook by her parents at age five, which her brother read out to her as she cooked. Since then, Mel has developed a deep passion for cooking which she loves to share with her students. 

Held in Teneriffe, the Vanilla Zulu cooking school hosts a huge variety of hands-on culinary classes. Travel to Southeast Asia with an authentic Thai cooking class, discover how to make ravioli with rustic Italian flavours, add excitement to vegan food and even learn how to bake desserts and pastries to satisfy your sweet tooth. On the search for fun team building activities? Support local as you bond with your colleagues at Vanilla Zulu and never make a boring dinner at home again!  

Master Japanese cuisine with Japanese Chef Byron Bay

From ramen to sushi and any other iconic Japanese dish you can think of, Keita Kujiura of Japanese Chef Byron Bay will show you how it's done! With fifteen years of experience as a professional chef, you can rest assured you're in good hands with Keita. Growing up in Japan, where he discovered his passion for cooking, Keita moved to Australia in 2015 and has since worked as a sushi chef and now promotes Japanese cuisine to the locals through his cooking classes. 

If you're worried about the name, don't worry—Japanese Chef Byron Bay travels beyond Byron Bay and offers classes around Queensland. He'll also travel to you if you'd like a cooking lesson in your own home with friends and family. 

Japanese cuisine can sometimes be seen as intimidating but Keita ensures his classes are accessible for newbies. So much so that even kids can do them! Learn the secrets behind this famous cuisine and wow your loved ones with your newfound cooking skills with this welcoming cooking school in Brisbane.

Get hands-on behind an open flame at the BBQ School 

There’s no reason why Dad should be the only one who gets to enjoy the versatility of the humble barbecue. Although BBQ cooking classes make fabulous Father’s Day gifts, anyone can have a go at smoking meat and veggies with the BBQ School in Woolloongabba.

With locations all around Australia, the BBQ School aims to show their students how to grill confidently and create flavoursome, mouth-watering dishes - often with an ice-cold beer nearby! Learn how to cook up a divine fish BBQ grill, find out how to smoke meats just like they do in America, or tantalise your tastebuds with a flaming Mexican BBQ or Argentinian grill. 

Gather all your mates together for a private BBQ cooking class or gift an experience to the barbecue lover in your life and enjoy sampling their delicious, BBQ feast! 

Cook healthy vegan dishes with Wholesome Bellies

A home cook since high school, Wholesome Bellies founder Fiona, has spent her whole life surrounded by incredible cooks and good food. She began her plant-based business with the intention of sharing simple and nourishing vegan recipes with her local community.

At Wholesome Bellies culinary school in Woolloongabba, you can learn how to cook some of Fiona’s favourite plant-based dishes including a soul-warming Indian thali, healthy and fresh pasta or even a sensational Thai curry. Whether you’re vegan, vegetarian or neither, it’s guaranteed you’ll walk away from one of these Brisbane workshops with a newfound love for vegetables!

Fire up the pizza oven at La Zucca Pizza

Searching for fun and intimate Brisbane activities? Learn how to cook woodfire pizza at cosy pizzeria, La Zucca, in Bald Hills. Guided by your experienced pizza shapers and makers, you’ll get a feel for how authentic Italian pizza is made.

Make your own signature pizza and sit down at the end of the class to enjoy it with a complimentary beer or glass of wine. Now that’s amore!

Allow your little one to become a mini chef with Come And Cook

As evidenced above, there are plenty of Brisbane culinary experiences for adults – but what about cooking lessons for children? When it comes to kids cooking classes, you can’t go wrong with Come And Cook in The Gap. Led by friendly, passionate chef Karen Browne, you can be assured that your child will learn cooking skills in a safe and nurturing environment, where they’ll not only gain confidence in their abilities but also in themselves!

Kids can learn how to cook Spanish tapas, explore Japanese cooking and learn to whip up incredible five-course feasts. And, if they can resist the urge to devour their creations all at once, after each class, they’ll take home their leftovers for you to taste-test too!

Bake gluten-free goodies with Sandra Crawford

Did you know macarons are traditionally gluten-free? That's right! The cookie part of the macaron is typically made with almond flour so gluten-free dessert lovers can rejoice, retired teacher turned gluten-free macaron extraordinaire Sandra Crawford has you covered. While Sandra is not a professional chef, she did learn how to master macarons from a French patisserie chef back in 2020 and has since perfected the recipe to a tee. In fact, that's all she offers! Talk about specialising in one field. Whether you're gluten-free or not, these delectable morsels are soft, melt-in-your-mouth and easier than you think, especially with Sandra's help. You'll wrap up the class with 20 macarons which you can either share with your favourite people or have all to yourself!

Still not sure of the best cooking classes in Brisbane to try for beginners? Check out this list of the top classes for budding chefs here.