Are you a cottage baker looking to increase your revenue? Teaching in-person or virtual baking classes may be the answer you are looking for! You may think: you are not a teacher; You can’t teach baking classes. But I am here to say, “Yes, you are, and yes, you can!”
In-Person Baking Classes
I’ve whipped up some successful baking classes at my local community center, from little chefs aged nine to 16 in my children’s classes to my adult crew aged 16 and up. Take the plunge and reach out to your local community center. You’re good to go as long as they have a kitchen where you can bake up a storm, as well as enough tables and chairs for students to kick back and enjoy the sweet rewards of their hard work.
Perks Teaching at the Community Center:
1. They network the classes for you on their website and possibly through emails and any televisions set up inside the center.
2. They offer you a percentage of what the classes bring in for pay.
3. You will meet at the same place and time for each class (students love consistency).
4. You get to choose how much each student is required to pay per class.
5. You can hold classes once a week, month or any time you have an opening on your calendar.
Perks of Being a Baking Class Teacher:
1. You have full reign to get creative with your recipes.
2. You get to bake and share your knowledge while earning money.
3. Both you and the students get to leave the class with sweet treats in hand.
Other Important Information:
Get ready to be the ultimate ingredient hunter! You’ll likely find yourself shopping the aisles for the freshest flour, most decadent cocoa and plumpest blueberries in order to ensure each class succeeds. And remember to factor in those ingredient costs when figuring out what to charge your students. After all, every dollop of this and sprinkle of that adds up.
Let’s talk timing – patience is your new best friend. Sure, you might think you can whip up a batch of cookies in an hour, but trust me; when you’re guiding a group of student bakers through the ins and outs of dough scooping and ingredient mixing, the time has a way of flying faster than expected. Do yourself a favor and schedule some extra time, because when it comes to teaching the art of baking, it’s always better to have a little extra time than scramble for more time in the oven. (Tip – A good rule of thumb is to allow yourself 30 more minutes than you need.)
Virtual Baking Classes (Zoom)
Why limit baking to your local community when you can spread the joy far and wide from your cozy kitchen? That’s right – welcome to the wonderful world of virtual baking classes. And guess what? Zoom is your golden ticket to whipping up treats with aspiring bakers from around the globe.
Zoom
You can utilize the free Zoom account when teaching your classes. The only downfall to the free account is that it only allows you 45 minutes for each video call. If you pay for Zoom, it is $15 per month, and you are allowed unlimited calls with no time limit for each one. I recommend paying for a membership so you do not have to rush when teaching your classes. After all, perfection takes time.
Perks Teaching Virtual Baking Classes
1. Students do not need to dress up or travel to attend the class.
2. Students can bake along with you or watch you as you bake.
3. You don’t need to travel to teach your classes.
How to Set Up for a Virtual Baking Class
You will need:
Smartphone and Laptop
Set up your laptop in your kitchen so students can see your every move. Be sure it has a microphone and camera built in. If it does not, or you aren’t happy with them, you can purchase a camera with a microphone that plugs into the laptop. (Que Amazon ad here.)
Get hands-on! Using a tripod for your phone, angle your phone camera on your hands so students can have a close-up view of what you are doing.
Double the devices, double the fun! You will need to log into the class on not just one but both of your devices.
Optional:
An umbrella light is an affordable way to add better lighting to your videos.
Vimeo
Now that you’re a pro at dazzling your students with your baking skills in live classes, why not record those masterpieces and give them a permanent home online? Yes, I’m talking about uploading those sweet creations to Vimeo.
You can even turn your tutorials into a side hustle by selling them to aspiring bakers.
How to Find Students for Virtual Classes
1. Share news about your baking classes on social media. Share that news with your baking channels on Instagram, Facebook, X, LinkedIn, and TikTok.
2. Share with local community groups on Facebook.
3. If you have a baking group on Facebook, create an event for each class and invite all the members in the group.
Baking Class Tips
• In-person classes can range from $20 to $30 per person.
• Virtual classes can range from $10 to $20 per person.
• You can accept payments through PayPal, Cashapp, Zelle, or Square for virtual classes (The community center will take payments for the in-person classes.)
• Good times to hold classes are Tuesday evenings, Saturday afternoons and Sunday early evenings.
• Class ideas include Holiday themes, Seasonal, Mommy and Me
Now, go out into the world and share the art of baking!
(This article appeared in the Spring 2024 issue of Pastry Arts Magazine)
Deanna Martinez-Bey is a cottage baker, baking class instructor, content creator, and multi-genre author. With fifteen published books under her belt and a certified cottage bakery, everything she does revolves around food and writing in one way, shape or form. www.deannasrecipebox.com
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