the cooking class market | Italy

1.1 Definition and presentation

Cooking courses are private or group classes aimed at teaching how to cook. The market for cooking schools is therefore extremely related to the conceptual and functional meaning of food and cuisine in a country.

The rise of cooking classes in Italy is the result of a highly growing demand dictated both by interest in cooking and by the enthusiasm of television cooking programs, such as Masterchef or Topchef. There are several reasons behind this greater interest in cooking schools, whether for fun (amateur classes) or in the hope of a profession (special courses), the number of students enrolled in faculties and courses has risen considerably in the last few years.

The offer of cooking courses in Italy is extremely fragmented, from specialized courses segmented in terms of end users (e.g. children) to specialized courses segmented based on food (e.g. pastry), to different intensities and durations.

The offer is therefore diversified and the courses generally last from 30 minutes to several hours or even weeks in the form of internships. The themes of the courses are different and range from sushi making to cocktails and pastries. In a highly competitive environment, the individual players have little bargaining power and most of the decision is in the hands of the consumer.