These KC cooking classes might be exactly what you’re looking for

Are you looking for a fun date night beyond the standard “dinner and drinks?” Have someone on your shopping list that prefers “experiences” to “stuff?” Or maybe you just want to get out and support something new from what Kansas City has to offer? A cooking class might be just what you need to get you out of the house this winter or beyond.

There are several Kansas City spots that offer cooking classes—not only will you learn some skills, bring home some recipes, and enjoy the finished products, but you’ll also create a unique, shared experience with whoever joins you and with the other guests in attendance. Classes run the gamut from large to small, from honing one specific skill to creating a meal based on a theme. Some include beverage pairings, and some encourage you to branch out and mingle with other attendees.

We won’t be highlighting specific classes—instead, this is just a selection of spots in town that offer classes. You can generally find details on upcoming courses through an “Events” tab or class calendars on each location’s website. If you see one you’re interested in, don’t delay in booking it; many of these classes only have room for 10 or so people.

Yoli Tortilleria

Yoli Tortilleria might be the newest to the cooking class game on our list, but they’re also one of the most exciting. The Yoli Test Kitchen has just started getting off the ground, teaching hungry Kansas Citians the techniques needed to master some of Yoli’s top recipes. December classes include techniques for making tamales, conchas, and nixtamal, and the team will develop their classes for 2026 based on early feedback and reception. They also plan on launching a cookbook club soon—guests can follow/cook along all month, culminating in a class where participants can show off what they’ve learned.

Yoli Test Kitchen classes are fairly intimate. On top of that, recency plus the allure of a James Beard Award-winning spot hosting cooking classes means that seats get snapped up quickly. If you do snag your spot, they’re held at the production/manufacturing center (3125 Bell Street, Kansas City, MO, 64111)—not at the retail location.

The Culinary Center of Kansas City

Probably the most well-known place in town to enjoy cooking classes, The Culinary Center of Kansas City in downtown Overland Park offers classes nearly every day of the year—and oftentimes even more than one class each day! They have multiple dedicated spaces in their building and a platoon of qualified instructors ready to share their knowledge. They also have been in the game long enough to be able to offer classes that vary significantly in intensity and purpose—they might offer a course on basic techniques and knifework for total beginners, then clean up and hold an intense “Pro Series” class that can essentially serve as a training ground for aspiring restaurant chefs.

On their events calendar, you can sort Culinary Center classes by recommended age groups, types of cuisine, instructor, or level of interactivity—everywhere from a demonstration of how to make something, to a full, hands-on meal that you create. Their classes are hosted onsite in downtown Overland Park at 7920 Santa Fe Drive, across the street from the clock tower. A second location, at The Village at Briarcliff, is planned to open in March of 2026.

Billie’s Grocery

Billie’s Grocery is well-known in Kansas City for making delicious food that fits into a number of specific diets. Because of that, they come highly recommended in the world of KC cooking classes. The Cooking School at Billie’s Grocery is generally geared toward adult audiences (a glass of wine is provided with classes, the standard drink menu is available for purchase, and anyone under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult), and they tend to focus on techniques for creating one tough-to-master make or general thought processes and techniques on creating a themed meal. Some dish-specific classes carry titles like “Dumpling 101” or “Thai Curry Workshop,” and they also teach classes on creating gluten-free versions of favorites like sourdough loaves or cinnamon rolls. More generalized courses might be themed around seasonal ingredients, a specific holiday, or the dishes of certain regions of the world.

Most Cooking School classes take place at the Midtown Billie’s Grocery location: 3216 Gillham Plaza, Suite 100. They also have some classes at their Leawood location, housed at 3614 W 95th Street.

Taste Buds Kitchen

Taste Buds Kitchen lives in a similar realm as the Culinary Center of Kansas City. It’s billed as a kids’ kitchen by day and an adult, BYOB kitchen by night. They offer a number of public classes on weekend evenings and on weeknights, as well as holding space for field trips, camps, private events, and the like at other times throughout the week. Taste Buds is very good at highlighting which events are best suited for what types of groups when you browse their event calendar, and they also seem to have a lot of traction in the corporate team-building event space—so they might be the right call if you want a fun way to cure the remote-work blues with your coworkers.

Classes vary in size, themes, and recommended age groups, but they have two locations in the Kansas City area, giving you plenty of options to choose from. One is located in downtown Overland Park, at 8085 Metcalf Avenue, and one location is in Leawood at 5336 W 151st Street.

Zero Zero Handmade Pasta

If you want to get very specialized and very personalized with your cooking classes, then Zero Zero Handmade Pasta might be just what you’re looking for. Zero Zero has long had a deft touch with their dishes—whether making grab-and-go offerings or a handmade pasta for your dinner entree, chef-owner Mitch Fagan has embraced the methodical, hands-on approach to pastas and sauces. Zero Zero’s cooking classes follow suit: they’re limited to six people and focus on creating a specific pasta shape and all the flavorful accompaniments: sauces, fillings, and doughs that feature cheese, garlic, mushroom, citrus, and more. The nature of these classes mean they’re geared a little more toward people who know their way around the kitchen—mastering how to make a perfect agnolotti shape is a fascinating experience, but a more limited focus means there are only so many opportunities where it presents itself to come in handy. That said, for the right audience, the classes at Zero Zero offer a unique opportunity to learn secrets and techniques from one of the best pasta spots in town.

Zero Zero Handmade Pasta’s classes can be booked on their website, and they also have a form to book private classes. All classes are held at their shop/restaurant at 1702 Summit Street, Kansas City, MO 64108.

Local Pig

Another, more specialized cooking class can be found at Local Pig in the River Market. Originally a specialized butcher shop, it makes sense for Local Pig’s classes to be centered around preparing pork in a variety of different ways. They have three main types of classes: Sausage Making, Charcuterie, and a Whole Hog class—and, if you can’t decide, they also offer an occasional Whole Beast class that takes several hours and essentially rolls all of those classes into one. Classes take place on Sundays, and they typically run a little pricier than many of the other options on this list. On that note, the cost is there because you’re also bringing home quite a bit of your production: Sausages, different elements for your charcuterie board, or, in the case of a Whole Hog class, around 10 pounds of freshly cut pork. If you decide to take on the nose-to-tail Whole Beast class, you’ll probably want to clear out space in a deep freeze for the goodie bag you’ll be hauling home with you.

Even though the classes sound intimidating, Local Pig starts with the basics of whatever they’re teaching and moves up from there. Participants are also served beer and food during their classes. They take place in Local Pig’s production kitchen, located inside their store at 20 East 5th Street, Kansas City, MO 64106.