32 schools · Updated October 2026
We list 32 places in and around Chicago that teach cooking to the public. The classes you'll find most often are baking, Italian and plant-based.
Of those, 26 host private parties, 19 teach kids and 14 run date-night classes.
A typical class costs $70 to $120 a person, going by the schools that publish prices.
The list is ordered by our quality score, so The Chopping Block sits near the top with 4.9 stars from 932 Google reviews.
Ordered by our quality score. Ratings are from Google, with the review count beside each one.
Cooking school · Lincoln Square, Chicago
Lincoln Square recreational cooking school, open since 1997, with five-day boot camps
Cooking school · River North, Chicago
Baker Bettie's 1950s diner-styled River North studio for bread, pastry and baking science
Cooking school · Lakeview, Chicago
Lakeview cooking nights mixed with comedy, karaoke and a monthly social club
Cooking school · Roscoe Village, Chicago
Teaches Italian and sushi, good for date night and birthdays.
Cooking school · West Town, Chicago
Chef Dean Zanella's hands-on Italian cooking school on Grand Avenue, strong on fresh pasta
Chef’s studio · Lincoln Park, Chicago
Small kids' cooking classes from 18 months up, run by a French Pastry School alum
Cooking school · Wicker Park, Chicago
Cooking school in Wicker Park, Chicago.
Kids’ cooking school · Greektown, Chicago
Kids' cooking classes, camps and parties in Lincoln Park and the West Loop
Cooking school · Wicker Park, Chicago
Wicker Park kids' cooking school on North Avenue, with teen camps and parties
Cooking school · Chicago
BYOB family-style classes from a Chicago caterer, from soul food to hibachi
Cooking school · North Center, Chicago
Hands-on after-school cooking enrichment for kids, run inside partner schools and sold through each school's own session.
Cooking school · River North, Chicago
A private-chef events company with team cooking classes in pasta, dumplings and pizza, plus a competitive cook-off, booked by proposal.
Cooking school · Andersonville, Chicago
Andersonville kitchen store with a BYOB teaching kitchen and a wood-fired patio oven
Cooking school · Lombard, IL
Grilling classes inside the Weber Grill Restaurant on Fountain Square in Lombard
Kitchen store with classes · Skokie, IL
Sur La Table's in-store teaching kitchen at Old Orchard Mall in Skokie
Cooking school · Naperville, IL
Wilton's baking and cake-decorating school at its Naperville headquarters
Cooking school · Orland Park, IL
Steak and surf-and-turf grilling classes at the Weber Grill in Orland Park
Cooking school · Irving Park, Chicago
Irving Park adult-ed center with hands-on cocktail courses and wine tastings
Cooking school · Streeterville, Chicago
Eataly Chicago's regional Italian cooking school, from pasta to mozzarella to wine dinners
Cooking school · Lisle, IL
Lisle pizza school with Chicago-style classes and Italian pizzaiolo certification
These platforms book independent chefs into restaurants, wineries and rented kitchens around town. Handy for choice, but the chef and the venue change from class to class, so we list them apart from the schools above.
Pop-up class marketplace · The Loop, Chicago
Marketplace of independent chefs teaching in Chicago, with classes from $39 to $159
4.9on Google, 452 reviews
Pop-up class marketplace · The Loop, Chicago
Pop-up cooking classes with local chefs at Chicago bars, distilleries and kitchens
No ratings yetPop-up class marketplace · The Loop, Chicago
Marketplace of small-group cooking classes in Chicago neighborhood venues, $55 to $79
No ratings yetBy our quality score (rating, number of reviews and how complete and current the listing is), the top 3 are The Chopping Block (4.9 stars, 932 reviews), Bettie's Chicago (5.0 stars, 277 reviews) and Cooking with Cass LLC (5.0 stars, 154 reviews).
How we rank schoolsMost published prices start around $70 a person and go up to about $120. Multi-week courses and private events cost more.
Compare prices across ChicagoBettie's Chicago, Cooking with Cass LLC and Spice Girl on Tour run couples’ or date-night classes.
All date-night classes in ChicagoYes. The Chopping Block, Bettie's Chicago and Oui Chef teach kids or teens, and 19 schools in the area do in total.
All kids’ classes in Chicago26 schools take private bookings for birthdays, team events and parties, including The Chopping Block, Bettie's Chicago and Cooking with Cass LLC.
Group and birthday classes in ChicagoMissing a school, or run one of these? Tell us and we’ll add or fix it, usually within a week.