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Anyone, regardless of skill level, can learn how to cook a gourmet meal thanks to guided instruction from a highly experienced chef.
At Kitchen Social, chefs teach students from an ever-changing variety of gourmet menus. The concept is intended for people who desire to learn cooking skills and have a memorable experience.
Kitchen Social is for “anyone who has an interest in cooking in a fun atmosphere,” owner Scott Aston said. “We have people in here that really don’t even know how to crack an egg.”
Whether it is a classic French dish, Asian cuisine, sushi, Thai, or a gourmet American steak, Kitchen Social is sure to have a menu that caters to the taste palette of most people.
Executive Chef and Manager Abby Maddox narrates and guides most classes.
“We go over everything, knife skills, sauce making, how to properly sear a steak, make pasta,” Maddox said.
Kitchen Social presents curated dinners that are inclusive of food-allergies, well-balanced and, most importantly, tasty. Maddox has the freedom of creativity with the menus.
Her team focuses on creating a fun, educational, entertaining and inviting environment that allows customers to follow along closely as the chef prepares an identical meal. Each step of the meal is carefully demonstrated and observed by the chef. On top of that, each customer leaves with a packet that contains step-by-step instructions so they can do it again at home.
The kitchen itself mimics a residential kitchen because the goal of the class is to teach regular people how to cook at home using the most basic of culinary instruments.
“(We want to) show people how easy it is to cook some of the best, gourmet meals… with all the things they have in their house,” Aston said. “There is nothing commercial about our setup, because you don’t need it all to cook the finest food in the world.”
An average class maxes out at 20 people and lasts between two and two and a half hours. Customers select their class from a variety of gourmet menus and reserve their spot online about six weeks in advance. Kitchen Social will teach children ages 10 and up, too.
Aston noticed that there was something missing among dining concepts in the Farmers Branch area and thought it would be “a good idea to do a cooking class business.” Located on Alpha Road near Inwood Road, the business is accessible and lowkey.
Kitchen Social opened its Farmers Branch location in spring of 2023, but, unlike other dining concepts, it is not a franchise. Aston’s friend and business partner, Charlie Ragle opened the original location in Fort Myers, Fla., in 2019.
“We both took a lot of cooking classes together,” Aston said.
Together, the entrepreneurs have opened a total of five locations, with the other three in Naples, Fla.; Chesterfield, Mo; and Nashville, Tenn.
The goal of Kitchen Social and its team “is to get people cooking again, back in the kitchen… spending time with friends and family,” said Aston. Living up to its motto: Make food, Make friends.
Kitchen Social is located at 4887 Alpha Rd., Suite 288. For more information and to reserve a class, visit https://kitchensocialdfw.com.
