5 hands-on cooking classes in Hawai‘i

Cooking is truly an art form, and—as with music, painting, or any other creative endeavor—some people have a gift for it.

But anyone can learn the basics. For Valentine’s Day, instead of going out for a special meal with your sweetheart, why not enroll in a cooking class and learn how to make it together?

These 5 hands-on classes around the Islands include recipes, instruction, use of tools and equipment, and the food that you’ll prepare. No cooking experience is required. Cost is per person unless otherwise noted. Bon appétit!

Mountain View, Hawai‘i Island

Rachel Erkan begins her days at 6:30 a.m., often ankle-deep in dirt. In 2019, the Culinary Institute of America–trained chef and her life partner, Daniel, began transforming 2 acres of thick jungle into their off-the-grid homestead.

They continue to do all the work themselves—building a greenhouse and living spaces; raising chickens, rabbits, and quail; and tending a garden of avocados, papayas, taro, squash, spinach, and more.

“I don’t eat anything processed, and I always cook from scratch. I encourage my guests to do the same for a healthier, sustainable lifestyle,” she says.

Erkan’s cooking classes often begin with a tour of her rural homestead. Participants sample whatever produce is in season and help Erkan harvest some of the bounty for their class.

Next, the group gathers in an open-air kitchen overlooking a landscape of native ‘ōhi‘a trees and hāpu‘u ferns. It’s furnished with everything a modern commercial kitchen would have, with one addition: the 1949 O’Keefe and Merritt range that Erkan restored and uses for all her cooking.

Classes run from 2 to 4 hours, depending on the topic that visitors have chosen. Past sessions have focused on canning, pickling, pasta making, vegan and vegetarian dishes, chicken and beef stocks, and chicken butchery and husbandry. She also has taught classes on the 5 mother sauces: béchamel, tomato, velouté, espagnole, and hollandaise.

“My goal is to help guests feel comfortable in the kitchen,” Erkan says. “I tell them not to be afraid of making mistakes when they cook. That’s how you learn and become better.”

Classes are booked on demand and start at $50; maximum is 5 people ages 10 or older. Touring the property might be difficult for those with mobility issues. A minimum of 72 hours advance notice is required.

Expert tip: After learning a recipe, trust your taste buds and don’t be afraid to substitute ingredients. For example, Erkan replaces granulated sugar with honey, maple syrup, or brown or cane sugar in her pastry recipes.

Lāwa‘i, Kaua‘i

Food is the love language for Aletha Thomas and her family. The founder and owner of Monkeypod Jam enjoys hosting parties with her husband, Robert Newton, and their 11-year-old daughter, Annika. They also make comforting soups for friends who are sick. And on leisurely mornings, they read cookbooks and point out interesting recipes over breakfast.

Thomas credits her parents with igniting her passion for food. “They exposed my 3 sisters and me to global cuisine by taking us to ethnic restaurants and cultural festivals,” says the Portland, Oregon, native.

Today, she welcomes visitors to 3-hour cooking classes in her backyard cottage, which is equipped with a large kitchen. In the Kaua‘i Local Favorites class, participants learn how to make coconut mochi, Spam musubi, somen salad, and ‘ahi poke bowls.

In the new Farmers Market Cooking class, Thomas leads students through a popular alfresco market, where she chooses the best in-season produce. Menus depend on what’s fresh; there might be vegetable galette, charred tomatoes with yogurt sauce, or panna cotta with pineapple coulis.

“Food brings people together,” Thomas says. “We learn a lot about other cultures through their food—what grows in different regions, how traditions have developed, the stories behind the dishes. By sharing an authentic meal made with heart, we discover we have much more in common than we thought.”

Prices start at $125. Participants must be at least 10 years old; a registered adult must accompany those younger than 17. Themed classes and guest chefs are occasionally in the lineup, and Thomas plans to launch a Farm Tour and Cooking class soon.

Expert tip: Cook entrées in large batches. For example, roast 2 chickens at a time. Serve 1 for dinner; pick, bag, and freeze meat from the second for later. Save the bones to use for stock.

Ha‘ikū, Maui

In 2010, Ryan Burden embarked on a culinary journey to try more locally grown food. In 2014, he began cultivating 2 dozen varieties of produce on his 2-acre property. Thirty-two coconut palms rise up to 25 feet above the garden, but that’s not the only reason coconuts stand out to Burden.

“They have protein, fiber, healthy fat, and essential minerals,” he says. “The trees produce fruit year-round. Few other plants are as useful, hardy, sustainable, and nutrient-rich. The more I learned about coconut, the deeper I fell in love with it.”

Burden scaled back his tree-trimming business and began hosting 90-minute coconut cooking classes at his farm. Students use recipes that he created with his wife, Kathryn Dahm, to prepare cream, noodles, and "oysters" from coconuts.

The couple’s first recipe, coconut noodles, was featured in a 2021 episode of Guy Fieri’s show Guy! Hawaiian Style on the Food Network. Many of Burden’s students have never tasted, let alone made, such noodles before.

“Eating should be joyful and exciting, so don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone and try new things,” Burden says. “This is my dream job—connecting people with coconut, the greatest plant on Earth.”

Prices start at $400 for 2 people (50% off for kama‘āina), including a guided tour of the garden and picking and snacking on seasonal fruit. Burden gives away 1 copy of his 72-page coconut cookbook per class (it sells for $10 in the gift shop).

Expert tip: Use locally grown ingredients whenever possible. Balance flavors. Every dish should have an element of sweetness, saltiness, and fat. A sprinkle of salt can elevate a dish from so-so to lick-the-bowl delicious.

Honolulu, O‘ahu

Stop by a Continuing Education cooking class at Kapi‘olani Community College (KCC), and you’ll see students busily working with everything they’d need if they were professional chefs or bakers. But professional aspirations aren’t the point here—the joy of learning to cook is.

KCC launched the classes in the mid-1990s in response to high demand. Chef Grant Sato has been an instructor since 1998.

“My maternal grandparents raised me, and I was in the kitchen with Grandma a lot,” he says. “She inspired my passion for cooking. The classes are fun and easy. Students work in pairs; I demonstrate, and they replicate.”

There are 3 sessions: spring (January–April), summer (May–August), and fall (September–December). Offerings vary, with some chosen from students’ most popular requests.

Basics are covered in the spring: soups; salads; cooking beef, chicken, and pork; and dishes for Valentine’s Day and Easter. Come summer, ethnic themes prevail, including local Chinese, Japanese, and Filipino favorites. In the fall, attention turns to holiday topics such as baked treats and traditional breads.

You might also see condiments and preserves, carved fruit and vegetable garnishes, and other miscellaneous subjects on the schedules.

“Most of my students are baby boomers, and I enjoy helping them re-create beloved dishes from their childhood that they never learned how to make,” Sato says. “We talk story, and it’s interesting to see how food has shaped their lives, values, and perspectives—in essence, who they are today.”

Prices start at $75. Most classes are 4–6 hours. Participants must be 18 or older (classes for kids 6–18 are available in the summer).

Expert tip: Basic Knife Skills is the first class every fledgling cook should take, Sato says. It explains how to select, hold, use, and care for different knives. Students also learn culinary vocabulary, including exact measurements for the slices and dices most often used in recipes.

Honolulu, O‘ahu

Registered dietitian Lisa Matsunaga began teaching cooking classes in her Honolulu home in 2019. She wanted to show—not only tell—guests how to shop, cook, and eat healthily. Going on food tours, taking cooking classes, and browsing at local markets on her global travels provided her with valuable insights into various countries and shaped her philosophy about food.

“What frustrated me as a nutrition student were the Western-focused dietary menus that didn’t reflect the diverse cultures and eating habits of many Americans, especially in cosmopolitan Hawai‘i,” Matsunaga says. “In fact, all regional cuisines can be healthy.”

For her private 3-hour classes, she offers a dozen ever-changing menus. The most popular is Japanese themed with broiled miso butterfish or salmon as the entrée. Dishes can be adapted to suit vegan, vegetarian, low-cholesterol, and other dietary preferences.

The class camaraderie reminds Matsunaga of her visit to the Golden Temple in Amritsar, India, Sikhism’s most important monument. She joined hundreds of volunteers who prepare and serve 100,000 free meals there daily.

“The ladies taught me to use a roll-and-rotate motion to get perfectly round roti flatbread,” Matsunaga says. “Even as a foreigner, I felt a kindred spirit. That’s why I love cooking with people. It’s so much more than just the act of making food; it fosters connection and hospitality.”

Prices for the classes start at $385 for 2 people; add $115 per person thereafter, up to 5.

Expert tip: If spices have been sitting in your pantry for a long time, give them the sniff test. Little or no smell usually means their flavor is also gone and it’s time to replace them. At Down to Earth Organic & Natural stores (locations on O‘ahu and Maui), you can buy a few tablespoons of a spice if that’s all you need for a recipe. For premium spices, check out Diaspora Co. and Burlap & Barrel.

Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi is no Rachael Ray, but she picked up many helpful cooking tips while researching this story.