We recently connected with Kate Sonders Solomon and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Kate thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about a time you helped a customer really get an amazing result through their work with you.

I once had a student who was “afraid of green.” When we met, she adamantly professed that no green vegetable would ever pass her lips. I reassured her that while I enjoy seeing students sample new or unfamiliar foods, I would never force a child to eat.

In spite of her limitations, she remained a curious and inquisitive cook. During our fourth session, we made homemade gnocchi with a very, very green spinach pesto. I watched my young student attentively and carefully roll her gnocchi. She took such pride in making the pesto, in spite of her hesitation and fear.

That day, she devoured an entire bowl of pesto gnocchi, and even asked for seconds. The ambivalence dissipated, replaced by confidence and courage. Her mother left the lesson in tears, amazed by her daughter’s change of heart and profusely thanking me for the eye-opening cooking experience. At home, their food battles began to fade as she became an increasingly adventurous eater.

Kate, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’m a cooking instructor/instructional chef based out of the Rivertowns in Westchester, New York. I have been in business for almost 10 years, though I have been working in some facet of the culinary industry for much longer. I have dabbled in cheesemaking, food writing, recipe writing and editing, and line cooking. I also founded a food festival that, while short lived, was a huge success.

When my son was in preschool, his teacher, who knew I had a background in food, asked me to pop in around various holidays to do mini cooking classes- cornbread for Thanksgiving, cookies for Christmas, latkes for Hanukkah, for example. While the kids responded really well to my lessons, I never considered making a career of teaching. However, my son’s teacher kept nagging me with “I think you should do this for a living.”

I was lucky enough to have a friend who owned an education center for children and sponsored my very first cooking class, which was met with warmth and enthusiasm by the community. I really would have never taken this leap without their encouragement and support.

Since then, I’ve taught kids of all ages, adults, and corporate teams. I run culinary summer camps, and help families strategize meal prep. My classes are very hands-on and tactile and my approach is playful, down-to-earth, and focused on fostering connections in the kitchen. I strive to make cooking a joyful and empowering experience for my clients and students.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I’m not only selling a service, I’m selling myself. I always try to be warm, approachable, and engaging in my lessons. It isn’t just about the food to me, but truly about curating meaningful, genuine relationships with my students, many of whom have been with me for years.

I bring a strong culinary expertise and practical experience to my classes, which helps my students understand the technical and creative aspects of cooking. My lessons are bespoke to each and every client and I have a reputation as being flexible, patient, and relaxed as a teacher.

With kids, I introduce new flavors, textures, and scents. I welcome them to the world of food by developing their fine motor skills and their palates. We use culinary math and chemistry and I love shocking them with little facts like “yeast is alive!” With adults, I break down techniques into simple, manageable steps, making cooking less intimidating for beginners and more enjoyable for experienced cooks.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

I rely a lot on social media to advertise: Facebook, Instagram. So many community pages welcome my weekly posts. However, word of mouth has definitely been my most robust source of clients. Tapping into personal recommendations from friends, clients, and partners has been invaluable- an organic and powerful way to grow my business without having to spend money on advertising (although SEO and more traditional forms of marketing have been greatly helpful, as well). I can probably trace a chain of referrals back to the early days of my business, which is really special! I really appreciate my loyal community.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.katesonders-solomon.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katesonders
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/katesonderscooks
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katesonderssolomon

Image Credits

Images by Doug Schneider Photography, Living Notes Photography