Cooking School FAQs

Answers to your frequently asked questions.

What can I expect to see at a cooking school event?
The Taste of Home Cooking School is a 2 1/2 hour stage demonstration of 10-12 recipes, offering valuable cooking tips. The Taste of Home Cooking School—Made Easy is an onstage program of 7-8 recipes (about 1 1/2 hours) that offers quick and easy dishes along with craft and decorating ideas. While some schools have local vendor booths and food concession stands this is not the case for all locations. You will want to check the individual city listings under the cooking school schedule for details about pre-show activities.

I don't see any cooking schools listed for my state. Why?
Our staff of culinary specialists travel by van to present cooking schools around the country. They will tour some states during the spring season and others during the fall. If you don't see any listing for your state for a particular season it means schools are held there the opposite season. For example cooking schools are presented in Oregon in spring and in California in fall.

What don't you come to my city?
The cooking school program relies on the participation of local newspapers and radio stations to host the event. Local media fulfill advertising requirements of the national food companies who provide financial assistance to support the program. Media may decline the opportunity to sponsor a cooking school if they do not have sufficient staff to organize the event, if they do not have a facility that will hold a minimum of 700 guests, if they feel it will not be a profitable venture or if they feel there isn't community interest.

You used to come to my city, but you haven't been here for a couple of years. Why?
Locations are allowed to "rest" a couple of years, if attendance has been declining in the hopes of renewing interest in the event. Media may request a break because of staffing changes or budget concerns. Some locations are placed on an alternate year or every third year rotation to fulfill requests for shows by media that are within close proximity to each other.

How do I acquire booth space at a cooking school to promote my product?
Local newspapers or radio stations sponsor the cooking school and are responsible for organizing and promoting the event. They determine if vendors can set up a booth and the cost for each package. Please check the cooking school schedule for the locations that are of interest to you. A contact name and phone number is included in the show details for each location.

I'd like to be a presenter. How do I apply for a position?
The cooking schools are presented by Taste of Home Productions, Inc. Resumes may be directed to the Human Resource Department, Reader's Digest-Milwaukee; 5400 S. 60th Street, Greendale, WI 53129 or emailed to www.rd.com/careers. Qualifications for our Taste of Home Cooking School Culinary Specialist are:
- Bachelor's degree in Food Science or Home Economics or related culinary field, preferred
- Willing to travel extensively —will cover at least a 5-7 state territory
- Possess excellent communication and presentation skills
- Demonstrate a resourceful, energetic personality
- Previous experience working with print and broadcast media
- Good organizational skills
I checked the show schedule, but there isn't any information for the show I want to attend. How do I get the information?
You may need to check the web site at a later date. Ticket information and show highlights are sent to us by the newspaper or radio station hosting the event. Shows sites are asked to submit information at least 4 weeks prior to their scheduled show. You can listen for radio ads, watch for articles in the newspaper or checkout posters placed in area stores such as local supermarkets.

Do you have cooking schools in summer?
School is out for the summer. Cooking schools are presented in the spring of each year from the beginning of March to mid-May and again in fall from the beginning of September to mid-November.

The show I wanted to attend is canceled. Why?
Occasionally newspapers or radio stations that host a cooking school need to cancel the event because they have staffing changes when bought out by another company or there are conflicts with auditorium dates. Inclement weather may force a media to cancel a show if accommodations cannot be made to reschedule the event.

I thought we would sample the food made on stage. Why can't the audience have a sample?
The logistics of purchasing and preparing enough food, the concern for safe food handling, plus the time needed to distribute samples to audiences of at least 700 prevent the cooking school from giving guests a taste of the featured recipes.

I attended the cooking school and lost the cookbook I received in my gift bag. How can I get another copy?
The Taste of Home Cooking School cookbook magazine is produced specifically for the cooking school event. Additional copies for the current season may be found at bookstores such as Borders or Barnes & Noble or at Super WalMarts. We are sorry cooking school magazines are no longer available from previous years. However, you can go to www.tasteofhome.com to search for a recipe or by selecting Community Recipe Forums to request a recipe from fellow Taste of Home cooks.