Gourmet cooking classes can be something to make a business of especially to those who have cooking talent. Say "gourmet" cooking to the average person and he immediately thinks of a fancy menu printed in French, and impossible to read without help from a snooty waiter.

Yet, when you add that mysterious dash of your "secret" ingredient to plain, ordinary hamburger, you are engaged in a form of gourmet cooking. Gourmet cooking simply means making every day foods taste like something special from the menu of a posh restaurant or hotel. If you like to cook, then don't overlook this gourmet cooking classes, a potential money-maker of a business in the kitchen.

A close friend of mine who became a success at gourmet cooking classes business started a modest catering business serving small weddings, parties, and other social functions. As she gained confidence in her ability to please people with her cooking, she began reading gourmet cookbooks, and experimenting with the recipes. To her surprise, she found that gourmet cooking was no more difficult than most ordinary cooking, and the rewards much greater.

There are two ways to make money with or your pots and pans: cook for others, or show others how to cook for themselves or a gourmet cooking classes business. If you like the idea of teaching, you can offer courses in your own home. Or, you can explore the thought of offering a course at the local adult education class.

Gourmet cooking classes' lessons are usually given to a groups of 3 to 8 people, especially if you are using your own kitchen as a classroom.  Of course, if you can manage all the tasting involved in a teaching course like this, you can offer more than one course a week.

To start a gourmet cooking classes, you will of course, need to know something about gourmet cooking. This is not especially difficult. You can pick up valuable pointers by taking a course offered at a school or by someone else, or by reading some of the many books available on the subject. Tell your librarian what you want, and you probably won't be able to carry all the gourmet cooking books she can recommend.

You will also need the basic gourmet cooking tools and utensils to start your classes. These include an egg whisk, a set of top-stove saucepans, and ovenware, French knives, a spatula, measuring spoons and cup, kitchen spears, and a grater. As your ability grows, you will find yourself depending more and more on a few of these utensils. This equipment costs less than a couple of hundred dollars.

Once you get comfortable in your cooking ability, contact some of the women's groups in your area. Ask if they would like a free lecture-demonstration before joining your gourmet cooking classes. Few program chairmen will turn down such an offer, and you will have taken one step closer toward building your gourmet cooking reputation.

When you give your talk in your gourmet cooking classes, whet your listeners' appetites figuratively and literally. Pass out loads of samples of your product - don't skimp on gourmet cooking demonstration quantities. Everyone should be able to get a generous gourmet cooking sample of everything you prepare during the class.

Remember this gourmet cooking trick: tell just enough to show how easy a recipe is, but don't tell all in your classes. This will generate a lot of questions from the audience. Make a point of remembering those persons asking the most questions - they are hot prospects for your next class in gourmet cooking. It is not unlikely to sign up a class right on the spot; since everyone wanting the gourmet cooking course is there, you can quickly agree on a convenient time and place for everyone interested to join your gourmet cooking classes.

In promoting your gourmet cooking classes you must realize that it's doubtful whether you can generate much interest from the usual advertising methods. Rather, concentrate on the lecture-demonstration route to building your gourmet cooking classes. Also, remember to have an adequate supply of printed folders to pass out to interested parties at your lecture.

Usually, your gourmet cooking students will be happy to learn to cook a few dishes. However, When the plan to entertain, you can suggest in your class that they engage you as a "gourmet consultant" to assist them with more elaborate gourmet dishes. Actually, you will use this opportunity to prepare some things you never touched upon in your gourmet cooking classes.

This, of course, leads to further gourmet cooking lessons as guests comment on the food to the hostess.Later in your gourmet cooking classes business, you might consider preparing special foods and distributing them through commercial channels. This, of course, requires a lot of equipment, capital, special permits, and professional help. But many successful, million-dollar businesses started out in just this modest fashion.