Cooking Classes at Willamette Valley Kitchen Company

Cooking Classes at Willamette Valley Kitchen Company offers demonstration cooking classes, hands-on knife skills classes, and virtual cooking classes. The cooking school is located at the back of the store, and classes are offered for all levels. Virtual cooking classes include the option to cook along with Chef Amy through a video link, using provided recipes, a grocery shopping list, and a prep list.

• Schedule: Open Tuesday–Saturday, 10am–5:30pm; typically closed on New Year's Day, Memorial Day, 4th of July, Thanksgiving, and December 25–26 for Christmas
• Price: Virtual classes are available for $10

The program’s mission is to bring friends and neighbors together in the kitchen and around the table. The current owner and chef is Amy Church, and the leadership team also includes local chef Carl Meisel and co-owner Jo Taylor, along with staff members Amy, Karen, Jessa, Alisha, Carrie, and Jessica. Local chef Carl Meisel began teaching cooking classes in 1978 and opened Carl's Cuisine, a kitchen store and cooking school, in 1980, which moved to its present location in 1983 and was later renamed Willamette Valley Kitchen Company in 2015 after Carl and Jo retired and sold the store to Amy Church in 2014. The store offers high quality kitchen tools, gourmet ingredients, and cooking classes for all levels, and trained staff can help customers find items and show them how to use them.

Owner Amy serves on the Board of Salem Harvest, which works to end hunger in the region by harvesting local fresh food that would otherwise go to waste. Customers can add a $1, $5, or $10 donation to their purchases, and 100% of these donations go directly to Salem Harvest. Every holiday season, a portion of the proceeds from the Holiday Appetizers cooking class is donated to Salem Harvest.

Last updated January 6, 2026.