Today we’d like to introduce you to Therese Vu and Brandon Flazer.
Cooking with Love, is a passion project that started with two goals in mind: 1) To bring people from all walks of life together, broaden their culinary experience into Asian Cuisine, and help them find their inner Chefs. 2) To give back and join the movement to end world hunger by working with a non-profit, Tiny Blessings Non-Profit, whose mission is to better the lives of homeless children.
Therese Vu, one of the co-founders, grew up in her Grandma’s kitchen where she learned the art of Vietnamese Cuisine. There, she learned about using the freshest ingredients and how to cook with a variety of spices. She is inspired by her travels all around the world, experiencing new cultures and trying new cuisines. Her love for food is deep-rooted in the marriage of great flavors, and shared experiences with family and friends. Known for her ability to bring others together, create comforting meals and design beautiful and unique dinner parties, Cooking with Love is an extension of her.
With his multi-cultural background as a Hawaiian/Chinese/Portuguese/French/Filipino, and Spanish-American, Brandon Flazer, one of the co-founders, found his love for cooking from the variety of dishes he ate growing up. At the age of 22, he moved from Hawaii to the U.S. Mainland and realized he no longer had access to the local foods of Hawaii. That motivated him, to learn and perfect how to make all of the dishes he loved growing up. He views cooking for his family and friends as a labor of love and often says, “It tastes so good because it’s made with love.” Hence the inspiration behind the name, “Cooking With Love.”
Therese and Brandon found love over countless shared meals. They truly believe that you can learn so much about one another by how you work together in a kitchen. There is a special magic that happens when you create a menu, source fresh ingredients, cook together, and savor your creations with the ones you love. Being total foodies who enjoy trying new foods and recipes, they wanted to create cooking classes and events that inspire the inner chef and host in everyone, while also being able to give back to a greater cause.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
As self-taught Chefs, neither Therese nor Brandon has a professional background in the culinary industry and so the idea of starting a new venture to teach others, was one that came with a lot of hesitation. But, with the support and encouragement of family and friends, they decided to pour everything they had into bringing “Cooking With Love,” to life. They truly had to start from ground zero, and from the inception of the idea to teaching their first class, they had to do a lot of research and leg work to ensure they could succeed.
Perfecting their menu, and setting up their operation was a lot of work but fun and overall went well. The hardest aspect for them thus far has been customer acquisition. Being a new business, they’re continuing to build relationships with those in the community and put a lot of emphasis on ensuring every customer has an exceptional experience with us. Also, working through the day to day operations and how to ensure each class runs smoothly, is one they’re continuing to re-visit and build upon. They understand that being an entrepreneur and starting a new business is one that takes hard work, collaboration, and patience.
Please tell us about your work. What should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Here at Cooking With Love, our mission is to help you find your inner Chefs and love for Asian Cuisine while giving back to a greater cause. We hope to inspire you to create and have fun in the kitchen.
At our Cooking Classes and Events, we create a relaxed atmosphere which aims to not only sharpen your culinary skills but help you gain confidence in the kitchen.
You will get hands-on cooking lessons that start with the freshest ingredients and end with savoring your creations while connecting with friends and family. You will leave each class with recipes to take home to re-create on your own and memories to last.
We offer a range of classes from recreational (most classes ranging from 10-14 people), to private lessons, to employee and team building events, to celebrations.
What sets us apart from other cooking classes is our emphasis on Asian Cuisine and our philanthropy. In today’s climate, it is so important for us to come together as a community to lift each other up. The idea of each of our attendees being able to join us to make memories, learn a life skill, enjoy a great meal, and be able to really impact to the lives of homeless children in a meaningful way, is very rewarding.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
We have a lot to be proud of. The first has been to see our attendees create connections and long-lasting memories coupled with the feedback they give us afterwards. They reach out to us with meals they’re re-creating in their homes and it’s rewarding to know we’ve taught them a life long skill.
The second of course, is to see the impact we are having on the homeless children through our donations to Tiny Blessings Non-Profit. We can follow their journey and see that not only are these children going to bed with a full stomach but that, they are being cared for and motivated to attend school and better their lives.
Pricing:
- Classes start at $75 per person.
Contact Info:
- Address: SAE Kitchen
980 Los Vallecitos
San Marcos, CA 92069 - Website: cookingwithlove-events.com
- Email: cookingwithlove.bookings@gmail.com
- Instagram: CookingWithLove.Events
- Yelp: https://yelp.to/qTKq/OdcVWNfOGZ
Image Credit:
Clara Vu
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