Cook Around The World
A Taste of Global Culture,
Right Here in Queenstown
Food has an incredible way of bringing people together, and our Cook Around The World series is designed to do just that.
Hosted twice a month in partnership with Happiness House, this unique culinary experience invites locals and newcomers alike to explore the rich tapestry of global cuisines.
Each cooking class highlights a different country’s cuisine, offering a hands-on cooking experience led by members of Queenstown’s multicultural community—ordinary people who bring extraordinary flavours and stories from their homelands. These guest chefs are passionate home cooks who generously share the culinary traditions, techniques, and heritage they carried with them to New Zealand.
The experience culminates in a communal meal that celebrates culture, connection, and community.
What to Expect:
Each Cook Around The World event is more than just a cooking class—it’s a shared experience of learning, connection, and cultural appreciation.
🍽 A Guided Cooking Demonstration: Spend the first 2–2.5 hours watching (and helping!) a talented guest chef guide the group through the preparation of a traditional dish. You'll gain insights into cooking techniques, spices, and cultural traditions tied to the meal.
🥗 Hands-On Participation: You may be asked to help chop, mix, measure, or cook ingredients—an engaging way to learn by doing! With many sessions featuring multiple recipes, we encourage guests to bring a notepad to jot down tips and tricks to recreate the dish at home.
👥 Meet New People & Share a Meal: With a limited group size (due to the kitchen space), you’ll have the opportunity to connect with everyone in the room. At the start of each event, we introduce ourselves and share a bit about our backgrounds, fostering a warm and welcoming atmosphere.
🍛 Experience Global Flavours: Our past classes have celebrated cuisines from around the world, including:
🌍 Chile 🇨🇱 | Sri Lanka 🇱🇰 | England 🏴 | Nepal 🇳🇵 | USA 🇺🇸 | China 🇨🇳 | Māori Aotearoa 🖤 | Scotland | Indonesia | Fiji and more!
🥢 Enjoy the Dish Together: After cooking, we gather as a group to share the meal, savouring the flavours and stories that accompany the dish.
How to Join?
Cook Around The World classes are FREE and open to everyone!
However, due to limited space, we require attendees to reserve their spots through Humanitix.
Simply visit the links at the bottom of this page to see what Cook Around The World classes are coming up soon, and to secure your space.
📅 Tickets are released exactly one week before each event at 10 AM via the Humanitix event page.
Participants can only reserve a space for themselves, so if you’d like to go with a friend be sure to let them know that they will need to reserve their own ticket.
Don’t miss out! Stay connected with us on our website and social media channels for updates on upcoming classes and events.
Share Your Culture — Become a Guest Chef!
We’re always looking for passionate cooks who want to share their cultural heritage through food. If you have a dish from your homeland that you’d love to showcase, we’d love to hear from you!
No professional experience needed—just a love for food and culture.
Coming Up Soon:
View our full calendar of upcoming Cook Around The World events and reserve your spot below.
