faq

Besides the 18 years of experience of Joe Kimura in some of the world's top Japanese kitchens, our cooking classes are higher quality than what most other online cooking schools offer: 1. All our signature cooking classes are PRIVATE. This means you are one-on-one with a Michelin level chef, who is entirely dedicated to you for the duration of the class. This means you can cook along at your own pace and ask all the questions you want. You won't get this level of personal service in other online classes. 2. Our recipes are AWESOME. Really. We are proud of the success rate of our customers cooking results, and have several cookbooks packed with recipes that will boost your culinary repertoire. 3. Our chef mentors are patient, professional, organized, and excellent teachers. 4. You can chat or email our chefs at anytime before or after the class for extra tips or recommendations. We're not just a one night stand, we're here to help you pursue your passion for cooking for a lifetime. 5. We are one of the only dedicated Japanese cooking schools outside Japan and have a huge variety of cooking classes to choose from. 6. We also train professional chefs, so we can take you to any level you want. 7. Our chef mentors are highly adaptable and have many years of teaching all levels, backgrounds, and locations, and will be flexible to optimize the class to your needs. 8. Kimura's cooking classes are not just about the food, we will also give you the history behind the dishes, as well as cultural tips and perspectives to give you a fully immersive experience. 9. We have one of the highest rates of returning customers in the industry. We have so many interesting classes to try!

Yes of course! We offer both digital gift cards for you to download and print instantly, and physical gift cards that are on high quality paper to be sent to you via post. Simply select from the shop the type you prefer. The recipient can use the voucher code for any of our cooking classes. Gift cards are valid for 2 years from the date of purchase. If you would like something specific to offer as a gift, we can create a custom Gift Code for you. Just send us a message with your request.

Cooking in your own kitchen is one of the best ways to learn to cook new recipes as you will be more likely to remember what you learned, and can be more relaxed in your own space. Here's what to expect: When booking, you will be sent a list of ingredients and equipment needed, the recipes for the class, as well as a Zoom video link to join on the day. Then, you purchase the ingredients ready for the date of the booking. We can assist with this process if needed. On the day, simply have the ingredients ready and clear space in your kitchen. Some classes require some preparation beforehand (especially the intermediate and advanced levels) but most will be prepared from scratch during the class. Click on the link on your tablet, laptop or mobile phone and you will join the lesson. Note that our signature classes are PRIVATE, where you will be one-on-one with the chef. In group classes there will be other people joining the class. Then the chef will guide you through cooking the dishes in real time, live. You can ask all the questions you need, and the chef will adapt the speed of the class to your pace. There is no fixed end time for our classes. We only stop once you have all the food ready to eat! Then you can leave the class and enjoy the food prepared with your family and friends!

Yes. However these are upon request only. You can either book a class and visit our kitchen near Rodez, in the south of France, or you can arrange to fly our chef to your location. You can book a chef for a private home cooking class, dining event, or nyotaimori experience. For in-person classes, please note the following: Travel & accommodation costs will billed to you if flying our chef/s to your location. You will be quoted this before your booking. We can arrange accommodation for you if visiting our kitchens in the south of France. (We are also working on 'Culinary experience tours' and will update this page when they become available). These cooking classes are upon request only and you must email us on the contact page to arrange one. You cannot book on our online platform and transform to an in-person class. In-person classes with Joe Kimura are an exclusive experience and have limited availability due to high demand. In-person cooking classes have a minimum of $500 per event. Contact us for pricing.

Yes absolutely! We have years of experience teaching people with all kinds of dietary requirements, allergies, religious, or other health related needs. Our team will be happy to help adapt a cooking class for you: Just send us an email or chat with us, describing what you need, and we will be happy to help. Please note that not all classes can be adapted, depending on your requirements. We will always offer alternatives though. Japanese cuisine is far more flexible than western cuisine when it comes to diets or allergies, as many recipes have the seasonings apart. Our cookbooks also have substitutions for all the most common dietary requirements with every single recipe.

All our cooking classes are in ENGLISH language. We can also teach cooking classes in French upon request.

Yes absolutely! Our gift cards are designed so that the recipient can use the value of the voucher on any of our products and services. They simply chose which cooking class they want to take (or other product) and enter the code at checkout to use the voucher. Find out more information on our Gift Cards page.

Yes! We have a lot of cooking classes to choose from. Just get in touch with our team and we will guide you to help find the best suited options for your cooking level or event requirements. We are always happy to help as we want to give you the best experience possible. Send us a message on the Contact Page, via live chat on this website, or on WhatsApp at +4526471771

Yes, our team can help you to find ingredients and you will receive a list of useful shops and online stores when you book. We are also very flexible and can help you to substitute ingredients where needed.

The majority of our cooking classes are designed for adults, but we also teach families with children aged from 12 years up. Kids love to cook and have fun in the kitchen, and our Sushi class is very popular and easy to get the kids involved in! We recommend that you are in the kitchen with your children if organizing a cooking class for them. It's also best to contact us first when booking with kids, so that we can adjust the teaching style and content for you. Please note that some services on our website are for over 18's only (for example, Nyotaimori events).

The number of people per class depends on the type of class that you have booked: For Private Online Cooking Classes: You can be up to 4 people on 1 device. (For additional people or devices, you must add the extra people when booking) For Live Cook-Along Classes: You can be 1 person on 1 device (For these classes, pricing is per person) For Team Building Cooking Classes: You can be between 6 people and up to 40 people in one session. (Team pricing is per person, please contact us for a quote) For Private Dining: You can be between 4 people and 25 people. For Event Catering: You can be between 15 people and 300 people. Please visit the respective web pages for each type of class on this website for more information, or just send us a message and we will be happy to arrange a cooking class or event for you.

You can book online and pay with most major credit and debit cards, such as Visa, MasterCard, American Express, etc. We unfortunately do not accept PayPal due to the ridiculous merchant fees they charge. You can also pay with cryptocurrencies: Bitcoin (BTC) or Monero (XMR), and we offer a 5% discount on those purchases. All prices are in US Dollars.

We are based in the south of France (Central European Time) and cooking classes can be booked between these times: Visit our cooking classes page for available dates and times for each class type. Classes can be booked during these hours, and last start time is 10pm CET. Tuesday: 10:00 am – 10:00 pm CET (4:00 am - 4:00 pm EST) Wednesday: 10:00 am – 10:00 pm CET (4:00 am - 4:00 pm EST) Thursday: 10:00 am – 10:00 pm CET (4:00 am - 4:00 pm EST) Friday: 10:00 am – 10:00 pm CET (4:00 am - 4:00 pm EST) Saturday: 10:00 am – 10:00 pm CET (4:00 am - 4:00 pm EST) ​Sunday: Closed - Open on request Monday: Closed - Open on request

We are based in the south of France, near Rodez. Our head office is in Lyon. We offer cooking classes online all around the world, and our chefs can be flown to your location for events upon request. Our main customer base is in the United States and Europe.

Yes of course! You can change or reschedule a cooking class up to 48 hours before your booked start time. Just contact us and we will help you find an alternative date or different type of class. To cancel a cooking class you must notify us 3 days before the date of your booking in order to qualify for a refund. For events or private dining, the cancellation, rescheduling or changes terms will be specified to you upon requesting a quote, as these are specific to each circumstances.

You are able to get a refund if you cancel your booking with us with at least 3 days before the date of your booking. Cancellations after this time frame do not qualify for a refund, although you can still reschedule or modify your booking up to 48 hours beforehand. Gift cards or vouchers are non-refundable due to their nature, and are not redeemable for cash. If for some reason you were not satisfied with our cooking classes or services, please contact us and we will do our best to find a solution or offer you an alternative experience. Cooking classes are not refundable after they have been taken, unless under exceptional circumstances. Events or private dining cancellations are taken on a case by case basis, and in most cases a refund is possible unless too short notice is given. If flights or transport was booked for our chefs, this cost is non-refundable. Please see our full terms of service for more details.

All our gift cards are valid for 2 years from the date of purchase.