Where Culinary Meets Community
Located in the Mueller neighborhood of Austin, Texas, the East Austin Culinary Studio is a multi-dimensional cooking space for for novice chefs and foodies alike. Founded by owner Amanda Darby in 2018, the studio hosts hands-on cooking classes, corporate team building events, private parties, rotating pop-up dinners, engaging guest chefs, and other food-centric events. The space includes high-end cooking appliances and cookware essentials. It is beautifully designed to foster learning, cultivate conversation, and bring people together to make memories.
About
the
Owner
Hi there! I'm Amanda and I opened East Austin Culinary Studio in 2018.
Originally from Seattle (oysters, anyone?) with a 2-year stint in Amsterdam (where I learned to actually love raw herring dipped in onions), I journeyed my way south for the warmth of the sun. Now I'm here in Texas learning what it means to be a Longhorn and eating my weight in BBQ, fresh local peaches, and okra (mostly pickled).
I loved food from an early age, becoming passionately obsessed with the quickie top ramen my mom would throw together with sauteed onion, bell peppers, and polish kielbasa. These childhood meals taught me that making a meal didn’t have to be a slog--you could take something simple and make it special. But it wasn’t until after my freshman year of college that my love of cooking grew deeper when my dearest friend, a chef, passed away. Gifted her kitchen knives by her parents and remembering the way she could make even scrambled eggs taste like magic (shhh: it’s the onions and parmesan), I found myself spending more time in the kitchen as a way to stay connected with her. As my passion grew, I developed a deep appreciation for every aspect of the culinary process--from ingredient selection to recipe experimentation to taste and nutrition.
Over the years I’ve worked at various restaurants, volunteered with local youth gardening+cooking programs, earned my masters in Nutrition from Bastyr University, perfected the art of the crunchiest sourdough crust, and became a Master Preserver through Tilth in Seattle.
I structure my classes around making wholesome, delicious meals using fresh local ingredients, with an emphasis on fun and function. I love to teach people that cooking doesn’t have to be hard! I strive to instill in my students the same confidence I feel when I speed-dice an onion, quick-pickle a jar of cucumbers with fresh coriander, or whip up a simple Sunday dinner for my family.
At the end of the day, I believe food isn’t just for tasting--it’s a way to make memories, grow our curiosity and sense of adventure, and nourish our bodies and our souls.
Do you want to nourish YOUR body and soul?
Our cooking classes cater to all ages and abilities and we’d love to guide you on your next culinary adventure. Check out more details at our info page, swing by Instagram for some drool-worthy pictures, and be sure to sign-up for our newsletter for access to pop-up dinners, surprise events, class specials, and more!