2 weeks Ago
MOUNT PLEASANT — Jake Rothschild started looking for a place to open his cooking school and kitchen incubator in Charleston last year. The Cooking Schools has been successful in Atlanta, and the entrepreneur behind JD Rothschild & Co. Gourmet Hot Chocolates and Jake’s Ice Cream thought the concept would work in Mount Pleasant, where his sister resides.
A year into scouting locations for the culinary education studio and commissary kitchen for up-and-coming chefs, Rothschild was struggling to find a space for the business. He wondered if it wasn’t meant to be. Then, he came across 2353 N.
Highway 17, a 6,000-square-foot building near Boone Hall Plantation & Gardens. About half of the sweeping space was dedicated to a kitchen. New Italian restaurant opens in Mount Pleasant.
Here’s what to expect. Rothschild, whose hot chocolate brand has been sold for nearly 40 years, jumped at the opportunity. Once open, The Cooking Schools will offer all-ages cooking classes for individuals and groups.
The sessions, taking place Friday through Sunday in the business’s first few months, are geared toward education and team building. Delta Air Lines, Mailchimp, Nike and Porsche are among the corporate groups that have prepared meals with The Cooking Schools chefs in Atlanta. Classes cater to experienced and novice cooks by making the kitchen less intimidating and more accessible, Rothschild said.
January bookings are live online for those looking to learn how to make shrimp and grits, pasta, paella and more. “We make sure that we’re building self esteem,” said Rothschild of the cooking classes, adding that, “we make everything from scratch.” Charleston chef departs Indigo Road to open a new Italian restaurant The Cooking Schools will offer all-ages cooking classes for individuals and groups.
The sessions are geared toward education and team building. Months of permitting delays plagued the new business, which will open in the coming weeks. Once it does, the 30 chefs on the waitlist to utilize The Cooking Schools’ "Our Village Kitchens" services will have the space and guidance to start or continue their culinary concepts, Rothschild said.
Part of the Hunger & Hope nonprofit wing of the business, Our Village Kitchens is “an incubator and launch pad for individuals looking to grow a food business,” according to its website. It operates as a commissary kitchen but with additional training, education and mentorship resources. "I really want to make this successful," said Rothschild, who plans to live in both Atlanta and Charleston.
In Atlanta, the program has a track record of helping young businesses get off the ground. King of Pops , Little Tart Bakeshop and O4W Pizza are among Our Village Kitchens’ graduates. The Cooking School is now accepting bookings for January.
For more information, visit thecookingschools.com . Bring friends to this Charleston-area restaurant, where large-format Greek entrées star.
