Culinary Proficiency Classes from Youth to Adults

Through education, practice and comprehensive growth, Personal Plates strives to show students of diverse backgrounds the benefits of cooking their own meals in the comfort of their home. During the class, students will learn how to prepare meals from different cultures that are healthy and flavorful while developing an appreciation for food and its origin 

Chef Gina’s background with young students and children with developmental differences makes her the best culinarian for the job! Students will learn the basics around the kitchen: 

* Proper use of equipment and appliances

* Knife safety 

* Food handling and storage 

* Different techniques on preparation 

* And more! 

Classes typically run about 2 hours and allows time for student engagement and questions. 

On-Site in the Culinary Proficiency Kitchen:

Public classes:

Currently held during the weekend. Pre-Registration for classes ends 48 hours prior to the start of class. Classes are currently held at either River Valley Arts Center in Wappingers Falls or at The Poughkeepsie Underwear Factory in Poughkeepsie, NY. Please check the details on the registration page for the class you are registering for. A class is subject to cancelation if there are not enough participants. 

Private classes:

Date must be reserved at least 30 days in advance. Typically held over the weekend, however occasional weekdays may be available. Contact Chef Gina directly for details.

In-Home:

Weekly/Monthly classes: LIMITED AVAILABLILTY. Chef Gina will begin the first lesson with the basics on how to use the equipment in your home properly, with tips on what to avoid such as NO ALUMINUM IN THE MICROWAVE! and NEVER CATCH A FALLING KNIFE! A simple dish will be prepared and we enjoy together as we discuss favorite dishes and recipes they would like to learn.

After the initial class, menus will be customized for the student(s) prior to each class there after, ensuring the engagement and excitement for the next lab. They are encouraged to find recipes that would normally take about 60 minutes or less to make. We will learn to read the recipe, gather our mise en place (everything in it's place), proper and handy ways of measuring the ingredients, and how to adjust amounts to obtain the desired servings. 

Special events: Chef Gina works with the host to select a recipe for the class. Any special equipment needed will be provided at no additional cost, unless it is requested to be purchased for each student to keep after the class (i.e. sushi rollers). 

Food is purchased within 24 hours of the class and is reimbursed as mentioned in the above pricing. Chef's pantry items, set-up, and post class clean up is included in the service fee. 

Remote:

Classes are scheduled in advanced with the menu decided by the coordinator and/or participant(s). Please view suggested recipes for ideas or discuss further with Chef Gina if there is a preferred dish or to confirm which equipment is needed. These classes are available in multiple formats (see pricing). Once the format and recipe is decided, payment can be sent with participant name, title of event, and email. Upon receipt, a recipe card will be sent along with the Zoom meeting link. If there are any questions while shopping, the participant can reach out to the chef directly for assistance. 

With every class, mistakes are welcomed! One of the many ways to learn is through our mistakes, and it is better to make them in a setting where the student can understand why the error happened and how can it be fixed. Oh no, too much salt? A discussion arises on why too much salt is a bad thing and tips are given on how to prevent that from happening again. 

To begin classes, the coordinator (parent, guardian, or school representative) should send an email to chefgina@personalplatesllc.com. We will discuss a schedule, the preferred instructional format, number of students and classes, reimbursements and set goals. If a gift certificate is purchased, it is non-binding and up to the coordinator to continue.  

Public Classes:

Check the registration page for upcoming classes and more details.

Private Classes:

Choose from a list of suggested recipes or plan your own!

 • Per Person: $135* 

 • Private Groups of 4-6 people: $110* per person

*Plus cost of food 

 • Weekly classes: $165

Personal Plates, LLC also works with private and non-profit organizations 

Culinary Kitchen Rental:

 • Limited dates available. 

The current rate for kitchen rental is $160 for River Valley Arts Center in Wappingers and $175 for The Underwear Factory in Poughkeepsie. Price includes a 2-hour class followed by clean-up. 

Note: payment of kitchen rental fees are due at time of booking. A minimum 7-day notice of cancelation is required to obtain a full refund.   

Remote Cooking Classes

View Events Calendar for special classes or book your date in advance! 

 • Individual Class: $120 per person less than 4

 • Private Groups of 4-6 people: $95 per person; 6 or more $80 per person

 • Discounted pricing is available for groups over 10

Recipe card is provided in advanced to allow time for grocery shopping. 

Gift Certificates are available for introductory class!

Specializing in classes for high-functioning young adults.

Travel:

All events & classes booked that are located over 15 miles from Beekman, NY will incur a fee of $3.00/mile plus any tolls.

Payments can be made via: 

  •  Venmo: @personalplatesllc (#4236) [Add as a friend to avoid the additional 3% fee]

  •  QuickPay / Zelle: chefgina@personalplatesllc.com

  •  Check: Personal Plates, LLC 

All class fees are due at the time of registration. 

If registering a group, 50% deposit is due at registration with the balance paid before the start of class. 

Cancelations:

If canceled at least 48hrs in advanced, a full credit will be returned.

If within 48hrs, a 20% cancelation fee will be withheld and the balance returned. 

If the student would like to make up the class, it can be held in their account for up to 120 days. 

If a class should be canceled by the chef, it will be made up within 120 days or a full refund may be requested. 

Kitchen Rental: A minimum 7-day notice of cancelation is required to obtain a full refund. 

" Chef Gina was awesome! My husband and I took the knife skills class. She took her time explaining everything, went over all the different knives and which cuts were going to make on each vegetable.  I would recommend any course she has."

-M. Velez, September 2023

"I hosted a French macaron baking class for my friend’s birthday and Gina was wonderful to work with!  She was responsive, explained how the day would go, brought the equipment needed, and even cleaned the dishes while we were waiting for our macarons to settle 😊 I highly recommend Personal Plates and hope to do another class in the future!"

-C. Castro, October 2022

"I recently took a Sushi Virtual Cooking class with Personal Plates LLC and it was amazing!!! I was so nervous because I never cooked anything like it before. Gina was so patient with me! She was organized and made sure I had everything I needed and even instructed me where to shop! I can't wait to take another class! Thank you Gina Pagan I love what you do and you make cooking easy and best of all fun! Your passion shines through!!!🙂"

-Y. Kasper, February 2021

"My husband and I joined a virtual cooking class with Chef Gina at Personal Plates LLC and we had SO much fun! The Chef was so thorough and personable throughout the entire process. She sent over a list of ingredients and equipment that we would need, and sent over the recipe card as well. She took the time out during the class to cater to my personal dietary needs and it just sent me over the moon with happiness! This truly was such a fun experience, and the food came out delicious. The meal actually made its way to our “favorites” section in our recipe book. I would (and HAVE) recommend these classes and just Chef Gina’s services all around to everyone I know! She’s the best!"

-K. Tolosa, December 2020

"Gina is a wonderful instructor and cook."

-Adele Falco, Founder, Curious-on-Hudson, September, 2019