Evento
Evento (Italia Like Locals, LLC) is a New York-based experiential culinary company founded in 2018 that delivers Italian-themed in-person classes, virtual cooking classes with shipped ingredient kits, and meal kits to corporate team-building clients, private social groups, and direct-to-consumer customers across the US.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2018
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Evento does
Evento, operating as Italia Like Locals, LLC, is a New York-based experiential culinary company founded in 2018 by Andrea Belfiore (raised in Ancona, Italy) and co-founded by Sam Akiba (NYU Stern MBA, 2022). The company delivers Italian-themed cooking and dining experiences to corporate and private social groups in three formats: in-person classes at its Canal Street headquarters and five NYC partner venues plus Los Angeles; live virtual classes on Zoom with optional shipped ingredient kits across the US; and direct-to-consumer meal kits sold through a Shopify storefront with UPS 2-day shipping.
The product portfolio spans pasta, pizza, gnocchi, risotto, mixology, and blind wine tasting, plus specialized offerings such as 'Wine with Joe' (a partnership with Joe Bastianich) and a Ten Homakase co-developed Italy x Japan omakase dinner. Corporate gifting is offered as a branded kit program with custom note cards. Public ticketed events (capacity 60) are sold through the Bucketlisters marketplace to reach individual consumers and small groups below the 10-guest private-event minimum.
Revenue mechanics rely primarily on per-person transaction fees for classes (typically $55-$225 depending on format and inclusions), one-time kit fees ($49-$76 per kit serving 4), and customized corporate gifting orders. Go-to-market combines a sales-led motion with dedicated event coordinators handling enterprise clients (Meta, Microsoft, DocuSign, First Republic, DoubleVerify, AppDynamics, R Studio, WMD Law, Swinerton) and a direct-to-consumer funnel through the website, social channels (Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, LinkedIn, Facebook), and Bucketlisters. Italia Like Locals, LLC has no disclosed institutional funding or parent company.
Evento firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Evento
- Legal name
- Italia Like Locals, LLC
- Website
- https://ciaoevento.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2018
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Evento (Italia Like Locals, LLC) is a New York-based experiential culinary company founded in 2018 that delivers Italian-themed in-person classes, virtual cooking classes with shipped ingredient kits, and meal kits to corporate team-building clients, private social groups, and direct-to-consumer customers across the US.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Evento industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Culinary Experiences & Event Services
- NAICS
- Caterers (722320), Food Service Contractors (722310), Special Food Services (7223)
- SIC
- Retail-Eating Places (5812), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Event Catering (Weddings, Social, Private Parties) (THAFAIAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Off-Premise / Mobile Event Catering (THAHAKAD), Event Culinary Staffing & Back-of-House Services (Chefs, Servers, Bartenders) (THAHAKAN), Wedding & Social Event Catering (THAHAKAE)
Keywords
Where Evento is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices6 records
Markets served
Evento business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Private Event Bookings: Per-person pricing for in-person culinary experiences including pasta making, pizza making, gnocchi, wine tasting, and custom classes. Includes Italian aperitivo, dinner, dessert, and open wine bar. Minimum 10 guests required.
- Virtual Cooking Classes: Online classes with optional ingredient kit shipping. Pricing varies by dish complexity from $75-$175 per person. Includes classes on pasta, pizza, risotto, mixology, and blind wine tasting.
- Food Kit Sales: Direct-to-consumer meal kits for at-home cooking. Kits include premium Italian ingredients, written recipe instructions, and video guidance. Prices range $49-$76 per kit serving 4 people.
- Corporate Gifting: Branded recipe kits for corporate clients with custom note cards and personal messages. Includes high-end ingredients, recipe cards, and chef video guidance.
- Public Ticketed Events: Monthly public pop-up events including pasta making parties, pizza nights, brunches, and dance parties. Sold through Bucketlisters platform. Capacity 60 guests, groups can reserve up to 30 tickets.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Virtual Cacio e Pepe Class |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Virtual Handmade Pasta Class |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Virtual Carbonara Class |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Wine with Joe (Virtual) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Virtual Blind Wine Tasting |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Virtual Tortelli Class |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Virtual Gnocchi Class |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Virtual Homemade Pizza Class |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Virtual Seasonal Risotto Class |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Mixology Virtual Class |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | In-Person Blind Wine Tasting |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Cooking for a Cause |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Carbonara Meal Kit |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Pizza Napoletana Meal Kit |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Cacio e Pepe Meal Kit |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Pasta Amatriciana Meal Kit |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Porcini Mushroom Risotto Meal Kit |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Handmade Cavatelli + Red Sauce Meal Kit |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels8 records
Evento product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Evento operates as an Italian culinary experiences company running in-person cooking classes and events (pasta making, pizza, gnocchi, tortelli, dinner parties, blind wine tasting, mixology) at NYC venues and nationwide live virtual classes on Zoom, with optional shipped ingredient kits. The company also sells DIY Italian meal kits directly to consumers through its Shopify store and offers customizable corporate gifting programs and brand activation experiences for enterprise clients.
Product overview
Evento (operated by Italia Like Locals, LLC) is a culinary events company based in New York City offering immersive Italian cooking experiences. The portfolio consists of three core offerings: in-person cooking classes and events (pasta making, pizza, gnocchi, wine tasting, and specialty dining) at NYC venues with capacities up to 200; virtual cooking classes with optional shipped ingredient kits for remote team building; and meal kits for at-home cooking. Supporting products include corporate gifting programs with branded kits, brand activation services for commercial events, mixology classes, and travel experiences to Sicily. The company operates primarily from 171 Canal Street in Lower Manhattan with several partner venues throughout NYC.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- In-Person Cooking Classes Immersive in-person Italian culinary experiences including pasta making, pizza making, gnocchi, tortelli, custom classes, and dinner parties hosted at Evento's NYC venues with open wine bar, music, and a full Italian aperitivo-to-dessert format.
- Virtual Cooking Classes Live online Italian cooking classes delivered via Zoom covering pasta, pizza, risotto, carbonara, gnocchi, tortelli, cacio e pepe, amatriciana, blind wine tasting, mixology, and custom menus, with optional nationwide ingredient kit add-ons.
- Italian Meal Kits At-home DIY Italian cooking kits sold individually by recipe (Carbonara, Cacio e Pepe, Pizza Napoletana, Pasta Amatriciana, Porcini Mushroom Risotto, Handmade Cavatelli + Red Sauce), each serving four people with premium Italian ingredients, recipe instructions, and chef video guidance.
- Corporate Gifting Program Branded Italian recipe kit gifting service for corporate clients, with customizable note cards, personal messages, and high-end ingredients for client appreciation, employee gifts, and corporate branding.
- Mixology Classes Virtual cocktail-making classes led by an in-house mixologist covering Italian classics such as Negroni plus options like Margarita and Old Fashioned, with ingredient kits available and mocktail customization.
- Wine Tasting Experiences Curated wine tasting experiences including "Wine with Joe" virtual classes featuring Bastianich winery Friulian wines and "Blind Wine Tasting" in-person and virtual formats with sommelier-led tasting bundles.
- Italy x Japan Dining Experience Omakase-style private dining experience combining Japanese and Italian cuisine in collaboration with Ten Homakase, featuring crudo, nigiri, wagyu beef, sea urchin pasta, and wine/sake pairings.
- Brand Activation Experiences Custom interactive culinary events for brands, including product launches, influencer gatherings, and promotional campaigns with on-site wine bars and social media content generation.
- La Vacanza Evento Goes To Noto (Sicily Travel Experience) Multi-day travel experience combining Italian culinary classes with a trip to Noto and Eastern Sicily, featuring local cuisine and cultural activities.
Quantifiable outcome
- 15,000+ virtual attendees taught from every continent except Antarctica
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Evento
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Evento technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Evento partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor.
- Ten HomakaseminorCollaboration for Italy x Japan dining experience - omakase-style dinner combining Japanese and Italian cuisine with premium ingredients including wagyu beef, sea urchin pasta, and sake/wine pairing.
- CHiPS (Community Help in Park Slope)minorNonprofit partnership for Cooking for a Cause events. Combines fun pasta making with philanthropy - guests make pasta for people in need, with portion of proceeds supporting CHiPS mission to alleviate hunger and homelessness in Brooklyn.
- Bastianich WineryminorWine partnership for Wine with Joe virtual experience featuring Bastianich Vespa Rosso and Vespa Bianco wines from Joe Bastianich's Friulian winery, paired with interactive wine education session.
- Masottina WinesminorWine partnership for Pasta Making Party events featuring Masottina Proseccos - the 96 Brut and 96 Rosé Brut paired with handmade pasta dinner experiences.
- BucketlistersminorThird-party ticketing platform partnership for public event sales including Friday Night Cooking Parties, Brunch Italiano, Pasta Making Dance Parties, and Sunday Pranzo Club events.
- NYC Partner Venues NetworkminorNetwork of partner spaces throughout NYC including locations in Chinatown (27 Allen with rooftop), Little Italy (132 Mulberry), Midtown (Loft39), and Union Square (Sixth Floor Loft) enabling simultaneous events and varied venue options.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Evento competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Hipcooks: In-person hands-on cooking party/events concept for private and corporate groups, with a party-style Italian/Spanish fusion similar to Evento's experiential positioning.
- Classpop!: Cooking class marketplace aggregating local chef-led experiences for individuals and groups, with virtual and in-person formats — directly comparable GTM motion to Evento.
- Cozymeal: Online marketplace for in-person and virtual cooking classes with chef-led experiences targeting both consumers and corporate groups. Closest direct competitor to Evento's culinary-class + private-event model.
- The Chef & The Dish: Virtual cooking class platform pairing home cooks with professional chefs via live video, with optional ingredient kits shipped — a near-direct virtual-class competitor.
Broad incumbents
- Sur La Table: National culinary retailer with an in-store cooking class program; broad incumbent in the culinary class space though event-format and corporate focus are narrower than Evento.
- Outback Team Building: Corporate team-building event provider with virtual and in-person culinary programs among many categories; competes in the same enterprise procurement RFPs as Evento.
- TeamBonding: Established corporate team-building vendor offering a broad catalog of in-person and virtual events — competes for the same enterprise team-building budget as Evento's corporate segment.
- Airbnb Online Experiences: Marketplace for virtual and in-person hosted experiences including cooking classes; broad incumbent with global distribution that competes for the same virtual-team-building spend.
Emerging players
- Goldbelly: E-commerce marketplace shipping curated artisan food (including Italian ingredients and meal kits) nationwide; comparable DTC channel and shipping logistics to Evento's meal-kit business.
- Cooks Who Feed: Virtual and in-person culinary team-building experiences for corporate clients with social-impact angle (meals donated) — directly comparable to Evento's Cooking for a Cause concept.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Evento social profiles
Digital presenceEvento financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Evento leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Evento funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Evento M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Evento
What does Evento do?
Evento operates as an Italian culinary experiences company running in-person cooking classes and events (pasta making, pizza, gnocchi, tortelli, dinner parties, blind wine tasting, mixology) at NYC venues and nationwide live virtual classes on Zoom, with optional shipped ingredient kits. The company also sells DIY Italian meal kits directly to consumers through its Shopify store and offers customizable corporate gifting programs and brand activation experiences for enterprise clients.
Is Evento a public or private company?
Evento is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Evento founded?
Evento was founded in 2018. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Evento based?
Evento is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does Evento make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Private Event Bookings are the primary driver. The others are virtual Cooking Classes, food Kit Sales, corporate Gifting and public Ticketed Events.
Who are Evento's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Hipcooks, Classpop!, Cozymeal and The Chef & The Dish. Broad incumbents are Sur La Table, Outback Team Building, TeamBonding and Airbnb Online Experiences. Emerging players are Goldbelly and Cooks Who Feed.
Does Evento have an API?
No public API is recorded for Evento.
What industry is Evento in?
Evento's product category is Culinary Experiences & Event Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFAIAB, Event Catering (Weddings, Social, Private Parties), with a secondary code of THAHAKAD, Off-Premise / Mobile Event Catering. Its NAICS code is 722320 and its SIC code is 5812.