Social Cooking

What Social Cooking does

Social Cooking is a New Zealand-based experiential events company that designs and delivers corporate team building experiences centered on collaborative cooking challenges. Founded in 2012 and headquartered in Auckland, the company operates a purpose-built venue in Parnell (79a St Georges Bay Road) and runs pop-up operations in Wellington and nationwide through partner venues. Its core product is a portfolio of competitive cooking formats — including the Masterchef Challenge, Mystery Box Challenge, Street Kitchen Challenges, Banquet Challenge, and condensed Short & Sharp formats — in which teams of 8 to 100+ participants cook against the clock and are judged by a professional chef. The company also offers public cooking classes, Christmas-themed variants, private parties, hybrid/virtual events, optional add-ons (canapes, cocktails, licensed bar), and venue hire.

The business runs on minimal proprietary technology: standard video conferencing tools support hybrid events, and the website (built on Rocketspark) handles bookings and quote generation. Value delivery is entirely human-capital-intensive, relying on professional chefs, event facilitation staff, and curated recipe content. There are no patents, AI/ML capabilities, software APIs, or technology integrations disclosed. Operating infrastructure includes induction hobs, steam ovens, AV systems, and portable cooking equipment for offsite deployments.

Social Cooking makes money primarily through one-off event bookings priced at a minimum of $1,500 NZD (+GST) for team building events, with quotes varying by group size, format, location, and add-ons. A 50% deposit confirms bookings, with the balance due four weeks before the event. Secondary revenue comes from per-person public cooking classes ($99-$125 NZD), event add-ons (grazing boards, cocktail-making, bar service), and venue hire. The company employs 11-50 people and is privately held by Stormageddon Holdings Limited, with no institutional funding rounds disclosed. Its customer base is diversified across enterprise, education, tourism, and retail segments.

Name

Social Cooking

Legal name

Stormageddon Holdings Limited

Website

https://socialcooking.co.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Social Cooking is a New Zealand experiential events company that delivers corporate team building through competitive cooking challenges in Auckland and Wellington venues plus nationwide pop-ups. It serves enterprises, schools, and private groups with formats like Masterchef Challenge, Mystery Box, and cooking classes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Team Building Event Services

NAICS

Caterers (72232), Food Service Contractors (722310), Special Food Services (7223)

akta.pro primary industry

Cooking Classes & Chef-Led Workshops (THAJAGAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Private Culinary Experiences (Chef’s Table, Home Dining, Market-to-Meal) (THAJALAH), Food Festivals & Culinary Events (Ticketed Tastings, Pop-ups) (THAJAGAL)

Keywords

• Corporate team building
• Cooking events
• Team building challenges
• Culinary event services
• Corporate event hosting

Headquarters

HQ city

Auckland

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Team Building Events: Corporate team building cooking challenges are the primary revenue stream. Events are priced with a minimum of $1500 (plus GST) for Auckland, charged per event based on group size, format, location, and optional add-ons. A 50% deposit confirms booking, with full payment due 4 weeks before the event.
2. Cooking Classes: Public cooking classes offered at the Auckland venue. Classes are priced per person ($99-$125 NZD) and cover various culinary topics including bread making, dumplings, entertaining, and gnocchi. Classes have minimum attendance requirements (8 people) and run for 2-2.5 hours.
3. Event Add-ons: Optional extras sold alongside core events including grazing boards, mezze platters, cocktail making sessions, and fully licensed bar service. Platters and drinks are paid by credit card at the time of the event.
4. Venue Hire: The Auckland kitchen is available for venue hire for meetings, photoshoots, and promotional events. Additional costs may apply for offsite venue requirements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Social Cooking designs and delivers corporate team building cooking experiences in Auckland, Wellington, and nationwide across New Zealand. Teams compete against the clock in formats such as Masterchef Challenge, Mystery Box, Street Kitchen, Banquet, and Short & Sharp Challenges, with professional chefs acting as judges. The company also operates public cooking classes at its Parnell venue and supports private parties, add-on catering, and venue hire.

Product overview

Social Cooking is a team building and cooking experience company operating primarily in Auckland and Wellington, New Zealand. The core product is a suite of competitive cooking challenges (Masterchef Challenge, Mystery Box Challenge, Street Kitchen, Banquet Challenge, Short & Sharp Challenges) where teams cook together against the clock with professional chef judging. Additional products include Christmas-themed events, private parties, cooking classes, and optional add-ons like canapes, cocktails, and bar service. The company also offers offsite and hybrid event formats for nationwide coverage, with venues available for hire in Auckland. The portfolio spans 2-hour condensed challenges, 3-hour full events, and public cooking classes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Masterchef Challenge Flagship team building event format where teams compete in a Masterchef-style cooking competition, racing against the clock to create a meal judged by a professional chef. Targeted at corporate teams.
• Mystery Box Challenge Fast-paced team building challenge where teams must create dishes using surprise ingredients provided at the event, testing creativity and problem-solving skills. For corporate teams.
• Street Kitchen Challenges Team building event featuring street food themes such as Korean Fried Chicken Bao, with teams creating street-style dishes for competition. For corporate teams.
• Banquet Challenge Team building event where groups split into teams to cook multiple recipes that combine into a shared banquet feast for all participants. For corporate teams.
• Short & Sharp Challenges Condensed two-hour team building format offering quick, intense cooking challenges including Pizza, Burger, Dumpling, Risotto, Canapé, and Dessert challenges. For corporate teams.
• Grazing Board Challenge Team building challenge focused on creating visually appealing grazing boards and platters, combining food preparation with presentation skills. For corporate teams.
• Baking It Better Charity-linked team building activity partnering with Good Bitches Baking where teams bake treats, half of which are enjoyed by the team and half donated to charity. For corporate teams.
• Large Group Events Team building events designed for groups of 50–100+ people, accommodating large corporate teams at the Auckland venue or offsite locations nationwide. For corporate teams and conferences.
• Private and Hen's Parties Private event hosting for birthdays, anniversaries, hens parties, and stag parties with customizable cooking experiences at venues or offsite. For consumer private celebrations.
• Christmas Team Building Events Christmas-themed versions of team building events including Christmas Masterchef, Christmas Mystery Box, and Christmas Banquet formats for festive end-of-year corporate celebrations.
• Public Cooking Classes Public cooking classes offered at the Parnell venue covering topics such as bread making, dumplings, entertaining, and gnocchi, taught by professional chefs; priced NZD $99–$125 per person with a minimum of 8 attendees. For individual consumers and small groups.
• Canapes and Cocktails Optional add-on service offering welcome grazing boards, mezze platters, cocktail-making sessions, and a fully licensed bar for events. For corporate and private event hosts.
• Venue Hire The Auckland purpose-built kitchen at 79a St Georges Bay Road is available for hire for meetings, photoshoots, and promotional events, featuring a fully equipped commercial kitchen and AV setup. For organizations needing event space.

Quantifiable outcome

• 84% of customers rated team building experiences as 'Excellent'
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Good Bitches Baking (GBB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSocial Cooking partners with Good Bitches Baking (GBB), a charity that spreads kindness through home baking and delivers treats to people having a tough time across New Zealand. Together they created 'Baking It Better', a Christmas team building activity where half of baked goods are enjoyed by the team and half donated to GBB. Social Cooking donates a portion of their fee from Baking It Better events, with customers asked to match the contribution.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Atelier des Chefs: French cooking school chain offering hands-on chef-led classes and corporate events. Comparable on the in-venue chef-led workshop model and corporate team building extensions, though operating only in France/UK.
• The Cookery School: UK-based cooking school offering classes and private events including corporate team building. Comparable on the chef-led cooking class venue model, though UK-focused and not a direct competitor in NZ.
• Wild on Waiheke: NZ team building and event venue operator on Waiheke Island. Comparable on the corporate team building venue/event model in NZ, though themed around outdoor adventure/wine rather than cooking challenges.

Broad incumbents

• ClassBento: Marketplace for workshops and classes (including cooking) across Australia and other markets. Comparable on the culinary class/workshop offering and chef-led experience model, though not focused on corporate team building.
• Cozymeal: US-based marketplace for cooking classes, private chefs, and food experiences. Comparable on the cooking-class/workshop and culinary experience side, though franchise-style and much larger, with a broader range of consumer offerings beyond corporate team building.
• Sur La Table: US kitchenware retailer that operates a national cooking class program. Comparable on the chef-led cooking class and team building offering, though classes are a secondary line within a much larger retail business.

Direct peers

• Bake Create Celebrate: Cooking workshop and team building event provider offering chef-led experiences for corporate and private groups. Directly comparable on the hands-on cooking event format and corporate clientele.
• Cooking Up a Tribute: Australian provider of cooking-based team building events serving corporate groups. Closest direct peer to Social Cooking, offering comparable hands-on cooking challenges, chef-led facilitation, and corporate event formats across Australia.

Others

• Cater NZ: New Zealand catering and event services provider. Comparable NZ-based food service operator serving corporate events, though more oriented to traditional catering/delivery than interactive cooking challenges.

Emerging players

• 177 Milk Street Cooking School: US cooking school and media brand offering online and in-person classes. Comparable on the cooking-class/food-experience model and brand-led content, though distributed nationally via media rather than event-team-building.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/socialcookingnz
• Facebookfacebook.com/SocialCooking.co.nz
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/socialcooking

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Social Cooking