Chef-K, Inc

What Chef-K, Inc does

Chef-K, Inc. is a privately held, woman-owned culinary health education company founded in 2002 by Laurie Zerga and headquartered in Petaluma, California. The firm designs and delivers cooking and nutrition education programs for children ages 3 through 18, organized around a proprietary 10-course curriculum that combines culinary instruction, food safety, nutrition science, and table etiquette. Programs are packaged as week-long summer camps ($390 per camper), six-session after-school courses (Get Cooking 1, Get Cooking 2, Health & Nutrition), holiday-themed seasonal activities, and train-the-trainer curriculum licensing delivered via Zoom. The company also publishes children's books (Start at the Table, The Fruit Group, Vegetables Aren't Just Green) and sells family activity kits, Garden Kits, and seasonal bundles through a direct e-commerce storefront (shop.chef-k.com) and Amazon.

The firm's core "technology" is its curriculum content rather than a software product: each program ships with an instructor's guide, participant handouts, evaluation forms, metric tools for grant reporting, and press release templates. Curriculum has been formally included in USDA, SNAP-Ed, California Healthy Kids, and After School Resource Centers libraries, and the firm holds WOSB, DUNS, and CAGE certifications that pre-qualify it for federal and military youth services contracting.

Chef-K operates a hybrid B2B/B2C go-to-market model. On the institutional side, it sells direct to schools, youth organizations, and U.S. military bases (Air Force and Navy) using a three-tier delivery model (DIY train-the-trainer, hybrid, or full-service Chef-K delivery) priced by program and site. On the consumer side, it sells activity kits, bundles, and books directly to families through e-commerce and event-based camp registrations. Named customers include the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, Boys & Girls Clubs of America (including Alameda), San Francisco Unified School District, and Boy Scouts of America. The firm is founder-controlled, employs approximately six people plus a distributed network of certified trainers, and has no disclosed institutional funding.

Name

Chef-K, Inc

Legal name

Chef-K, Inc.

Website

https://chef-k.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Chef-K is a woman-owned culinary health education company, founded in 2002, that delivers cooking and nutrition programs, camps, books, and activity kits for children ages 3-18 through schools, military bases, youth organizations, and families.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Petaluma

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Product Sales: Sale of cooking activity kits, seasonal activity bundles, books, and curriculum materials through their e-commerce platform. Products include activities for youth organizations ($35.99 each), family home editions ($10), garden kits ($175), and bundles ($150).
2. Camps and Classes: Week-long cooking camps and after-school programs delivered either by Chef-K staff or through train-the-trainer model. Camps range from $390 for week-long programs to per-class pricing for after-school series.
3. Consulting Services: Laurie Zerga provides consulting services for organizations developing culinary and nutrition programs. Services include strategic community health initiatives, leadership and strategy for educational tools, program development, and custom curriculum creation. Pricing available on hourly, project, or retainer basis.
4. Book Sales: Sale of 'Start at the Table: 7 Healthy Tips to Get Your Family Cooking' book by Laurie Zerga at $19.99 through Amazon and potentially direct sales.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Chef-K develops and sells a comprehensive culinary health education curriculum and product line for children ages 3-18 and families, including branded books, week-long cooking camps, after-school courses, seasonal and family cooking activity kits, garden kits, and Train-the-Trainer consulting services. The company delivers these through direct e-commerce sales to families and through B2B channels to schools, Boys & Girls Clubs, military bases, and government youth programs, with optional in-person facilitation by certified trainers.

Product overview

Chef-K, Inc is a culinary health education company offering a comprehensive portfolio of programs, products, and services for teaching children and families healthy cooking and nutrition habits. The portfolio consists of three core book titles (Start at the Table, The Fruit Group, Vegetables Aren't Just Green), three week-long cooking camp programs (All American, Brunch, Dinner's Ready), three after-school courses (Get Cooking 1, Get Cooking 2, Health & Nutrition), multiple seasonal cooking activities (Easter, Halloween, St. Patrick's Day, Thanksgiving, Valentine, Holiday), family home editions, a Garden Kit, Passport to Healthier Habits bundle, and consulting/training services including train-the-trainer workshops. The company provides these through youth organizations, schools, government agencies, and directly to families.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Start at the Table A book by Laurie Zerga that helps parents make healthier meal choices for their children through light-hearted stories and practical tips for nutritious meals; available via Amazon.
• The Fruit Group A preschool book with whimsical fruit graphics helping children consider different fruits to eat and how they grow; includes recipes and a parent guide.
• Vegetables Aren't Just Green A preschool book with whimsical vegetable graphics helping children consider different colored vegetables to eat; includes recipes and a parent guide.
• All American Cooking Camp A week-long camp teaching history, culture, ingredients, techniques, and recipes from across the U.S., including picnic, New Orleans, Colonial, and Asian menus, culminating in a 3-course meal prepared for parents on the final day.
• Brunch Cooking Camp A 5-session, 3-hour-each camp covering seasonal ingredients, techniques, and recipes for traditional brunch including shirred eggs, scones, jam from scratch, waffles, frittata, and yeast-bread focaccia.
• Dinner's Ready Cooking Camp A camp teaching basics including roasted chicken and vegetables, pasta sauce from scratch, fruit desserts, and turkey tacos, with healthiest whole grain options.
• Get Cooking 1 A 6-week, 6 two-hour-lesson after-school course covering senses and flavor, nutrition basics, food group overview, food and kitchen safety guidelines, menu planning, and aesthetic food presentation with seasonal recipes.
• Get Cooking 2 A 6-week, 6 two-hour-lesson after-school course covering a different food group each week with additional kitchen safety such as knife safety, building on Get Cooking 1.
• Health & Nutrition A 6-week, 6 three-hour-session after-school course covering portion control, diets governed by health conditions such as glucose and lactose intolerance or diabetes, and special diets such as vegan and vegetarian.
• Seasonal Cooking Activities for Youth Organizations Holiday-themed cooking activities (Easter, Halloween, St. Patrick's Day, Thanksgiving, Valentine's Day, Holiday) sold individually at $35.99 each to youth organizations through Chef-K's online store.
• Family Home Edition Cooking Activities Home edition cooking activity kits for families such as Halloween Ghost Party and Holiday Cookie Jars, each priced at $10, sold directly through Chef-K's online store.
• Passport to Healthier Habits An activity bundle priced at $175 promoting healthier eating habits, sold through Chef-K's online store.
• Garden Kit A $175 kit to help children start a garden with guidance on soil, water, and seeds, sold through Chef-K's online store.
• All Seasonal Activities Bundle A $150 bundle of all seasonal cooking activities sold through Chef-K's online store.
• Consulting Services Consulting services by Laurie Zerga covering program development for teaching healthy habits, strategic community health initiatives, leadership for educational tools, and custom course development, priced hourly, by project, or on retainer.
• Train-the-Trainer Workshops Training workshops teaching program directors, teachers, and parent volunteers how to get students cooking healthy food, delivered via Zoom with instructor's guide and participant materials for single-site curriculum licensing.

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 25,000 children and families trained nationally and internationally over 15+ years
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• U.S. Air ForcecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChef-K provides youth culinary education programs at multiple U.S. Air Force bases across the United States. Programs include summer camps and after-school cooking classes for military children and families.
• U.S. NavycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChef-K delivers healthy cooking education to children at Navy youth services installations, supporting military families through culinary nutrition training programs.
• Boys and Girls Club of AmericacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMultiple clubs nationwide utilize Chef-K's Culinary Camp 4 Kids program, which has increased participation and engaged staff and donors at partner locations.
• San Francisco Unified School DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChef-K piloted the Chef in the Classroom program for SFUSD. Ms. Zerga designed engaging, interactive lessons for elementary students covering nutrition and culinary skills.
• California Department of EducationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDirector Sandip Kaur of the Nutrition Services Division provided endorsement for Laurie Zerga's 'Start at the Table' book, supporting broader community health initiatives.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Kidstir: Subscription cooking kit for kids combining recipes, kitchen tools, and educational content. Comparable direct-to-consumer cooking kit product targeting families and homeschoolers.
• Taste Buds Kitchen: Children's cooking class and event business running camps, after-school classes, and birthday parties. Comparable product mix and family/B2B consumer orientation.
• Young Chefs Academy: Franchised cooking school network focused on children's culinary classes, camps, and birthday parties. Directly comparable kids cooking class/camp product with multi-location delivery.
• Cooking with Kids: Nonprofit offering hands-on culinary education for children in schools and after-school programs. Highly comparable focus on elementary-age kids, school-district delivery, and curriculum-driven model.
• Sticky Fingers Cooking: Kids cooking school offering in-person classes, camps, and virtual cooking programs for schools and families. Closely comparable camp/class product targeting the same age group and institutional buyers.
• Common Threads: Nonprofit providing culinary and nutrition education to children in schools and community settings across the U.S. Closely comparable mission, B2B school/youth-organization GTM, and grant-funded delivery model to Chef-K.
• Raddish Kids: Subscription cooking club for kids delivering monthly culinary kits and recipes. Comparable children-focused culinary education product delivered via direct-to-consumer kit model.

Broad incumbents

• KiwiCo: Subscription-based STEAM activity kit company serving kids and families at scale with broader educational content including cooking lines. Comparable kids educational kit commerce model at significantly larger scale.

Others

• Bread Bakers Guild of America: Trade organization advancing artisanal baking craft and education. Tangential connection through Chef-K instructor Lili Rollins' volunteer training and the broader artisanal baking/skills education ecosystem.

Emerging players

• Junior Chef Stars: Smaller-scale kids cooking class and camp operator. Comparable event-driven children's culinary classes with overlapping camp product, though smaller footprint.

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ChefK.Inc
• Instagraminstagram.com/chefk_youthprograms
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/chef-k-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 Chef-K, Inc