Mise En Place Culinary Center

What Mise En Place Culinary Center does

Mise En Place Culinary Center is a privately held culinary education and event business founded by Chef Christine Wansleben and operating for approximately 20 years from a single studio at 104 Shockoe Slip in Richmond, Virginia. The company delivers hands-on cooking classes for individuals, couples, and groups across a diverse curriculum that spans Greek, Spanish, French, Mediterranean, Southern, and vegan cuisines, supplemented by a Flight School wine tasting series in partnership with Vineyard Fare and Well Crafted Beverage Co.

The underlying operating model is experience-based rather than technology-based. In-person instruction is delivered in a physical studio equipped with culinary tools for participant use; virtual instruction is delivered via Zoom with pre-class grocery lists and instructions distributed to remote participants. There is no mobile app, no proprietary software platform, and no API surface — the technology footprint consists of a Squarespace website, the Zoom videoconferencing tool, and an InkSoft e-commerce storefront for merchandise.

Revenue is generated across multiple streams: per-seat cooking class fees ranging from $85 to $170, virtual class fees, private event bookings (corporate team building, fundraisers, private celebrations), studio venue rental, gift cards (starting at $50, one-year expiry), and branded merchandise (full-length aprons from $50). Customer mix is diversified across corporate groups, social groups (friends, families, couples), and individual home cooks, with virtual participants adding a global reach layer. The business is bootstrapped, independently owned, and operated with a team of approximately 13 employees.

Name

Mise En Place Culinary Center

Legal name

Mise En Place

Website

https://miseenplacerva.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Culinary Education and Event Services

NAICS

Full-Service Restaurants (722511), Special Food Services (7223)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Cooking Classes & Chef-Led Workshops (THAJAGAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Culinary Arts & Cooking (Baking, Pastry, Global Cuisines) (EDAAAGAG), Private Culinary Experiences (Chef’s Table, Home Dining, Market-to-Meal) (THAJALAH), Chef’s Table & Tasting Menu Restaurants (THAFACAG)

Keywords

• Hands-on cooking classes
• Culinary education
• Private event venue
• Corporate team building
• Virtual cooking classes

Headquarters

HQ city

Richmond

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, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. In-Person Cooking Classes: Hands-on cooking classes taught by professional chefs covering various cuisines and techniques. Classes range from $85-$170 and include specialty beverages for certain events.
2. Private Events: Corporate team building events, fundraiser hosting, and private cooking parties for groups. Arranged by scheduling private events.
3. Venue Rental: Rental of culinary studio space for intimate private events, business meetings, restaurant pop-ups, recipe development, and food photography.
4. Gift Cards: Gift cards available for purchase that can be used towards in-person or online classes. Gift cards expire after one year of purchase.
5. Merchandise: Sale of branded merchandise including full-length two-pocket bib aprons starting from $50.
6. Virtual Classes: Online cooking classes via Zoom for remote participants, with provided grocery list and instructions prior to class.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Mise En Place Culinary Center is a hands-on cooking instruction studio located in downtown Richmond, Virginia, offering in-person chef-led cooking classes covering global cuisines (Greek, Spanish, French, Mediterranean, Southern). The center supplements in-person classes with virtual cooking experiences via Zoom, hosts private events such as corporate team building and fundraisers, rents its studio venue, and sells branded culinary merchandise and gift cards.

Product overview

Mise En Place Culinary Center is a premier culinary destination in Richmond, VA, celebrating 20 years of operation. The company offers a single integrated culinary experience centered around in-person hands-on cooking classes held at their downtown studio, supplemented by virtual cooking experiences via Zoom. Additional offerings include private event hosting for team building and fundraisers, venue rental for various occasions, gift cards, an extensive recipe archive, and branded merchandise such as aprons. The portfolio is unified under one experiential culinary service with multiple delivery formats (in-person, virtual, private, rental) rather than a modular software platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• In-Person Cooking Classes Hands-on cooking classes taught by professional chefs at the downtown Richmond studio, welcoming novices to seasoned home cooks. Classes cover diverse global cuisines and are priced between $85 and $170, with some including specialty beverages.
• Virtual Cooking Classes Zoom-based virtual dinner party experiences where participants receive a grocery list and instructions prior to class, allowing remote cooking alongside chefs and food professionals. Designed for distributed teams and individuals.
• Private Events Corporate team building events, fundraisers, surprise parties, and private cooking parties for groups, delivered both in-person at the studio and virtually for remote teams.
• Venue Rental Rental of the culinary studio space at 104 Shockoe Slip, Richmond for intimate private events, business meetings, restaurant pop-ups, recipe development, and food photography.
• Class Gift Cards Gift cards starting from $50 that can be used toward in-person or online classes. Gift cards expire after one year of purchase.
• Culinary Merchandise (Aprons) Branded Mise En Place Full-Length Two-Pocket Bib Apron by Port Authority, available in Khaki, White, Sapphire, and Red, starting from $50.
• Flight School Wine Tasting Series Monthly in-person wine tasting class priced at $55, featuring curated wine pairings with themed bites from global wine regions, in partnership with Vineyard Fare and Well Crafted Beverage Co.

Named customers3 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

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Vineyard FarecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCollaboration on Flight School wine tasting series - a monthly global wine tasting adventure. Vineyard Fare provides curated wine selections for the classes, with Allie Smith serving as Wine Enthusiast and Owner.
• Well Crafted Beverage Co.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCurates wine selections for Flight School classes, providing handpicked wines perfectly paired with themed bites that bring each wine region to life.
• Big Spoon Co.minorGTM or Marketing PartnerPR and marketing agency for the food and beverage industry, based in Richmond, VA. Manages the Mise En Place website and marketing presence.
• Chef Yvette Daniel / The Wooden Spoon CateringcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGuest chef collaborator teaching Spanish cuisine classes. Bilingual Spanish-American culinary professional and honors graduate of Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary & Baking Arts.
• Lauren Z RaycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFilmmaker, vegan food blogger, and founder of Vegan Club RVA. Collaborates on vegan cooking classes with chef Emmalee Gough.
• Chef Emmalee Gough / The Conscious TablecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChef, culinary educator, and co-founder of The Conscious Table. Collaborates on vegan and seasonal farmer's market cooking classes. Culinary training spans Sweden, India, and Costa Rica.
• Salt and AcidminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCocktail consulting business owned by Beth Dixon, former President of the Richmond chapter of the United States Bartenders' Guild. Collaborates on cocktail and canape classes.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mise-en-place_2

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Mise En Place Culinary Center