Culinary & hands-on workshops

Books and taxes for cooking schools.

Knife skills nights, private chef events, gift card sales, and the odd Groupon voucher that pays out short. Gus sorts every dollar, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.

Book a call What we handle
  • From $197 a month
  • An accountant on every transaction
  • Cancel whenever
SeptemberExample month
$11,000
what you made

September came in at $11,000. The Cozymeal payout landed a few days late this month, so I flagged it before it looked like a slow week.

  • Cozymeal payoutClass ticket sales
  • Classpop payoutClass ticket sales
  • Restaurant Depot #4471Ingredients
  • Sur La Table orderKitchenware
  • Eventbrite feesBooking fees
Money in$42,000
Money out$31,000
Set aside for taxes$2,500
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

A cooking school's books go wrong in the same four places.

A generalist sees deposits and supply runs. Your business is class tickets sold three different ways, private events booked months out, ingredients that swing wildly by menu, and instructors paid on a mix of payroll and one-off gigs. When the books do not know that, you cannot tell which class actually pays.

  1. 1

    Groupon vouchers pay out short

    A $69 knife skills class sold through Groupon might land in the bank at $35 once the site keeps its cut. Booked at the discounted amount, your sales look thinner than the class actually sold for.

    What we doBooks the full ticket price as the sale and the site's cut as a marketing cost, so your class prices show up honest.
  2. 2

    Private event deposits arrive months early

    A corporate team-building booking often pays a deposit two or three months before the actual class date. Counted as income the day it lands, a slow month can look busy on a party that has not happened yet.

    What we doKeeps deposits tagged to the date of the event they are for, so a strong deposit month does not hide a thin one underneath it.
  3. 3

    Ingredient cost swings wildly by menu

    A knife skills class using chicken breast costs almost nothing next to a class built around dry-aged beef or fresh seafood. Lumped into one supplies line, you cannot tell which menus are worth the price you charge.

    What we doKeeps ingredient spend visible by class type, so you can see which menus actually make money and which ones need a price change.
  4. 4

    Guest chefs get paid like regular staff

    A visiting chef who teaches a one-night masterclass on your schedule and in your kitchen usually looks like an employee, even when everyone calls it a contract booking. Paid as a 1099 anyway, it can get expensive if it is ever questioned.

    What we doKeeps instructor pay in its own line and flags the ones who look like employees so the accountant weighs in before it becomes a habit.
  5. 5

    Gift cards get counted as income too soon

    A gift card sold in December for a class taken in April is not earned yet in December. Counted as income right away, the holiday gift rush can make a slow month look busy for a class nobody has taught.

    What we doTracks gift card sales as owed, not earned, until the class actually happens, so income lines up with the work.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a cooking school.

Set up once for how you get paid and what you spend. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.

Money in

  • Class ticket salesCozymeal, Classpop, and Eventbrite payouts for open enrollment nights.
  • Private events and team-buildingCorporate groups and parties, booked by deposit then a final invoice.
  • Gift cardsSold year-round, tracked as owed until the class is actually taken.
  • Groupon and deal vouchersIntro classes sold at a discount, booked at full price with the site's cut as a cost.
  • Retail add-onsAprons, knives, and cookbooks sold at the end of a class.

Money out

  • IngredientsProduce, proteins, and pantry staples from Restaurant Depot and local suppliers.
  • Kitchenware and equipmentKnives, pans, and small appliances from Sur La Table or a restaurant supplier.
  • Instructor payPayroll wages and one-off guest chef fees, kept apart so labor is visible.
  • Kitchen rent and utilitiesStudio lease, gas, and electric for the ranges and ovens.
  • Booking feesWhat Cozymeal, Classpop, and Eventbrite keep before you get paid.
  • MarketingLocal ads, email tools, and photography for the class calendar.
  • InsuranceGeneral liability coverage for a kitchen full of knives and open flames.

What we watch for you

  • Cost per class

    Ingredient cost against ticket price, so you know which menus pay.

  • Fill rate

    Seats sold against seats available, the first sign a class needs new marketing.

  • Private event share

    How much of the month came from parties instead of open classes.

  • The set-aside

    What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already know.

Ask Gus

Things cooking school owners ask Gus.

Text him like you would text anybody. He answers in plain English, and when a question is above his pay grade, an accountant looks and gets back to you.

Why does this month look thin? We had a full house every night.

Two Groupon classes paid out at half price. I booked the full ticket value as the sale, so your numbers show what the class was really worth.

A guest chef taught one class for us. Does she need a 1099?

If you paid her $2,000 or more this year and she is not on payroll, yes, by January 31. I am keeping that list as we go.

We just bought a new set of chef's knives, over $2,000. Write it off now?

Usually yes. I logged it as equipment, not supplies, and flagged it so the accountant makes the call with your whole year in view.

The tax side

The tax side of a cooking school.

Most of what goes wrong here is timing and labels. A deposit booked too early, a guest chef paid the wrong way, or a knife set filed as a supply instead of equipment.

What your return has to get right

Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.

  • Guest chef 1099sAnyone not on payroll who you paid $2,000 or more in 2026 for a class or a consult gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps the list all year.
  • Employee or contractorAn instructor who teaches your schedule in your kitchen with your equipment is usually an employee, even for a single class. Getting that wrong gets expensive, so Gus asks before it becomes a habit.
  • Equipment write-offsCommercial ranges, mixers, and knife sets can usually be written off the year you buy them. Bonus depreciation is 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
  • The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when the books are right all year.

Deductions cooking schools and recreational cooking classes miss

Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.

  • Ingredients and pantry stock
  • Chef's knives and small tools
  • Aprons and uniforms
  • Sur La Table equipment orders
  • Kitchen rent and utilities
  • Cozymeal and Classpop fees
  • Class photography
  • Liability insurance
  • Recipe testing ingredients
  • Local class listings
  • Cleaning supplies
  • Gift card processing fees

General information about 2026 federal rules, not advice for your business. Your accountant looks at your actual numbers before anything gets filed.

All year, not just April

A cooking school year, kept every month.

Classes run every week of the year. Your taxes come on a schedule. Your team keeps you ahead of both. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.

  1. January

    Plan the year

    Last year's return gets started, the guest chef 1099 list is finalized, and you get a monthly set-aside so April is already handled.

  2. April

    Filed. Done.

    Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill this spring, because the set-aside has been building every month since January.

  3. July

    Halfway check

    Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether summer team-building bookings and the busy date-night classes changed the number.

  4. October

    Before the holiday rush

    Gift card sales start climbing before the holidays. Gus looks at equipment you might buy and anything worth doing before December.

What you get

Starts at$197a month

What you pay depends on what your business needs, and it does not move after that, busy season or slow. No hourly bills, no surprise invoices, no setup fee.

Book a call
  • Monthly bookkeeping

    Every transaction sorted into categories set up for cooking schools and recreational cooking classes. You never categorize a thing.

  • An accountant checks every transaction

    Real review, every month, before your books close. Not a spot check.

  • Your business tax return, filed

    Prepared, reviewed, and signed by that same accountant every year.

  • The monthly number

    What you made, what you spent, what to set aside for taxes.

  • Your own bookkeeper

    A real person assigned to your business, in the app whenever you need them. No hold music.

  • On your books all year

    Every month, not just in April. Your team speaks up whenever something is worth your attention.

  • Cancel any time

    No contract. No cancellation call. Your books are yours.

Straight answers

Questions cooking school owners ask first.

Can Gus handle classes sold through Groupon?

Yes. He books the full ticket price as the sale and the site's cut as a cost, so your class prices are not understated and the discount still counts against your taxes.

We run our schedule in Cozymeal. Do we have to change anything?

No. Keep booking classes the way you do. Gus works from your bank statement, and when a payout is unclear he asks you once and remembers the answer.

Our guest chefs are paid per class. Does that change the books?

It changes where the money goes, not what you do. Gus keeps guest chef pay in its own line so you can see labor against what each month brought in.

Do gift cards count as income when we sell them?

Not yet. Gus tracks a gift card as owed until the class is actually taken, so a busy holiday gift season does not make an untaught class look like income.

Our books are a year behind. Is that a problem?

No. Send the bank statements you have. Gus sorts them, the accountant checks them, and most owners know where they stand inside a week.

We just bought a used six-burner range. Can we write it off?

Usually yes, often in the year you buy it. Gus flags the purchase as equipment and the accountant decides how to write it off with your whole year in view.

Is a real accountant checking my books?

Yes. You get your own bookkeeper, Gus does the first pass on every transaction, and an accountant checks every one before your month closes. That same accountant prepares, signs, and files your business return. Goatkeeper is not a CPA firm, and we never pretend a person looked when they did not.

What does it cost, and can I cancel?

It starts at $197 a month, depending on what your business needs. No setup fee, no hourly bills, no contract. Cancel any time from the app, and your books go with you.

More in culinary & hands-on workshops

We keep books for the business next door too.

What makes a bookkeeper worth paying for Every business we keep books for

Book a call

Pick a time. That's the whole signup.

Fifteen minutes with a real person on our team. They look at where your books are, tell you straight what it takes to get caught up, and get you set up on the spot if it fits.

  • $197 a month to start
  • An accountant on every transaction
  • Cancel whenever