Cooking Class Policies & Guidelines
Thank you so much for your interest in Blackbird Cookbooks' cooking classes - below are some common policies and guidelines that we would like all potential participants to review prior to reserving a spot in one of our cooking classes.
Payments
Full payment is required to secure your spot in our classes. We accept credit cards and Blackbird Cookbooks gift cards. If you wish to pay by cash, please contact us at the time of booking. Please note that a minimum of 10% of class fees are non-refundable if you need to cancel.
For more details on class cancelations, exchanges, and tranfers, please see below.
General Policies and Guidelines
Phones, cameras, and recording devices
Camera are welcome in the classroom to record your experience or the details of the class lesson. However, we do ask that students limit video recordings throughout the class - and recording the class in its entirety is not permitted. If you bring your mobile phone into the classes, we ask that folks be respectful of others and silence their phones. If you must take a call, please step outside to do so.
Children/Age Restrictions
Unless a class is specifically designated as being for kids in the class description, all class attendees must be at least 13 years of age. Additionally, anyone under the age of 16 must be accompanied by a parent. Please note that all children are the parent's responsibility and must be closely supervised at all times.
Please note that many of our classes use ingredients that may contain some small amounts of alcohol (for flavoring) or involve hot surfaces such as ovens, stovetops, and hot pots and pans, or sharp tools such as knives or Microplanes. The proper use of this equipment will be demonstrated when necessary, but if you feel as though your child cannot be trusted or comfortable in this type of environment, then our classes may not be a good fit for them.
Class Waitlists
Waitlist registrations are free and if a spot become available, we will do our best to contact folks by email as soon as a spot becomes available. For "last-minute" cancellations, we will email the full list and whomever responds first will be admitted.
Cancellations/Refunds
What happens if Blackbird Cookbooks cancels a class?
In the event that your class is canceled due to bad weather, low enrollment, or other circumstances, we will notify you as soon as possible by email and issue you a full refund to the original form of payment.
What happens if a customer is not able to attend a class?
We completely understand if your availability, health, or scheduling changes and want to ensure that our cooking class participants have a positive experience with our cooking classes. While we try to be as flexible as possible, in many instances we incur service fees and other expenses when participants cancel. As such, our cancellation policies are outlined below.
- If canceled within 3 weeks or more notice, a partial refund will be issued, less a 10% registration fee.
- If canceled between 2 -3 weeks notice, a 50% refund will be issued.
- If canceled with less than 2 weeks notice, no refund will be issued.
Class Transfers/Exchanges
If you would like to exchange your reservation for a cooking class for an alternate date or class, please contact us as soon as you know. All exchanges and transfers are dependent upon space availability in the desired class at the time that the transfer request is made - please know that we cannot automatically transfer waitlisted participants if a spot in a preferred class becomes available. Class transfers and exchanges are governed by the following timelines:
- More than 1 week notice, transfers/exchanges to any class with available spaces is permitted with no penalty.
- More than 48 hours, transfers to any class with available spaces will be charged an additional 10% transfer fee.
- Less than 48 hours notice, no transfers can be made.
- If you are not able to attend a cooking class and wish to have someone attend in your place, please let us know up to 24 hours in advance and we will do our best to accommodate. Please note that all participants must be at least 13 years old (no exceptions).
Class Conduct
We want to ensure that everyone who joins us for our cooking classes have a fantastic experience - the following guidelines help us ensure all students have an enjoyable and rewarding experience and help folks know what to expect throughout the session.
- Please arrive a few minutes early so that we can have everyone and everything in place at the established start time. We will do our best to keep our cooking classes within the established end time.
- Please let us know if you or anyone in your party has a dietary restriction as early as possible before the class date. In most cases, we can work within the needed limitations, but we do need some time to arrange for ingredients and document recipes with these in mind.
- While we encourage photos and sharing on social media, please limit cell phone use and recording during the class and be prepared to pay attention/limit conversations during instructor demonstrations.
- Cooking class attendees come from a wide variety of backgrounds, cooking experiences, and educational preferences. Please understand that questions and work habits can vary. Try to have fun and get to know your fellow participants - we meet the most interesting people in our classes and we hope you do too.
- Please treat all tools and equipment with respect. If you do not know how to properly use, clean, or store any of the equipment or ingredients used the class, please ask!