Where can you earn money from cooking (culinary arts) part 1

Many people, especially Slavic women (and men too), are accustomed to thinking that cooking is simply a household chore. That it is something that should happen naturally: cook borscht, fry cutlets, prepare dinner for the children and husband. But rarely does anyone think about the fact that all of this is work. Real work. Time, energy, skill, experience, love for the process — all this may well be not just a household routine, but a full-fledged source of income.

And this is where it gets interesting.

There is a huge category of people who want delicious home-cooked meals but cannot or do not want to cook themselves. Some work late, some live alone, some do not like half-empty restaurants, and some do not eat store-bought food at all because they do not trust its ingredients. And some people simply remember the taste of their mother's cooking and are looking for something similar. For others, the issue is traveling and the need to have an inexpensive lunch in a foreign city.

On the other hand, there are many who enjoy cooking. They love the kitchen, they love the process, they love to feed people delicious food. Housewives, women on maternity leave, men who adore cooking, people who make amazing dough, soups, homemade cutlets, pies, salads — but all these skills remain just skills because they don't know where to earn money from cooking, how to find customers, and how to turn their cooking skills into income.

And the most surprising thing is that these two categories of people rarely intersect on their own. They exist side by side, but they don't meet.

I myself have gone through a similar path. At first, I cooked just for myself and my friends. Then people started asking: "Hey, make that salad again," "Can you make me borscht for tomorrow?", "Would you cook for money?"

And I thought about it. Why not? But then a question arose that is probably familiar to many: where can you earn money by cooking at home? Where do you find customers? How does it work?

I studied dozens of methods, reviewed platforms, and tested them. And that's why today I can honestly tell you about all the options — what works, what doesn't, what's worth your time, and what's better to avoid. In the end, I decided to develop my own platform, Grudinka.

But before we move on to specific methods, I want to say something important.

Cooking is real work. And you can really make money from it.

And not just symbolically: many home cooks earn more than office workers. It all depends on:

• how delicious your cooking is,
• how much time you are willing to spend cooking,
• whether you know how to communicate with people,
• and most importantly, whether you have a platform for finding customers.

And this is where the main difficulty begins.

What are the options for earning money by cooking?

In short, there are many options, but only four can be considered truly viable:

1. Sell individual homemade dishes.
   For example: pies, cutlets, dumplings, Olivier salad, stuffed cabbage rolls, roast meat, borscht, salads, and pastries.
2. Cook full meals/dinners for people who don't have time. This is
   incredibly popular right now — many people order food in advance for the week.
3. Host guests at home and feed small groups.
   In other words, a home mini-restaurant, but without waiters, noise, or unnecessary fuss.
4. Cook rare, unusual dishes to order.
   For example: special cakes, cuisines from different countries, diet dishes, halal, healthy food.

I will soon describe each option in detail, but first I want to talk about what unites all these areas, namely, a service that helps people who know how to cook and love to cook find customers.

What is Grudinka.com and why does it appear in this article?

You asked me to organically incorporate a description of the service into the article — not as an advertisement, but as if a real person were talking about it. So I'll tell you honestly, as it is.

Grudinka.com is a service that emerged at the intersection of two obvious needs:

1️⃣ People want delicious home-cooked food

and want to buy it from real chefs, not in supermarkets.

2️⃣ Chefs want to earn money from cooking,

but they don't have a platform where they can be easily found.

Grudinka.com solves this problem.
It is a place where home cooks, housewives, and cooking enthusiasts can post

• their dishes,
• their prices,
• their terms,
• their areas of expertise.

Customers visit the site, make their selection, place their order, and receive their food directly from the person who prepared it.

No middlemen.
No restaurant markups.
No corporate kitchens with semi-finished products.

Why do I think this service is important?

Because it's the first platform I've seen that takes into account absolutely all the features of a "home cooking business."

Grudinka.com offers four areas of work:

1. Cooking homemade meals to order

The customer chooses a dish, and the chef cooks it. It's that simple.
This is the main type of side job in cooking.

2. Ordering unique dishes

For example: "I
want homemade pasta like in Italy,
" "I want a cake that you can't find anywhere else,"
"Make me my mom's salad, here's the recipe."

This is a very interesting niche — high value, little competition.

3. Home-cooked meals

When a chef comes to the client's home and cooks in their kitchen.
Or cooks at home and brings the food over.
This is no longer just a side job — it's a full-time job.

4. Hosting guests at home

That is, mini-get-togethers at home: small parties, family dinners, meetings.

This trend has recently become fashionable in Europe and is making its way to the CIS.

And here's an important point:
the service is open to both chefs and clients.
But this article is primarily for those who are looking for ways to earn money by cooking at home — and below, I will describe all the methods in detail.

Why did the topic of earning money by cooking food even come up?

Because people are tired of bad food.
Especially after the pandemic, many began to look for healthy, fresh, and understandable food options. But they don't have time to cook.

And so we have this combination:

• lack of time
• the desire to eat well
• distrust of restaurants
• rising prices
• the popularity of homemade products
• tiredness of semi-finished products

have created a huge market.

It's really huge.

And there is room for everyone in it.
Even if you only know how to cook a couple of signature dishes.

And the best part is:

You can earn money from this as:

• a housewife with a small child,
• a woman on maternity leave who has free time,
• a retiree who cooks delicious meals,
• a male chef who doesn't have time to work in a restaurant,
• a student who is good at baking,
• a person who loves cooking but does not want to work for someone else.

The main thing is to understand how exactly you can earn money from cooking.

And next, I will describe each method, each path, and each option in detail.

This is just the beginning.

How to make money cooking: four real ways

If you've ever wondered, "Where can I make money cooking?", "Can a housewife make money cooking?", "Is a side job right for me if I cook at home?" — this section is for you.

Let me say right away: there are several options. I divide them into four categories because these are the ones that really work. I have tested them myself, tried them out on friends, and I know that each method can be profitable if approached correctly.

1. Cooking homemade meals to order

This is the most popular and straightforward option. The idea is simple: people order specific dishes, the cook prepares them, and delivers them to the customer.

How it works in practice:

• You post your dishes on a service like Grudinka.com.
• You check your orders every day or several times a week.
• You prepare the dishes and deliver them, or the customer picks them up themselves.

Why it works:

• People don't want to spend time cooking.
• They appreciate home-cooked meals.
• You can set your own price for each dish, taking into account the cost of ingredients and time.

Example:

Marina is a housewife from Kiev. She loves to cook cutlets and borscht. She posted her dishes on Grudinka.com. After two weeks, she already had one regular customer. Real case. After a month, she had four. She works five days a week and earns more than many office workers.

Tips for beginners:

• Start with a small menu: 5–10 dishes.
• Be sure to take high-quality photos. People eat with their eyes.
• Estimate your cost price and add a small markup for your labor. Don't chase super profits. Create your own image of quality.
• Don't forget about packaging: simple, but beautiful and safe. People are tired of colorful, flashy packaging with "crap" inside.

2. Ordering unique dishes

This option is for those who are willing to experiment and have special recipes.

Example:

• You know how to make real cheesecake according to a family recipe.
• The customer wants to order 1-2 cakes for a celebration.
• You bake that exact cake.

Why it's profitable:

• People pay more for unique dishes.
• Little competition: there are few such masters.
• You can take orders for celebrations, parties, and corporate events.

Tips:

• Add a high-quality text description of the dish.
• Clearly state the conditions: when it will be ready, how it will be delivered, and storage times.
• Take good photos of the finished dishes and descriptions. Customers like to see the result in advance.

3. Home-delivered lunches

This is a slightly more complicated but highly profitable option. The idea is that you cook lunches or dinners for people who don't want to or can't cook for themselves.

How it works:

• The customer orders food for a week or several days.
• You cook at home and deliver it.
• You can create a weekly menu plan so that the client pays a fixed amount for a set of dishes.

Advantages:

• Stable orders: customers come back again and again.
• Opportunity to increase income by cooking for several customers at the same time.
• You can add new items as desired.

Example:

Alexey, a student and amateur chef, started with one customer. Now he has three families who order homemade meals from him every day. He cooks in the morning and delivers the meals. This leaves him with free time for his studies and other activities.

4. Home gatherings

This is for those who enjoy socializing and know how to create a good atmosphere. The idea: small parties or dinners at the chef's home.

Essence:

• The client gathers friends or family.
• They order dinner from you.
• You cook, set the table, and create the atmosphere.

Why it's interesting:

• You can charge more for the whole package: food + service + atmosphere.
• People love the comfort of home and exclusivity.
• You can do themed dinners: Italian cuisine, Mexican, national dishes.

Advice for beginners:

• Don't take on too large groups at first. Four to six people is optimal.
• Be sure to agree on the menu in advance.
• Take into account your guests' allergies and preferences.

Practical tips for making money by cooking at home

1. Start with what you know how to cook perfectly.
   Don't try to impress everyone at once. It's better to make three dishes well than ten poorly.
2. Photos are the key to success.
   Customers order with their eyes. Take time to present your food well.
3. Plan your time and ingredients.
   If you're cooking to order, always factor in time for shopping, cooking, and packaging.
4. Set clear prices.
   Not too low, so as not to devalue your work, but not too high for beginners.
5. Communication with customers is paramount.
   Respond quickly, clarify details, and be honest in your description of the dish.

How Grudinka.com helps beginners

Many people think, "I want to cook at home, but where can I find customers?"

Grudinka.com makes it simple:

• You create a chef profile.
• You post your dishes and areas of expertise.
• Customers see you in their search results and can order right away.
• The service helps with secure payment and feedback.

This means you don't have to look for customers on forums, social networks, or go door-to-door. Everything is centralized.

1. Cooking homemade meals to order: how to get started and what to consider

Menu selection

For a beginner, it's important to start with what you know how to cook perfectly. Don't try to impress everyone right away — it's better to have 5–10 dishes cooked to perfection than 20 "trial" dishes that risk spoiling the impression.

Examples:

• Borscht, soups, shchi
• Cabbage rolls, cutlets, meatballs
• Casseroles, pies
• Desserts: cakes, cookies, pastries

Tip: Create categories such as "soups," "main dishes," and "desserts" to make it easier for customers to choose.

Preparation and purchasing of products

• Plan your purchases in advance.
• Use fresh ingredients and check expiration dates.
• Calculate how much potato, meat, vegetables, and spices you will need for each dish.

Tip: Prepare ingredients in advance to speed up cooking. For example, chop vegetables and marinate meat.

Packaging and delivery

• Convenient and safe packaging is the key to customer trust.
• Use airtight containers for liquid dishes (soups, sauces).
• For hot dishes, use thermal packaging or cardboard boxes.

Delivery:

• Pickup for local customers is fast and convenient.
• Delivery by courier or your own transport.

Tip: check with the customer about the delivery time to ensure that the food stays fresh and hot.

Pricing

• Calculate the cost price: ingredients + time + packaging.
• Add a markup for labor. Usually 20-50% of the cost price.
• You can offer discounts to regular customers or for sets of several dishes.

Example:
Soup + cutlet + side dish = 150 UAH. Cost of ingredients 80 UAH, packaging 10 UAH, labor 30 UAH → profit = 30 UAH.

First order: how not to make a mistake

• Confirm the order immediately and clarify the details.
• Prepare the dish exactly according to the recipe and pack it carefully.
• Take a photo of the finished dish and ask the customer to leave a review.

Tip: first reviews are critically important — they build trust among future customers.

2. Ordering unique dishes: exclusivity and higher income

Choosing a unique dish

• This could be a family recipe or your own idea.
• For example: cheesecake with rare berries, pasta with a special sauce, sugar-free dessert.

Tip: the uniqueness should be noticeable at first glance — this will justify a higher-than-average price.

Packaging and presentation

• Photographs are key.
• Pack it beautifully: box + ribbon + greeting card.
• People like to receive a "festive" look even for home-cooked meals.

How to take pre-orders

• Limited quantities increase value.
• Set order deadlines: for example, 2–3 days before the holiday.
• You can create mini-sets: 1 dessert + drink → increases the average check.

Prices for unique dishes

• Usually 30-50% higher than regular meals.
• Customers are willing to pay for exclusivity and convenience.
• Don't skimp on food quality: it's part of the value.

3. Home-delivered lunches: stable income

Planning a menu for the week

• Plan your diet for 3–5 days.
• Include 3-4 dishes in the set: soup, main course, side dish, dessert.
• The menu should be varied so that the customer does not get "tired" of the same type of food.

Tip: use seasonal products — they are cheaper and tastier.

Delivery and packaging

• Regular delivery times are important for loyal customers.
• Convenient containerization: soup separately, side dish separately, sauce in a small jar.
• You can use thermal bags to maintain the temperature.

Pricing

• A fixed amount for a set per day/week.
• Example: 3 dishes + side dish + dessert = 200 UAH/day → 1,000 UAH/week.
• The rate is higher if delivery is included.

First-time and regular customers

• Try offering the first sets at a discount.
• Ask for reviews and recommendations.
• Regular customers are the best way to guarantee income.

4. Company gatherings at home: culinary experience

Planning the event

• Decide on the format: dinner for 4–6 people, dessert master class, themed evening.
• Discuss the menu in advance.
• Take into account the time needed for preparation and serving.

Preparation and serving

• Use fresh ingredients and make sure the dishes are varied: appetizers, main course, dessert.
• Table decorations: tablecloth, candles, napkins, beautiful tableware.
• You can offer drinks, sauces, and additional items as options.

Prices and payment

• The cost is calculated per person + additional services.
• Example: dinner for 6 people = 2,500 UAH → 400 UAH/person.
• Take into account labor, food, table decorations, and the opportunity to communicate with guests.

Tips for beginners

• Start with small groups: 4–6 people.
• Focus on quality, atmosphere, and presentation.
• Be sure to get feedback and permission to take photos: customers love to share their impressions.

Why Grudinka.com helps all areas

• For chefs: the platform allows you to post dishes, take orders, and manage your schedule.
• For customers: search by dish type, price, region, and reviews.
• For couriers: the service provides a constant flow of orders.
• The service automates payments and notifications: fewer worries — more time for cooking.
• Four areas — one profile: from standard lunches to exclusive dinners.

Comments