Local Business Spotlight: Cooking with Rachael

The potstickers are almost gone by the time the stories really start flowing. Around a large wood dining table in a bright St. Petersburg kitchen, a dozen near strangers are trading bites of dairy-free, gluten-free Vietnamese fish in caramel sauce and swapping stories like old friends. A sommelier from Book and Bottle in St. Pete has paired wine for the afternoon. Chef Rachael's 2 kids weave through the kitchen, the oldest lending a hand wherever it is needed. One guest, a woman managing food allergies of her own, leans over and says the classes feel like therapy for her soul. It is not often, she explains, that she gets to enjoy every single course of a meal without a second thought.

That feeling, more than any single recipe, is what Rachael has built her business around.

Rachael Rydbeck in her St. Petersburg kitchen, where every class begins.

From a Corporate Career to a Cutting Board

After more than 2 decades of teaching and working in the food world alongside her demanding corporate career, Rachael chose to make more room for Cooking with Rachael. The decision was not about leaving behind work she disliked. It was about building a life with more time for her family and for the work she wanted to create next: helping people feel comfortable in the kitchen and bringing them together to cook, eat, and connect.

Before she ever picked up a chef knife professionally, Rachael worked as a technical writer and creative writing consultant, and even published a children's book. That background shows up in an unexpected place today, in how she teaches. Her goal with every recipe is to simplify it enough that anyone can make it at home, without losing what makes it delicious in the first place. If a dish is too complicated, she will make it again and again until she has broken it down into something approachable, never watering down the result. Thanks to her dedication, her cooking classes are suitable for everyone from the beginner cook to the seasoned home chef that just wants to learn some new techniques and allergen-friendly recipes. Most of her classes are open to all ages, with some attendees signing up their children as well. 

Training at Le Cordon Bleu, and a Few Cities Along the Way

Rachael trained at Le Cordon Bleu in Minnesota, focused specifically on recipe development and building the skills to teach cooking well, not just perform it. From there, she interned at Cook's Illustrated and America's Test Kitchen in Boston, before being hired to run programming and operations across three locations for a local cooking school. Along the way, she has called the Midwest, Boston, Seattle, Chile, and Brazil home, before eventually landing back in Florida, the state she was raised in.

Why a Home Kitchen, and Why Gluten-Free

When Rachael left her full time career, part of the goal was simple, more time with her own family. Building her business around her home kitchen let her be present with her kids while doing work she loved. It also gave her something a shared commercial kitchen never could, full control over every ingredient that enters the space.

That control matters enormously, because the reason behind her fully gluten-free kitchen is personal. Rachael's husband and son both live with gluten allergies, and she has felt firsthand how limiting it can be to navigate restaurants and social meals with a restriction like that. That personal experience shapes the way Rachael approaches food. She does not begin with the idea that gluten-free cooking is about limitation or settling for a lesser version of a dish. Instead, she creates food that is delicious first, thoughtfully adapting recipes so everyone can enjoy the same meal without anyone feeling singled out.

Gluten free does not mean limited. Rachael's menus prove it often.

What Actually Happens in a Class

Every class is hands on. Guests do not simply watch Rachael cook, they participate in making the meal themselves, with demonstrations woven in along the way. By the end, everyone sits down together to eat what they made, recipes in hand to take home, advice on where to get the best ingredients, and questions welcome long after the last plate is cleared. Many of her students find her through word of mouth or a search for gluten-free cooking classes, and more than a few have never been able to take a cooking class due to cross contamination. A loyal group of guests returns to Rachael’s kitchen again and again, and she never takes that for granted. Their support makes her work possible, while she finds deep fulfillment in knowing that a few hours spent cooking together can genuinely change a life.

Guests work side by side through every step of the menu.

Rachael walks each guest through techniques they can take home.

Classes are only part of the business. Beyond her scheduled cooking classes, Rachael creates customized experiences for private groups and corporate teams. She also offers catering, private chef dinners, and interactive dinner parties where guests can cook alongside her or simply relax while she prepares the meal. Each event is designed around the occasion, the guests, and their dietary needs.

Once a month or so, she teaches at the 15th Street Farm in St Petersburg, which offers guests an additional unique and beautiful venue to experience her classes at, while supporting another local business she loves. 

Most guests arrive as strangers. None leave that way.

Teaching at the 15th Street Farm in St Petersburg, FL.

The last step of every class is the best one, sitting down together to eat what everyone made.

Betty Crack-Her, Outside the Kitchen

For the past 2 years, Rachael has spent many nights off skating with Sunshine City Roller Derby under the name "Betty Crack-Her." She credits that same willingness to try something new and occasionally fall down, while learning, as part of what keeps her cooking sharp too. Whether it's a jam on the track or a recipe that will not quite come together on the first attempt, she treats both as chances to get a little better.

That same playful energy shows up in the kitchen, too.

How to Book a Class or Event

Cooking With Rachael is not a one size fits all cooking class. Every experience, whether it is a private dinner party, a corporate gathering, or a small group class in her St. Petersburg kitchen, is built around the people attending and whatever dietary needs they bring with them. If you have never booked a private chef or a cooking class before, the best first step is simply reaching out and describing what you are hoping for through her website. Rachael answers every message herself and will help shape the rest from there.