About Vive Cooking School
“Our mission is to empower and connect our community by igniting people’s passion for real food”
We inspire to empower your inner chef and help you create meaningful connections and strengthen bonds through food. Cooking isn’t just about techniques and understanding of flavours, we believe it is about the people that produce the ingredients and the people you share your food creations with. It is about culture and it’s the fabric of our society.
We connect you with chefs and food artisans/producers, so you can learn more about food and ultimately give you the ability and opportunity to create moments of happiness and connection with the people you share your passion of food with. Our cooking school is located in Sydney. We help our students learn in a fun and engaging way how to cook a delicious and quality meal. This experience is perfect for team building and food enthusiasts. We also offer the gift of cooking with our e-gift cards.
Finally, our VIVE team members are all incredibly passionate in interacting and delivering a memorable culinary experience. There is a great sense of fulfilment every time we see our students having a good time in our kitchen and to witness the moment, when they realise that they, too, can cook beautiful food!
It starts with a family ritual
My own story is steeped in a deep respect for food and traditions based on my French Cambodian heritage. My parents migrated to France in 1975 after fleeing the Cambodian civil war. Arriving with very little including a lack of local knowledge and language, assimilation wasn’t easy – but through dogged determination and hard work, my parents eventually settled in this new country, developing a successful business venture and raising a family.
Despite the long working days in this new country, my parents always made time to cook dinner and share this ritual with my siblings and I each evening. When I asked my mum how she managed to find the energy to cook after her long working days, her response was always the same –
“You, your brother and sister are the source of our success. Seeing you happy at the dining table each evening reminds us why we are working so hard’’
Just as my parents taught me the importance of family and rituals all those years ago, our mission for VIVE Cooking School is to empower individuals through the cooking and sharing of nourishing food with family and friends. More than that, we hope to educate and enable a deeper connection with the artisans responsible for growing, selecting and selling the produce that ends up on our plates.
And so VIVE was born
VIVE Cooking School is a tribute to my hard-working and nurturing mother and father. My parents have since left France and moved back to Cambodia where they have created an incredible restaurant that goes by the name of Happy Family – a place to come together, cook and share with our ever-extending family and friends. We are very much on the same path – we hope you will also join our culinary journey. Jean-Luc Tan – Founder MD
Our Chefs
We connect you with experienced and engaging chefs passionate to help you release your inner chef!
Mikiko Yamamoto
Born in Yokohama, Japan, Chef Mikiko is a genuine global citizen. Her culinary passion and insatiable curiosity have propelled her on a worldwide odyssey, from Japan to Southern Italy, Mexico, and beyond. Through these journeys, she honed her skills amidst diverse cultures and cuisines. Today, she delights in sharing her wealth of knowledge to our […]
Jodie Tan
Born and raised in Sydney, Jodie developed her passion for cooking at a young age, and spent over a decade working at restaurants like Quay, Merivale’s Est & Ash Street Cellar, Pendolino’s, Jamie’s Italian and La Grande Bouffe.Favourite cuisines: Italian and JapaneseFavourite dish: Roasted pork belly rice paper rollsFavourite drink: Coffeeeeeee … & Tequila
Mayumi Nagata
Multi-talented chef with a specialty in French pastry, Mayumi has accumulated an envious wealth of knowledge and culinary skills over the years working with Michelin star chefs back in France. She teaches at Le Cordon Bleu, as well as running her own business – Mimi’s French Pastry, and when she teaches at VIVE, she is […]
Esti Garcia
Passionate and award winning pastry chef (pâtissier) and chocolatier. Esti was born in Colombia and now proudly call Australia home. He has spent his adult life working and learning with the goal of becoming one of the best in his field.
Vive’s friends
More than a school, VIVE is a collection of network and relationship with companies and people that support our vision and values.
Kitchen EquipmentIngredient Suppliers
Microplane
American manufacturer of zester made with the highest standard surgical grade stainless steel.
Marcato
The Chef's preferred pasta-making machine to make beautiful homemade pasta from scratch.
Tefal
Technology with Style, the award-winning Italian manufacturer that is renowned for its distinctive luxury kitchen appliance designs.
Artedomus
Australia's leading supplier of unique, high-quality stone, tiles, architectural surfaces including VIVE's porcelain kitchen benchtop.
Staub
Since Francis Staub designed the iconic "Cocotte" in 1974, the brand is the embodiment of French craftsmanship and aesthetic.
Swiss Diamond
Named "The Rolls-Royce" of non-stick pans by The Wall Street Journal, this Swiss manufacturer crafts every single pan with scrupulous attention to detail.
SMEG
Technology with Style, the award-winning Italian manufacturer that is renowned for its distinctive luxury kitchen appliance designs.
