Welcome to our award-winning cookery school...
nestled between lush herb, vegetable and soft fruit gardens Ballyknocken Cookery School Wicklow is owned and managed by Day Time Emmy nominated Irish Celebrity Chef Catherine Fulvio.
We are conveniently located a mere 47 km from Dublin. Catherine Fulvio herself a Wicklow native fulfilled a dream when she converted the old milking parlour into a cookery school over 20 years ago that has since gone from strength-to-strength, being voted winner of the International Cordon D’Or Culinary Academy of the year.
If you share our passion for good food and would like to develop new skills in the kitchen, then our popular cooking classes are a must. Our year-round cookery calendar has a great choice of short and one-day cookery courses and weekend cookery courses to suit all levels of skills and experience from beginner to advanced.
And if you cannot make to us, we can make it to you with our new online Cookery School offering classes and courses. You can learn anywhere, anytime with us.
We offer a broad range of cookery themes and classes to choose from, for example:
- Baking classes
- Italian Cooking
- Entertainment made easy
- Vegan cooking
- 30-Minute Meals
- Family cooking classes
- Vegetarian cooking
- Foraging classes
- Superfood cooking
- Gluten-free classes
We also offer cookery experiences to:
- Corporate team building events.
- Unique cookery hen parties.
- Fun outdoor activity farm days.
- International Incentive Days
- Tour groups
The Ballyknocken Cookery School Tutors
Our expert team of Ballyknocken Cookery School Tutors are all well-established professionals in their field. Each fantastic tutor brings a myriad of ideas and wealth of experience to every cookery class they teach. Under the excellent guidance of Catherine Fulvio, our class plans and recipe packs are lovingly designed to give each participant the maximum benefit from their cookery class with a host of new cooking skills and a full repertoire of exciting new recipes.
Catherine Fulvio
Catherine, herself a Wicklow native, learned her cooking skills from her mother and then trained professionally. Her naturally vivacious personality and pure infectious enthusiasm for food are apparent in every class she teaches. Catherine hosts a variety of classes all year round offering mouth-watering dishes while at the same time they dispense helpful advice.
Catherine is highly acclaimed for her hands-on, no-fuss style of cookery, using the freshest ingredients possible. She believes that cooking should fun and her easy approach together with recipes that encourage those who normally shy away from cookery is a winning combination
Sharon Bradford
After graduating from Silwood Kitchen Cordon Bleu School in Cape Town, I worked for a number of 5* establishments like the Mount Nelson Hotel and Kelvin Grove Club, after which I started my own catering business mainly doing business luncheons in Natal. However, Cape Town was always the preference and as a family, we headed back and I worked with “The Queen of Weddings” – Rosemary Sanders who had a cookery school during the winter months and did wedding catering during the long summer days.
After relocating to Ireland 15 years ago, I brought many years of creative skills; recipe developing and testing, food styling, cake decorating, new and trendy baking techniques and teaching. I especially love teaching my favourite subjects like Dinner Party /Entertaining, Baking Classes and of course my always entertaining Hen Parties!!
Paul Smith
“I am a registered teacher with the Department of Education and FSAI.
I have been teaching since 1992 and have taught in New York as well as Ireland.
Some of my many career highlights would be cooking for the American President of the time Bill Clinton and the Irish President Mary Robinson, as well as catering for the Irish Government in Avondale House. I have also appeared on T.V. in America, Canada and Ireland.
I love teaching & have taught kids from 4 years of age up, as well as for Rehab Care, Enable Ireland, T.Y. Students, Open Prisons, Springboard, FAS, Wicklow County Childcare and Wicklow County Partnership as well as 1 to 1 class.
My career has spanned many different countries and Continents including; England, France, Germany, New York and of course Ireland. I currently own and run the award-winning “Mystic Celt Restaurant” in Wicklow Town.”