Melanie Cecilio opened Little Fox Kitchen with the expectation that she would offer in-person classes where people would learn to cook dishes with their partners, friends, family, and co-workers. When the pandemic struck in March, Melanie had to stop in-person classes and wondered how her business could pivot. She started doing virtual cooking classes for the general public, but this past fall Clorox inquired about doing a virtual team building event. The class was a tremendous success, and word began to spread about Little Fox’s classes.
As we enter the New Year, Melanie and her team find themselves handling inquiries from companies all over the country, and even some outside the United States. Google, Facebook, the Gates Foundation, and Square are just a few of the companies that have hired Little Fox Kitchen to lead virtual classes for their employees. Little Fox will email participants a Recipe Packet and Cooklist, or companies can also sign up for a kit that will be shipped to each individual team member and includes non-perishable items for the class. Melanie had the foresight to contact a cooking school in Barcelona so she could also ship kits across Europe.
Little Fox’s virtual classes average about 30 people and Melanie has 4 cameras set up so it’s easy for people to follow along. Her most popular classes are gnocchi and chocolate soufflé, and participants will receive items in their kit that help them create these dishes, such as a gnocchi board or French soufflé dishes.
“It’s incredible to me that this small business in Cranford is reaching people all over the world,” said Melanie. “We feel so lucky that we’ve been able to continue to offer cooking classes, and from the feedback it seems that people really appreciate the chance to experience them, even if it is virtually.”