In line with my eagerness to learn about putting up and organizing events professionally, I also want to become a better chef. Not on a professional level like Ina Garten, mind you - I just want to become a better cook than I am currently. Lately, we’ve been finding ourselves ordering food or heating up prepared meals that aren’t as healthy (or delicious) as I would like them to be. It’s just that sometimes, between being a home-based career woman and taking care of my family, I find that I hardly have time to prepare meals from scratch.
Having met up recently with a friend who caters for a living, we also got to talking about how we can make money from a career that’s all about our culinary pursuits. A cooking job at home, as my friend has, is out of the question for me right now. However, that doesn’t mean I can’t embark on this career for the love of cooking. I just have to find ways around it, and here are five ways I’ve thought of accomplishing that.
1) Get paid for your recipes
I have lots of recipes, handed down to me by my mother, and by my grandmother to her, and so on and so forth. These are special family recipes - the kind that others would die for to learn, as I’ve been told countless times. I don’t think my mom, grandma, and great-grandma would mind if I monetize their recipes (with a bit of tweaking, which some of the ingredients and procedures call for, anyway) by sharing them with food magazines or blogs.
With this in mind, I’ve decided to pitch some of my tried-and-tested kitchen recipes and tips to the national food magazine Eating Well, which pays a dollar per word for every approved article. At the moment, I’m also looking up some food blogs/sites where I can possibly pitch and submit these recipes.
2) Start some online cooking classes
How to make money cooking from home? I figured, why not start some online cooking classes since I’m online most of the time, anyway. There are so many of those demo-type videos today, ranging from hair and makeup to building your own furniture, to just about anything in-between, which I believe I can do, too. And they’re extremely shareable, which is really awesome.
I did some research and found out that Uscreen is a good platform for online “classes” videos like the ones I’m planning. It’s got very reasonable fees, plus useful tools to promote my content, and doesn’t require additional equipment aside from the smartphone or laptop I already own.
3) Create an affiliated food blog
Can you make money from a cooking blog? With affiliate programs, yes you can. I’ve read about the success stories of so many food bloggers who started writing and taking pics of what they love doing as a hobby, which eventually ballooned into a full-time career. This inspires me. I initially thought doing things you love doing will not be lucrative, but affiliate blogging has proven that wrong.
Choosing the right affiliate platforms for a food blog is key. There are so many out there, but my personal favorite is to become an Amazon Associate. There are millions of products to advertise, but more importantly, the linking tools they offer are so simple to use it’s almost criminal. Plus, earning is so easy with this particular affiliate, as you get 10% from advertising fees, not just for particular products that you advertise, but also on items falling under their Qualifying Purchases category!
4) Get paid to watch cooking shows
Cooking for people who watch you while cooking has its own kind of instant gratification. They not only appreciate the work that goes on behind a delicious meal, but you’re also teaching your audience patience, how to follow instructions carefully, being poised, and just general kitchen decorum. I think this is why cooking shows are so popular - it’s so comforting to see where exactly your food is coming from.
Today, YOU can get PAID to watch these cooking videos. Unbelievable? I thought so too until I stumbled upon GPT sites like InboxDollars and SwagBucks who will pay you to watch cooking shows via their respective video channels. You will get paid in points, which you can then redeem for cash or gift cards according to your preference. And while it’s not purely about cooking, there’s something extremely gratifying about getting paid for viewing good food being made right in front of you.
5) Be a wine sommelier
In line with my event-planning projects, I’ve discovered how hard it is to provide good wine with some of the parties I organized. Sure, you can get discounted wine from any supermarket or wine shops, but a memorable gathering is often affected by the kind of wine you serve. That’s when I learned about becoming a Wine Guide with Traveling Vineyard, from a guest who can’t stop raving about their service.
Basically, you sign up and pay for a Success Kit (which is really a box) that contains 2 5-bottle Tasting Sets (shipped separately), tasting glasses and a convenient carrying box, a 6-bottle wine carrier, business paperwork, a Sommology kit with tins and cards, marketing materials including brochures, and other wine accessories. You can then choose to conduct wine tasting events (perfect for planning events for my parties), or sell online. The company offers good commissions on top of bonuses and incentives (there are no sales quotas, too!).
The verdict?
There are only a couple of items on this list that I’ve admittedly done, such as the getting paid to watch cooking shows one, as well as submitting recipes to food magazines and blogs. The rest, I would need to set aside time to do, but I’m excited to do them as they involve food (and a potential income)!
Your turn!
Have you ever considered making money from cooking and other things cooking-related? Tell us all about your experience, because we’d love to have more resources about making money from your culinary passions!
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