About Culinary Artistas · San Francisco
Culinary Artistas is a vibrant cooking school and event space located inside San Francisco's historic Ghirardelli Square. Founded in 2016 by Brazilian-born chef and food educator Vanessa Silva, the studio offers hands-on kids cooking classes, school holiday and summer camps, birthday parties, after-school enrichment, corporate team-building events, and a monthly subscription box called Club Artistas. The 2,400-square-foot waterfront studio serves families, schools, and corporate teams across the Bay Area and has hosted more than 33,000 corporate guests to date. Its social-impact arm, Artistas Everywhere, funds free cooking programs for under-resourced Bay Area schools and nonprofits.
Culinary Artistas is a San Francisco culinary school and waterfront event space that began in 2016 when founder and CEO Vanessa Silva turned her passion for food, education, and community into a working studio inside the city's iconic Ghirardelli Square. Vanessa, a Brazilian immigrant with a Food Engineering degree from the University of Campinas and a Master's in Holistic Nutrition from Hawthorn University, built the business around the belief that cooking is a universal language that connects people to culture, body, mind, and soul. Today, the studio offers a full slate of programs for children, families, schools, and corporate teams. For kids, the school runs studio classes, weeklong and single-day cooking camps during school holidays and summer (for ages 4-10), field trips to the Ghirardelli Square studio, and after-school enrichment classes that it brings on-site to Bay Area schools. A "Counselor in Training" (CIT) leadership program is open to teens ages 12-16. For adults and groups, Culinary Artistas hosts corporate team-building cooking experiences, virtual and hybrid events, wine tastings, and a private event venue that can be rented for birthdays, baby showers, receptions, dinners, and conferences, accommodating up to 80-100 guests. Its social impact arm, Artistas Everywhere, uses corporate donations to underwrite cooking programs at under-resourced Bay Area schools and nonprofits, and the company's monthly Club Artistas subscription box lets families cook together at home. The business is nationally certified as a Woman-Owned Business Entity and partners with schools, museums, and nonprofits throughout the Bay Area, having served more than 5,000 campers over a decade of operation.
- In business
- Since 2016 (founded June 2016)
- Owner
- Vanessa Silva — Founder & CEO, Lead Chef (Brazilian-born, degree in Food Engineering from the University of Campinas; Master's in Holistic Nutrition from Hawthorn University)
- Serves
- San Francisco (Ghirardelli Square studio) and the broader Bay Area, including East Bay partner locations; also serves clients nationwide via virtual and hybrid cooking experiences
- Rating
- 4.9 stars (38 reviews on Postcard/Kiderr aggregators); Facebook page shows 96% recommend (6 reviews)
About Culinary Artistas
Culinary Artistas is a vibrant kitchen studio nestled in the heart of San Francisco's Ghirardelli Square. Since 2016, founder Vanessa Silva has built the business around the idea that cooking is a universal language that connects people to their cultures, bodies, minds, souls, and to each other. The 2,400-square-foot waterfront studio welcomes children, families, schools, and corporate teams for hands-on culinary experiences, and the company's Artistas Everywhere initiative uses corporate donations to bring free cooking education to under-resourced Bay Area schools and nonprofits. The business is nationally certified as a Woman-Owned Business Entity.
- Founded June 2016 by Vanessa Silva
- Located at Ghirardelli Square, 851 Beach Street, San Francisco, CA 94109
- 2,400 sq ft waterfront studio with views of the Bay and Alcatraz
- Hosts up to 80–100 guests for private events
- Nationally certified Woman-Owned Business
Founder: Vanessa Silva
Vanessa Silva is the CEO, Founder, and Lead Chef of Culinary Artistas. A Brazilian immigrant, she earned a degree in Food Engineering from the University of Campinas and a Master's in Holistic Nutrition from Hawthorn University, and worked across the food industry in the Czech Republic and Greece before settling in San Francisco. Her culinary journey began in her grandmother's kitchen in Brazil, where she learned to make aioli and hand-crafted dishes — an experience she credits with teaching her that cooking is connection. She is also the founder of La Happy Belly, a bone-broth brand sold at Bay Area health-care offices and high-end retail shops, and a member of WEBNC.
- Degree in Food Engineering, University of Campinas (Brazil)
- Master's in Holistic Nutrition, Hawthorn University
- Founder of La Happy Belly bone broths
- LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/vanessapsilva
- Pronouns: she/her
Kids Cooking Classes & Camps
Culinary Artistas teaches what it calls 'Intuitive Cooking' — a method that empowers children of all ages to cook independently, problem-solve creatively, and build a lifelong positive relationship with food. The studio offers monthly themed kids classes, family 'Plate Date' events, and weeklong and single-day cooking camps during school holidays and summer for ages 4-10, hosted both at the Ghirardelli Square studio and at partner locations in the East Bay. Camp themes include 'Beyond Borders: Baking World Cuisine,' 'Palette to Plate: Baking Colorful California Cuisine,' and 'Baking Bliss: From Whisk to Wonder.' A Counselor-in-Training (CIT) leadership program is open to teens ages 12-16.
- Intuitive Cooking teaching method
- Ages 4-10 for studio and camp programs
- CIT leadership program for ages 12-16
- Up to 26 kids per day camp; 1:6 staff-to-kid ratio
- Daily camp schedule: 9 AM arrivals, 9:30 AM welcome circle, cooking blocks at 9:50 AM and 11:30 AM, outdoor play 1:15 PM, closing circle 2:40 PM, pickup 3 PM
School Programs & Field Trips
Culinary Artistas partners with schools across the Bay Area to deliver in-school after-school enrichment (typically 45 min–1 hr classes), enhanced curriculum aligned to STEM, health, and Common Core/NGSS standards, and 2-3 hour field trips to the Ghirardelli Square studio that culminate in a family-style meal prepared by the students. The school-programs team brings all equipment, tools, and ingredients on-site and adapts to many space constraints. Programs are tailored for pre-K through high school and currently serve a Mandarin immersion school and an Italian international school, among others.
- After-school enrichment (45 min–1 hr)
- Field trips (2–3 hours, family-style meal)
- Curriculum topics: Basic Nutrition, Safety & Knife Skills, Geography & Cuisine, Cooking & Science, Taste Exploration, Fun in the Kitchen
- Start-up cost for materials + small activity fee to cover groceries
- Aligned to Common Core State Standards and Next Generation Science Standards
Corporate Team-Building & Experiences
Culinary Artistas designs people-centered corporate cooking experiences for teams of any size, with seasonal menus created by Michelin-trained and holistic chefs and event flows designed by seasoned event planners. Offerings include hands-on cooking classes, cooking competitions, wine pairings, live music, and hybrid or fully virtual events. The company reports hosting more than 33,000 corporate guests to date. Events can be held at the San Francisco studio or off-site. Corporate clients can also support Artistas Everywhere as a sponsor.
- In-person, virtual, and hybrid formats
- Cooking competitions and wine pairings
- 33,000+ corporate guests hosted
- Corporate sponsorship of Artistas Everywhere
Private Event Venue Rental
The Ghirardelli Square studio is available to rent for birthdays, receptions, baby showers, networking events, corporate dinners and retreats, graduation parties, weddings, pop-ups, cooking competitions, and photo shoots. The space features 2,400 square feet, sweeping Bay and Alcatraz views, great natural light, a full kitchen, and proximity to the paid Ghirardelli Parking Garage, meter parking out front, and free 4-hour parking near the Maritime Museum. Venue capacity is 80-100 guests, with a 4-hour minimum rental and available daily from 6:00 AM to 2:00 AM.
- $300/hour, 4-hour minimum; $25/hr surcharge over 35 guests; 10% off 8+ hour bookings
- Add-ons: speaker + 3 microphones, on-site cleaner, security guard, facilities coordinator, corporate cooking competition, kids entertainment
- In-house catering available; outside caterers permitted with kitchen-use fee
- Free cancellation within 24 hours; full charge if cancelled less than 14 days before event
Artistas Everywhere — Social Impact
Artistas Everywhere is Culinary Artistas' social-impact arm, using corporate donations and event sponsorships to fund after-school culinary programs at Bay Area schools and nonprofits that serve youth in food deserts or who are food insecure. The program aligns with the company's broader mission to empower Bay Area youth to develop a positive relationship with food and their own health by demystifying cooking and inspiring confidence in the kitchen. Schools and nonprofits interested in receiving program funding are invited to apply through the Culinary Artistas website.
- Funded by corporate donations
- Targets under-resourced Bay Area schools and nonprofits
- Focus on food deserts and food-insecure communities
- Aligned with the Edible Schoolyard Project network
Club Artistas — At-Home Subscription Box
Club Artistas is Culinary Artistas' monthly subscription box for kids and families to cook together at home. Designed to extend the studio's hands-on intuitive-cooking approach beyond the Ghirardelli Square kitchen, each box delivers recipes, ingredients, and learning prompts so families can explore global flavors and cuisines together on their own schedule.
- Monthly subscription
- Designed for kids and family cooking at home
- Mirrors studio's intuitive-cooking pedagogy
Team & Operations
Culinary Artistas employs roughly 16 people across education, operations, events, marketing, and management. Leadership includes founder & CEO Vanessa Silva, VP of Events and Operations Jessie Welsh, Director of Education Programs Alicia Faris, and Corporate Event Chef Lorraine, a Culinary Institute of America at Greystone (2015) graduate who later managed food programs at Google feeding 8,000 employees across three states. The team describes itself as 'chefs, educators, event designers, and project managers that work together to plan and deliver exceptional culinary experiences for children, families, and corporate teams.'
- Vanessa Silva – CEO & Founder, Lead Chef
- Jessie Welsh – VP of Events and Operations
- Alicia Faris – Director of Education Programs
- Chef Lorraine – Corporate Event Chef (CIA Greystone '15)
- Approximately 16 employees total