Airbnb’s new service is aimed at food lovers

Millions of people use Airbnb’s services to secure vacation getaways, unique places to stay for business trips, and even places to host parties. Now we have learned about another experience offered by the company that will pique the interest of food lovers around the world. Airbnb is launching a new category simply named “Cooking,” which allows users to book cooking classes taught by local residents.

These are not the first cooking classes to be offered by the service, but having a dedicated category is new. “Cooking” will focus on family-style spaces, according to the company. The experiences can range from learning how to make soba noodles in Tokyo to cooking lunch with Prue Leith (celebrity offerings like that are time-limited).

As of now there are 3,000 recipes from over 75 countries from which you can choose. To celebrate this new category, Airbnb recently launched a contest to find the best home cooks around the world. The top 100 applicants will win a free trip to Slow Food’s University of Gastronomic Sciences in Pollenzo, Italy. The trip will include a cooking experience with David Chang and his mother, Sherri.

Photo of How to make buckwheat soba noodles from scratch from The Kitchn