ST. JOSEPH — Tara Newman is used to being hands-on when it comes to her business ventures.
But at The Culinary Cottage, patrons also get the chance to use their hands.
Newman, who is the owner and executive chef at The Culinary Cottage, has spent the past few years growing her business to the point that she is now celebrating a year in her new location at 606 Ship St.
Newman likes to describe The Culinary Cottage as more than just a cooking school, but a gathering place for all food lovers. What started in a space at The Market across the street, has become a thriving hub for cooking experiences.
With nearly 20 years of experience in the culinary world – including time spent crafting recipes for KitchenAid – Newman said she’s always been dedicated to creating memorable food experiences.
While finding a place within the banking industry, she was taking culinary classes on the side with no intention of doing anything with it.
“Some families I was working with asked to hire me,” she recalled. “I quit my finance job and became a personal chef amid the recession. I went back to school, began catering baby showers, weddings and fundraisers. Then I picked up teaching at Perennial Accents and Whirlpool came calling to have me train their marketing and sales force. I did recipe writing and helped develop products that made their way to the marketplace.”
Prior to the pandemic, Newman said she and a few others were doing Culinary Kitchen Clubs, where 10 to 15 people rotated through each other’s houses, loading and unloading their kitchens and cooking on dining room tables.
However, the pandemic spurred an interest in the community about cooking in general and soon took hold of this club. Newman said they began rotating 130 people per month, going through one another’s homes, cooking and learning together. It ranged from book clubs to ladies nights.
Newman saw a need in the community and closed her catering and personal chef businesses.
“I tried to buy a building in St. Joseph and the city said ‘no’ due to a zoning issue,” she said. “When The Market opened, I asked the city to revisit it and the city inspector did a walkthrough and said my business would work in that space.”
From there it was a six-month buildout, replicating a small kitchen within a 215-square-foot space. Newman said they opened in May of 2022, but outgrew the space quickly after logging more than 300 classes.
“I felt like I was saying no all the time based on how many people wanted to take part in this,” she said.
However, the couple who owned the building where the former Waterfront Framing store was offered it to her in October of 2024. Newman agreed and never looked back.
A baking space
With her own space, Newman came up with her next big idea – a rotating retail space for local bakers. This other part of her cooking empire is called the St. Joseph Cottage Bakery.
Some of her chefs who teach classes at The Culinary Cottage, also sold baked goods at the area’s farmers markets.
“I saw how much work that was. I thought wouldn’t it be great to have one space where they could land,” Newman said. “We’ve got five bakers in that space.”
These bakers make and sell items that include gluten-free cookies, cupcakes and sourdough bread.
“I have a guy who does all sweet things, someone who focuses on bread,” Newman said. “We are a landing spot for people who don’t have a permanent space. In some ways it helped to fill a void from the recent closure of the Golden Brown Bakery.”
Emily Onken, owner of Bake Effect who is often referred to as the local pie lady, is one of the rotating bakers who have taken advantage of the space.
She got into baking about 16 years ago and now specializes in gluten-free baked goods. Onken met Newman years ago while spending time as a vendor at the farmers market.
“We connected a few months after that with teaching classes, and then I started having pop-ups there, sort of sporadically,” she said. “After moving into this location, it became a weekly thing to be here, selling the items and doing classes.”
As a cottage baker, Onken’s customers know she is at 606 Ship St. on Thursdays until she sells all of her goods that day.
“It’s a very unique crossover, and I think I have have seen a lot of overlap between customers and people coming in to take classes for me too,” Onken said. “So, it’s good for everybody.”
She said the interest in the do-it-yourself recipes has been really high since the pandemic, when trends that involved sourdough bread became a way to cope with the lockdown.
Onken said there’s nothing else like The Culinary Cottage in this area, let alone other regions. She’s noticed people coming from South Bend and Chicago for classes.
“The classes are usually two hours long, so you’re getting a full download of information, and it’s fun,” Onken said. “It’s a unique activity where you’re not just staring at a screen. It’s actually about creating something together.”
The sole purpose
Newman’s move to the downtown St. Joseph location expanded her culinary footprint to 1,490 square feet. But she’s about to add another 1,000 square feet by Jan. 1.
The bakery portion of the cottage will be moved to the space adjacent to them, which Newman said is currently occupied by the temporary Heritage Museum location. The space is connected to her shop, with door access.
“Once they move out their artifacts, we will transition right over,” she said. “We’ll expand the bakery part of it, and the teaching part of it as well.”
Until then, Newman will focus on their current set up, which averages about 10 classes per week.
Their business events normally involve accounting firms, Notre Dame and Whirlpool Corp., while private classes can be the focus of bachelorette parties.
“In the last few years, I’ve had a big group of retired men who have traveled, made the money and never stepped foot in a kitchen,” Newman said. “They can’t stand the golf course all the time. People bring new inspiration to me with things they want to learn.”
The Culinary Cottage supplies all the items used for classes, including cutting boards, mixing bowls, stand mixers, rolling pins and dishwashers.
“Everything that we have put in here can be found in homes. None of it’s commercial, with the exception of our (range) hoods,” Newman said. “It looks like a home kitchen. It’s less intimidating, and our goal is to build the confidence in here. So, we’re using everything you would use at home.”
She said participants always walk away with recipes, and every class can run different.
Their pasta class is the most popular, Newman said.
In addition to pasta making, they focus on Mediterranean food, Thai dishes, seasonal farm-to-fork, an Italian fall feast, Christmas type courses, as well as a focus on “friendsgiving.” Recently, she hosted a kids cooking course.
“The kids did chicken wings and waffles,” she said. “Cookie decorating has been a hit with the younger classes. My brain never stops working. It’s so easy to come up with themes.”
Food was the sole purpose of Newman’s business endeavor.
But the community and the response of how it’s brought everyone together has been the biggest surprise to her.
“I’m just grateful,” she said. “I was unloading the dishwasher and mopping the floor the other day when it hit me. It’s overwhelming at times. It’s 10 times more than I ever thought it was going to be.”
Dining and Cooking