BOULDER’S FOOD LAB EXPANDS ITS CULINARY CLASSROOM TO DENVER THIS OCTOBER

Woman-owned culinary school brings its signature hands-on cooking experience to Denver’s Platt Park neighborhood, inspiring community through food.

In 2015, Casey Easton launched Food Lab,  a recreational cooking school,  on Pearl Street in Boulder with the aspiration of expanding in the future. That future has arrived. With permits secured, she is now set to open a new location in Denver in October, —fittingly, on South Pearl Street in the platt Park neighborhood. Coinciding with the 10 year anniversary of her Boulder location, it makes this year quite notable for the self funded woman owned business."I didn’t expect it to take this long to open another location," Easton says. "I was looking at spaces in Denver in early 2020, and we all know what happened then."

Now, five years later, she’s grateful for the delay. "I’m so glad it didn’t happen then—for multiple reasons—but most of all because I love where we ended up. I wasn’t even considering South Pearl in 2020, and now, I can’t imagine a better neighborhood for Food Lab. It’s the perfect fit."  Platt Park, much like Pearl Street in Boulder, is a vibrant area filled with fantastic restaurants, unique retail shops, a busting Farmer’s Market and a thriving community of young families.

The idea for Food Lab came to Easton after years of working as a personal chef. Time and again, she noticed how guests naturally gravitated toward the kitchen during events at peoples homes.  This sparked a thought—why not create a space designed for exactly that? A place where people could gather in a beautiful kitchen, learn to cook, sip wine, and enjoy a fun, interactive night out. And with that, Food Lab was born. Ten years later, Food Lab has hosted 5,280 classes and welcomed nearly 75,000 people into its kitchen. The culinary space has become a hub for corporate team-building events, kids' classes and camps, and public cooking classes. "The public classes are so much fun," Easton shares. "People come solo, with friends, or as a date night—there's nothing like sharing an experience that becomes a lasting memory"

The new Platt Park location will offer the same engaging cooking experiences while introducing a new fully prepped take out meal program,  and an expanded selection of retail items like stock, dough and spices to help the home chef recreate their Food Lab recipes at home.  The concept and design will stay true to Food Lab’s signature style—creating a beautiful, inviting, and approachable atmosphere for guests. Some of the most popular classes offer a culinary journey, transporting guests to destinations like Morocco, Paris, or Thailand. According to Easton, many participants choose a class based on past travel experiences or places they’ve always dreamed of visiting. The kids' program will continue to be a growing part of the business, featuring workshops when the local school district is off school  as well as summer camps. Additionally, Easton aims to attract nearby businesses—including those from downtown and the Denver Tech Center—to establish Food Lab as a go-to space for corporate team-building. In today’s remote work environment, these events often serve as the first opportunity for some colleagues to meet in person.

In an era shaped by AI, social media, remote work, and increasing social isolation, Easton envisions Food Lab as a beacon of community and togetherness. “Cooking brings people together—it levels the playing field, it’s a universal language. There’s never a bad time for in-person connection, but right now, it feels more important than ever.”  

When discussing future expansions, Casey’s excitement is unmistakable. “This has always been the dream,” she says. “Over the years, many people told me that something like this was just a hobby and wouldn’t work. Seeing the Denver location come to life feels surreal, and I can’t wait to open number three, four, and five… It’s a great little hobby of mine.”

You can follow Casey and the journey to open Food Lab Denver on Instagram and their newsletter. Food Lab is currently holding a promotion to win a free private event during their soft opening in August.