BRING STORY FEAST TO YOUR VENUE
Cooking classes, workshops, talks, and literary dining experiences for cooking schools, bookshops, festivals, libraries, and cultural venues across the UK.
Let’s Work Together
Story Feast Collective brings people together around food, storytelling, and the things that make life feel more intentional. I offer a range of in-person programming from hands-on cooking classes to writing workshops to a one-of-a-kind literary dining experience.
Whether you're a cooking school looking for a guest instructor, a bookshop building an author events programme, a festival seeking a workshop leader, or a cultural venue looking for something a little different, I'd love to find a way to work together.
"You were so energetic, engaging and inspiring, just fantastic. Everyone just loved it. The talk included hygge but led to so much more to explore. We had about 260 attending, which is a really big crowd for these events." — Ruth Griffith, Sno-Isle Libraries
About Jody
I'm Jody Eddy, a cookbook author, cooking teacher, and the founder of Story Feast Collective.
I've written nine cookbooks, including Elysian Kitchens, Eat Like a Monk, The Hygge Life, North: The New Nordic Cuisine of Iceland, Chaat, and Come In, We're Closed. I'm a James Beard–nominated, IACP Award–winning food writer, a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education in NYC, and a former Executive Editor of Art Culinaire magazine. I've worked in professional kitchens at Jean-Georges and Tabla in New York and The Fat Duck in England.
I've been teaching cooking classes and leading workshops for nearly twenty years for groups ranging from corporate teams at Microsoft and Google to libraries, schools, NGOs, churches, and community organisations. I've lived across Europe in Prague, Portugal, Ireland, and now Scotland and I draw on a lifetime of cooking, eating, traveling, learning, and writing across cultures.
What I care about most is bringing people to the table and giving them something worth remembering.
What I Offer
Everything below is available as a guest session on your programme or as a self-ticketed event in your space. It’s flexible depending on what works for you.
Hands-On Cooking Classes
The Monastery Kitchen
Recipes, techniques, and stories from monastery kitchens across the world. Participants cook a full meal together that is simple, seasonal, and intentional, with food designed to nourish and uplift body and mind. Drawn from my books Elysian Kitchens and Eat Like a Monk.
The Chaat Party
A lively, communal class built around Indian street food. Participants prepare a spread of colorful chaat: an alchemy of tangy, crunchy, spicy, and sweet, and sit down together for a feast that's as fun to make as it is to eat. Inspired by my book Chaat: Recipes From the Markets, Railways & Kitchens of India.
Global Flavors
A rotating series drawing on a lifetime of cooking across cultures, from the souks of Fes to the farmhouse tables of the Czech Republic to the coastal kitchens of Ireland. Each class focuses on a specific region or theme.
It was really great to meet you at the Good Acre the other week. The recipes were delicious and I will be taking many of the tips you offered throughout the class into my own kitchen. Really enjoyed every minute! — Brian Miller, student at The Good Acre
“That was an incredible class last week! The feedback from our students has been overwhelmingly positive and we’re already looking forward to next month’s class!" — Julia Cohen, The Good Acre
“Our students loved your class! Learning about modern Nordic cooking was something new for us and I know they will be using many of the recipes and techniques you taught them for years to come. We loved your energy and positivity. Thank you! ” — Dalia Jurgensen, The Institute of Culinary Education
The Nordic Kitchen
Scandinavian cooking and the Nordic approach to contentment and wellbeing. Participants cook recipes rooted in hygge, lagom, and seasonal eating, with the stories behind the traditions woven throughout. Inspired by my books The Hygge Life and North: The New Nordic Cuisine of Iceland.
Behind Closed Doors: Staff Meals from the World's Best Restaurants
What do the world's best chefs cook when the doors are closed and they're feeding their own team? This class takes participants behind the scenes into the tradition of the family meal: honest, comforting, deeply personal dishes made with skill but without pretension. Drawn from my book Come In, We're Closed: An Invitation to Staff Meals at the World’s Best Restaurants.
Plant-Based Temple Cooking
Vegetable-forward cooking inspired by Buddhist, Hindu, and Christian monastic traditions. Seasonal, inventive, and quietly revelatory — a class that reframes plant-based cooking as a centuries-old creative practice.
Workshops
The Monastery Method: Ancient Wisdom for Modern Life
Practical tools for building daily rituals, finding focus, and designing a more intentional life, drawn from nearly a decade of research in monastic communities across the world. Interactive, grounded, and designed to leave participants with something they can use immediately that will make a positive difference in their lives. Inspired by my guide The Monastery Method.
How to Write a Cookbook (and Get It Published)
From concept and proposal to finding an agent, working with a publisher, recipe development and testing, and building a platform. For aspiring cookbook authors at any stage; whether you're a home cook with a family story, a chef, or a writer making the leap to cookbook publishing. Available as a 1-2-hour workshop or a half-day or day-long masterclass.
Hygge & The Science of Happiness
What do the world's happiest cultures actually do differently? A workshop exploring the practical daily habits behind hygge, lagom, wabi-sabi, ubuntu, and more. It delves into the science behind these concepts and offers practical, simple ways to build them into all aspects of your life. This workshop was inspired by my book The Hygge Life.
The Craft of Food Writing
For anyone who wants to write about food with more skill and feeling, whether for your newsletter, a memoir, a magazine, or simply to capture the stories behind the meals that matter. Covers sensory writing, narrative structure, voice, and the difference between a recipe and a story and how to seamlessly merge the two.
“Our group loved the workshop! Thank you so much. You offered us so many thought provoking ideas to ponder and we were delighted overall.” — Anne Danner, Jane
“Thoroughly enjoyed and provoked a lot of thinking with people." — Lauren Campling, Hannover Re
“Thank you so much for that wonderful workshop! Thoroughly enjoyable, our group learned so much, were inspired, and it was very insightful.” — Roisin O'Neill, Verve Ireland
“We loved your workshop! It was just what was needed to conclude the year on a positive note and gave our group so much to think about throughout the holiday season in order to begin the new year in a really productive and grounded way. Thank you! “ — Rachel Bishop, Wilfrid Laurier University
Fantasy Feast: A Literary Dining Experience
For: Bookshops · Book clubs · Literary festivals · Cooking schools · Cultural venues
A one-of-a-kind experience where literature meets the table.
I design a fully themed, multi-course menu and dinner plan from invitations and decor to table settings and entertainment, inspired by a specific work of fiction. I either cook it live with participants or present it as an immersive dining event.
Imagine your book club picking a novel and then gathering not just to discuss it, but to taste it and experience it come to life, with food, drinks, and atmosphere designed to transport you into the world of the book.
Fantasy Feasts is a fun and creative experience for groups of any age and can be scaled for intimate book club gatherings, bookshop events, or larger festival programming. I've developed over 100 step-by-step literary dinner party plans through my Fantasy Feasts series on Substack, with menus inspired by everything from Circe, The Lord of the Rings, and Harry Potter to Under the Tuscan Sun, The Game of Thrones, and Wuthering Heights.
Talks & Conversations
For: Festivals · Bookshops · Libraries · Cultural Programs
In Conversation / Panel Participation Available for panels and moderated conversations on food writing, the future of cookbooks, food and place, monastic traditions, analog living, food and community, and the art of gathering.
Cookbook Companion Talk + Signing A focused talk tied to a specific book, Elysian Kitchens, Eat Like a Monk, The Hygge Life, North, Chaat, Come In, We're Closed, or others, with Q&A and signing.
“Thank you for such a thought-provoking presentation to kick-off Worlds of Flavor. I heard people talking about it all weekend and that’s exactly what we love to have happen!” — Jennifer Breckner, The Culinary Institute of America
“We loved your presentation, Jody! Google is a place for forward thinking ideas and out of the box inspiration and that’s exactly what you delivered. Looking forward to having you back. Thank you! " — Cliff Redeker, Google’s Author Series
“Thank you for such a lively and thought provoking conversation, Jody. It’s exactly what we were hoping for.The feedback has been so positive!” — Matt Trinetti, London Writer’s Salon
Practical Details
Previous workshops and talks for: Amazon · Google · Microsoft · NGOs · Libraries · Fortune 500 companies · Retreat Centers · Literary Festivals · Schools · Churches · Community Groups and every group in between
Available from: August 2026 onwards
Based in: Edinburgh, Scotland, happy to travel throughout Scotland, England, Ireland, and beyond.
Formats: Guest instructor on your program, or self-ticketed event using your space. I'm flexible.
Group sizes: Cooking classes 12–20 · Workshops 15–40 · Talks and Fantasy Feasts flexible
Requirements: Cooking classes require kitchen access and equipment. Workshops, talks, and Fantasy Feasts are adaptable to the venue.
Pricing: Discussed on a case-by-case basis. I'm happy to work within your existing fee structures, revenue-share models, or flat-fee arrangements.