Team-Building & Private Events at The Prickly Pear
Our team-building and private party events are real classes!
The Prickly Pear has served top tier Austin tech- Meta, Dell, Oracle, Google-, University of Austin, Merck, Pinterest, Siete Family Foods, Wonderful Seedless Lemons, Amazon, TikTok, Meta, ONNIT, Self Inc., and Tenable, to name just a few. We offer a venue for your team/party to gather, learn and celebrate, but we also take pride in providing as much full-instruction/participation as possible. Allow us to recommend a menu for your crowd! Let us know any team member(s) dietary restrictions prior to booking. We will make reasonable accommodations and tailor a menu that works for you.
Private Events run Monday - Thursday.
Looking for a Friday/Saturday date? *On occasion we are able to offer private events on Friday or Saturday, please see note below under "How do I secure my date?" section.
📅Scheduling Considerations:
Most classes run 2.5-3hrs, with the exception of Wood-fired Pizza Class and Inspired by Mexico EXPRESS which are ~ 2hrs.
The majority of groups choose to start at 6pm but if our schedule allows you may start as early as 11am.
Please plan on having your group arrive at least 20 minutes early.
We open our doors 30 minutes prior to the event.
We start promptly at scheduled start time.
🐦Please note we cannot accommodate early birds.
What are the class minimums/maximums?
We host private classes for 1–24 guests.
Our maximum for fully hands-on classes is 24 students. Please note that companies with teams larger than 24 often opt to split their teams into two separate classes over a couple of days.
We’re not aware of any other cooking class providers in the greater Austin area that accommodate groups larger than 24. While some may claim to host bigger parties, they typically need to secure off-site venues, which can significantly increase costs. We recommend requesting detailed quotes in advance so you can compare true, all-in pricing on an apples-to-apples basis. We are often called upon after other arrangements have fallen through and when our schedule is already fully booked.
Who may attend? Are there age restrictions?
Per our insurance mandates, we are only able to accommodate children 13 and older. All minors are required to be accompanied by a guardian.
🤔How much do classes cost?
The menus are the same as on our website. However, most private events are structured/priced differently.
Depending on what menu you choose, it is anywhere between $110/student-$135/student plus tax, with the majority of the menus falling around $120/student plus tax.
Class pricing is based on a minimum of 10 attendees. We’re happy to welcome smaller groups as well, though the 10-attendee minimum rate will still apply.
While our average private class falls in the 16-18 range, we are a boutique operation and can only accommodate one class per calendar day. Our minimum requirements help us stay up and running.
We are happy to provide you with a quote, just let us know!
Classes available for team-building and private events are:
🥑Inspired by Mexico (for groups up to 24) 118/student + tax, Are you a traveling team? This is a regionally specific class/cuisine! Short on time? Ask us about our EXPRESS 2-hour version of this class. Full menu & deets: https://thepricklypearcookingclasses.com/mexican-deets
🍛Taste of Rome (for groups up to 18) 120/student + tax How about some scratch-made pasta? Everyone loves Italian! Full menu & deets: https://thepricklypearcookingclasses.com/new-page-1
🥘New American Mediterranean (for groups up to 24) 120/student + tax Fresh, trending ingredients and inclusive dishes. Full menu & deets: https://thepricklypearcookingclasses.com/new-american-meditteranian
🥖French Class (for groups up to 24) 135/student + tax Classic, elegant, our longest running class, bon appetit! Full menu & deets: https://thepricklypearcookingclasses.com/new-page-4
🍕Wood-fired Pizza Class 110/student + tax (up to 20 students) Fun class for groups looking for a more casual experience with a shorter time commitment. Full menu & deets: https://thepricklypearcookingclasses.com/pizza
Please inquire regarding date availability so we may ask our pizza chef if he is available.
For groups with significant dietary restrictions:
🥑Inspired by Mexico This is our most popular team-building experience and the safest bet for team members with dietary restrictions. Accommodations can be made for dairy-free, gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan team members. NOTE: if you have a celiac member, this menu avoids any gluten exposure. Please review full menu, accommodations and disclosures prior to booking: https://thepricklypearcookingclasses.com/mexican-deets
🥖French Class Accommodations can be made for dairy-free, gluten-sensitive (please see full-menu description regarding risk of trace gluten exposure), vegetarian, vegan and keto team members. Please review full menu, accommodations and disclosures prior to booking: https://thepricklypearcookingclasses.com/new-page-1
🍕Wood-Fired Pizza Class Accommodations can be made for dairy-free, vegetarian and vegan team members. Because students build their own entree and dessert this class appeals to both foodies and those with less adventurous palates. Please review full menu, accommodations and disclosures prior to booking: https://thepricklypearcookingclasses.com/pizza
🥘New American Mediterranean Accommodations can be made for dairy-free, gluten-sensitive (please see full-menu description regarding risk of trace gluten exposure), vegetarian and vegan team members. Please review full menu, accommodations and disclosures prior to booking:https://thepricklypearcookingclasses.com/new-american-meditteranian
We request that you submit final counts of approved accommodations one week prior to the event.
Not sure your team member’s restrictions will be accommodated for? Just email and ask! We will help you figure it out.
Menu details and dietary accommodations for each class can be viewed here, just click on your desired menu.
https://thepricklypearcookingclasses.com/
How do I secure my date? What are your policies?
Please note that all reservations are secured by payment via our Stripe payment platform (accepts most credit cards).
Other payment arrangements must be discussed prior to booking. We often have more than one group interested in the same date. In fairness to all, we do not "pencil in" reservations. Thank you for understanding.
Please see the "Rescheduling/Cancellations" page on our website for full policies.
*Friday/Saturday Events: We typically reserve Fridays and Saturdays for public classes. However, with sufficient advance notice, we may be able to accommodate a private weekend booking. Because these dates are in high demand, different minimums and cancellation policies apply than those listed on our website. A minimum of 16 students is required; you are welcome to proceed with fewer attendees, but the full 16-seat minimum must still be met. Individual tickets reserved within the 16-person minimum are non-refundable. If the group chooses to cancel the event entirely, we will provide a full refund if the request is made at least 30 days in advance. Unfortunately, we are unable to offer full or partial refunds within 30 days of the scheduled event.
Thank you for your understanding.
🔪Why should I choose a cooking class over dinner out?
Cooking Classes are the number one most requested team-building experience today!
👥The Prickly Pear Team Building Classes encourage your team to improve communication and collaboration.
✨️Our classes help people see each other in a different light and allow them to connect in a welcoming setting, all the while learning a new, fun, skill-set.
Unlike other cooking class formats, your entire team will be seated at one communal table (not individual stations that accommodate 2-4 people.)
Your entire team will be working TOGETHER for a true team-building experience.
However, please note some important information regarding the cooking class format:
We ask that you please do not confuse us with a restaurant.
Our core mission is to instruct, educate, inspire and bring people together.
Individual/team participation is key to producing the dishes.
We are a small team with a well-organized format.
We run one specific menu each class and are not prepared to alter the ingredients or preparation on the fly.
🍷We are BYOB!
Our BYOB format saves you approximately 30% compared to traditional dining or event venues.
You may set up a self-serve bar in our classroom, we have ample table space, glasses, ice, openers, shakers and a dedicated chilling fridge.
Most teams greatly appreciate this set up.
Please note we will be fully dedicated to instruction.
We are not able to uncork, pour or otherwise serve alcohol.
Please schedule any alcohol deliveries between 12-3pm on the day of the event. Kindly let us know ahead of time.
🚫What if some of my team members have dietary restrictions that a menu doesn’t accommodate for?
We understand that organizing an event can be challenging, and we do our best to accommodate your team members’ needs whenever possible.
While we strive to make our menus as inclusive as we can, there are practical limitations in a teaching kitchen. Many base/staple ingredients, which are used in a wide range of dishes—and certain components like dressings or sauces are prepared in advance and cannot be modified on the day of the event.
We will not be able to accommodate last-minute or previously undeclared restrictions as they are be difficult to work around without disrupting the class experience.
For this reason, all dietary restrictions and allergies must be communicated to our staff prior to booking. While we will, when appropriate, remove or substitute specific ingredients, some students may need to participate by learning the techniques and opt out of tasting dishes that contain ingredients they cannot tolerate.
Additionally, our classes follow a set curriculum, and we are not always able to provide instruction for alternate dishes, for example, the vegetarian beancake substitution is made ahead. We provide recipes and instructions on how to reproduce dishes at home.
Guests with preferences or aversions should be prepared to be flexible and work within the structure of the class. To preserve the integrity of the class experience, guests are expected to participate within the established format. We respectfully limit accommodation requests to those based on medical necessity and cultural or ethical observance.
Please note that a final headcount for approved accommodations must be made one week prior to the event.
Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.
What if our group wants custom services/extended time/add-ons?
Significant requests outside our model, i.e., extra conference time, company product set-ups, extra dietary accommodations, deliveries, favors, enhancements, etc. may be subject to additional service fees. No outside vendors (i.e. custom point of sale merchandisers, instructors, bartenders, entertainers, etc. are permitted without pre-authorization and if approved are subject to a service charge.) All requests for incorporating services outside our model must be presented prior to quoting. Private events/team-building services are limited to private cooking classes, not event space rental unless otherwise discussed. Additional charges will be applied to teams that over extend their stay. Please see the “CONTACT US” tab on our website for additional information.
Location:
📍1610 New York Avenue, Austin, Texas 78702
We are very central - just over a mile from the Capitol Building.
Thank you for your interest. We can’t wait to host you!
Let us know:
1️⃣ What dates you are looking at,
2️⃣ What menus you are considering
3️⃣ Your group size
and let's start planning!
The Prickly Pear Cooking Classes