About Culinary by Hobby Hill
At Culinary by Hobby Hill, we believe cooking is personal — and your experience in our kitchen should be too.
Founded in Powhatan, Virginia, Culinary by Hobby Hill grew from over two decades of passion for food, community, and hands-on learning. Originally known as Hobby Hill Farm Fresh LLC, we made our name change two years ago to reflect what we've always been at heart: a culinary experience unlike anything else in the Richmond area.
Every Dish. Every Person. Every Time.
Here's what sets us apart from the big-name cooking schools: at Culinary by Hobby Hill, every student makes every dish — start to finish. No rotating stations. No watching while someone else gets the experience. You arrive, you cook, and you leave with everything you made. Our instructor, Sharon Munyak, works alongside you before, during, and after class — however long it takes — to make sure you feel confident and capable, not rushed.
Compare that to the typical large-format class where groups of four share a station, take turns, and hope they get to touch the dough.
Over 100 Unique Class Experiences
From artisan sourdough and handmade pasta to international cuisine, cheese making, canning, and sugar cookie decorating, we offer more than 100 distinct class experiences — in person at our Powhatan studio or online from your own kitchen. Whether you're a complete beginner or a seasoned home cook, there's always something new to master.
More Than a Cooking Class
We also offer team building sessions, corporate gifts, boxed lunches to go, and a curated shop of artisanal jams, gift baskets, and gourmet pantry finds — many made right here in our kitchen.
Rated 4.9 stars on Google with nearly 80 reviews, our students come back again and again — and they bring their friends.
Come cook with us. You'll make it all — we promise.
About Sharon
Sharon Munyak didn't go to culinary school. She went to her grandmother's kitchen.
Growing up in New Jersey, Sharon's grandmother — part Japanese, part Scottish, and entirely devoted to feeding people — was the heart of two households. While her mother worked long shifts at the hospital, it was Grandma's kitchen that shaped Sharon: the rhythm of it, the patience of it, the way food could make someone feel taken care of without a single word. That's the kitchen Sharon carries with her into every class she teaches.
Sharon founded Culinary by Hobby Hill in Powhatan, Virginia, more than 12 years ago — starting with just five core classes offered through local Parks & Recreation programs. She built it class by class, student by student, growing from a handful of offerings to more than 100 distinct culinary experiences taught in person and online.
Four years ago, sourdough became her focus — not because it was trendy, but because people were struggling with it and asking for help. The pandemic had just wound down, and students were coming to Sharon with starters that wouldn't rise, loaves that collapsed, and a frustration that felt personal. She stepped in, simplified the process, and made it make sense. She hasn't stopped since.
Students describe Sharon as patient, generous, and the kind of teacher who means it when she says no question is too small. She stays as long as it takes. She answers texts. She troubleshoots loaves over the phone. And she believes — genuinely — that the problem is never the student. The problem is almost always the system they were handed.
Her goal in every class is the same: that you leave feeling capable, not just informed. That you go home, get in your kitchen, and actually do it.
