Inspiring people to connect through food
Tell us how you feel
Your feedback is needed to help us improve our classes, the way we teach, customer service and how we run operations.
If you enjoyed your experience at Cookology and think the community should know more about us, please feel free to share your experience online on Facebook, Google, Trip Advisor, or Yelp If you’d prefer to share your experience with us personally, please feel free to email the owner, Maria.
Our Terms
• Class cancellations must be received via phone or e-mail at least 48 hours in advance in order to be issued a class credit. No credit or refund will be given for cancellations within 48 hours of class for any reason.
• All class credits must be used within 30 days of issuance.
• Closed toed shoes required for all classes!
Meet Our Founder
Maria Kopsidas
Maria Kopsidas
Maria Kopsidas is the founder and owner of Cookology Recreational Culinary School, Metropolitan Culinary Arts Institute (MCAI), Cookology Kitchen and Helbroth Consulting.
Prior to opening her flagship store in 2009, Maria spent fifteen years leading marketing and communications campaigns for Fortune 500 companies, trade associations, restaurants, and charities including Discovery Channel International as publicist for India and Australia, Grocery Manufacturers Association, the largest and oldest food manufacturer association in the country, as manager of online communications, and director of communications for an Electronic Data Discovery firm. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English Literature and Journalism from University of Maryland, College Park; a handful of certificates in Finance and Plant-based Nutrition from Cornell University, and is pursuing her Master’s degree when her daughter goes off to college in 2022. (Linkedin Profile)
With an SBA loan, Maria opened Cookology at Dulles Town Center during the Great Recession in February 2009. This award winning cooking school loved by every Fortune 100 company in Northern Virginia from Google to Capital One, caught the eye of developers, Forest City. In 2017 they began a $354M rebuild of Ballston Commons, with the intention of creating an experiential mall, so ten years later, Maria opened a 6000 sq.ft. culinary center housing both Cookology and Metropolitan Culinary Arts Institute in Arlington, VA.
Metropolitan Culinary Arts Institute is a post-secondary culinary arts program certified to operate in Virginia by SCHEV.
During the pandemic, Maria launched Cookology Kitchen, a delivery only concept whose meals live at the intersection of restaurant delivery and make your own ingredient boxes – Official Launch is 2022.
In 2021, the pandemic still not over, Maria, took elements of the professional culinary training program, MCAI, and created MCAI 501(c)3. This non-profit trains students into prep cooks in six short weeks, finds them positions, and acts as an advocate for their well-being and future throughout their career. Restaurants make donations to MCAI 501(c)3 to cover the costs of the students’ training.
Growing up in a Mediterranean family with philanthropists, cooks, cookbook authors, health experts and professional chefs, including a former pastry chef in the White House, the idea of a super accessible, affordable cooking school was her goal but many years later, the idea of a creating a culinary workforce where education is financially accessible has become her latest passion.
Feel free to email Maria!
What our students have to say
We were really just blown away right from the start.
We had so much fun, and then we got home the very first night we realized we had picked up all these tidbits. How to heat up the pan, when to put the food in, how to properly season with salt and pepper…stuff that is really pretty basic, but makes a world of difference when you learn to do it right.
– Mel M.
Everything about it is just right on the mark.
The classes are fun and entertaining, you meet new people, get a great meal and walk away with a lot of useful skills.
– Marty M.
My kids loved the pumpkin muffins I brought back home. They were asking for more!
– Silvana M.
We took the basic Sushi class at Dulles and loved it.
Kids took a camp class and loved it. Can’t wait to get back in there.
– Dee M.
Cookology was great fun! Cannot wait to do it again!
– Scott Z.
I’ve been so impressed with the facility and staff.
It’s a professional-grade kitchen, and one that’s kept very clean. I love the fact that you use natural ingredients and don’t take shortcuts, so that my son is being trained to create dishes from scratch. Equally important to me has been the staff; all very friendly. The chefs are excellent, creative, and know how to instruct the kids. They even email the recipes so the kids can recreate the dishes at home! We’ve been so pleased…I highly recommend them to anyone interested in improving their cooking skills!
– Jill P.
We had an incredible party at Cookology!
My daughter and her friends had a great time! Thank you for helping make yummy food and a fun party, but mostly for making lasting and special memories of her turning 6!
– Shannon B.
I was truly impressed with the meals that came home, and my daughter has never been so excited to cook!
You all did a fabulous job with the kids! Thank you! And we cannot wait until she uses the recipes and her newly learned skills to recreate the food!
– Jenny H.
I want to start by saying – Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
From my first phone call to you my experience with Cookology has been tremendous. As you know, our book club read Julie and Julia and we wanted to have a private Julia Child inspired cooking class. You were accommodating and wonderful to deal with. I bombarded you with phone calls, questions and special requests, but you were always patient and kind. Our group of 12 met this past Tuesday for a wonderful night of learning, fun and amazing food. Everyone enjoyed every minute. Chef Ian was entertaining, knowledgeable, skilled and patient with us. We learned many new techniques and had fun doing it! What could be better than cooking, eating, laughing with friends and not having to clean the kitchen? Thank you again and we are looking forward to our next class!
– Jeri H. & Book Club Friends
Cookology in the Community
Cookology is a proud participant of the Northern Virginia community at large. We provide donations, meals, and event support to a multitude of causes. Below is a list of just a handful of the schools and organizations Cookology has supported in the previous months.
- Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic
- Arlington Traditional School
- Fauquier Alternative School
- PRS
- Loudoun Free Clinic
- Rolling Ridge Elementary
- Tauxemont Cooperative Preschool
- Ronald Wilson Reagan Middle School
- The Primary Day School
- March of Dimes
- Dominion Trail Elementary
- Algonkian Elementary School
- Sunset Hills Montessori
- St. Theresa School
- Evergreen Mill Elementary
- Sully Elementary
- United Way (on behalf for Unysis)
- Frances Hazel Reid Elementary School
- Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
- Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington, Fairfax Region
- The 25th Project
- Claude Moore Preschool
- Capitol Area Food Bank
- Gravely Elementary
- Union Mill Elementary
- Laurel Hill Elementary
- Reston Children’s Center
- Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
- St. David’s Episcopal Preschool
- Greenbriar West Elementary
- Forest Edge Elementary
- IFDA-DC
- Mautner Project (National Lesbian Health)
- Greek Orthodox Parish of Loudoun County
- YMCA of Loudoun County
- Long Branch Elementary
- Algonkian Elementary
- The 25th Project
- Food on the Stove