Demo and hands-on pastry and chocolate masterclasses in respected studio in Seoul—Happy Happy Cake, Caramelia Chocolate Sweet Studio. Beyond recipes, the focus is on methods, workflow, and the decisions that create consistency—how a professional chef builds flavour, texture, and finish in a way you can recognize and learn from.

An experience centered on Korean royal cuisine—its principles, presentation, and the refinement behind it. Set within a traditional environment, this becomes a quiet and memorable counterpoint to the city’s modern pace, and a way to understand the elegance that sits underneath Korean food culture.

Focused workshops that build your understanding of Korean taste from the ground up: temple cuisine, kimchi and fermentation, Tteok (rice cake) —tasted first, then unpacked through hands-on learning. For those who are interested, we’ll also include an optional soju distillery tasting experience.

The week moves between centuries. One day may place you in palace courtyards in hanbok; another may bring you through neighbourhoods shaped by coffee culture and contemporary pastry, where small cafés and dessert counters have become part of daily life. The point is to feel how Seoul holds tradition and modernity in the same frame.

Seoul’s dessert scene is broad and serious. You’ll experience it in different formats—from afternoon tea to pâtisserie counters to plated desserts—so you can taste the range and understand how Korea approaches sweetness, balance, and presentation today.

Market visits chosen for usefulness, not just atmosphere: places for ingredients and places for tools—where working cooks shop, where bakers browse, and where students often find the items they end up using most at home.

Besides the Michelin-starred meal as a highlight, nights are left open enough to feel comfortable, with strong options for those who want more: night markets, drinks, and a food-themed musical. If you prefer a quieter evening, that choice is equally built into the rhythm of the tour.

For those who enjoy a slower hour, we’ll include a visit that pairs art and tea—such as a fine arts museum with a traditional tea house—offering a different kind of pleasure and a pause that fits the tone of the trip.

This isn’t a sightseeing trip with food stops squeezed in. The itinerary is built around a few key class days, then supported by experiences that help the learning “land” — markets, tastings, neighborhood walks, and the everyday food culture that makes Seoul such a strong destination right now. The goal is to keep the week coherent and enjoyable: enough structure that the trip runs smoothly and you don’t waste time, but not so rigid that it feels exhausting. There’s room for personal time, rest, shopping, and the small discoveries that often become the best parts of travel.

Seoul has no shortage of “must-try” lists, but a lot of them are distractions. This tour is built around places that are genuinely worth your time — bakeries, pastry shops, dessert bars, markets, and tastings chosen for craft, consistency, and a clear point of view. Just as important, the experiences connect back to what you’re learning in class, so the week feels coherent rather than scattered. You’ll still have personal time to explore, but the backbone of the program is planned with care so you’re not spending your days second-guessing choices, waiting in the wrong lines, or ending up somewhere that looks good online but disappoints in real life.

A smaller group changes the entire experience. It’s easier to move through the city, easier to keep the day running smoothly, and easier to maintain a calm pace — especially for early starts, busy markets, and class days. It also opens doors that don’t work well with large tours: more manageable reservations and workshops that feel personal rather than crowded. The goal is for you to focus on learning and enjoying the city, not on logistics. Accommodation is arranged, local transport within Seoul is included, and the key experiences are organized so the trip feels straightforward. You’re traveling with a plan, not improvising every day.

This is a study tour designed by chef instructors, not a travel agency. We designed it for adults who travel well and care about food. Guided by chef(s), you will be travelling with people who enjoy learning, appreciate quality, and are happy to walk a little farther if it means eating something truly good. There’s a shared understanding in a group like this: we’re here to taste widely, learn properly, and enjoy the city without rushing. The pace is steady, with full days when we have workshops and lighter time built in for cafés, shopping, rest, or exploring on your own. It’s a trip you can enjoy without feeling “managed.”

“Premium” should mean the trip is well designed and easy to enjoy — not flashy for the sake of it. Your accommodation, workshops, materials, group experiences, and city transportation are taken care of. We’re arranging tastings and visits that are difficult to coordinate from abroad, and providing interpretation for the masterclasses so learning is clear and enjoyable. Meals are mostly not included, but we will organize optional group dining at places worth going to, and handle the coordination so you’re not spending your evenings searching, booking, or guessing. One Michelin meal is included as a celebration, but the real luxury is that the week runs smoothly.

Our first activity is scheduled for the evening of October 10.

We do recommend arriving at least 1 day earlier on October 9 to give yourself some time to adjust for the time difference. There will be an optional group activity on the evening of October 9.

Check in time for Oct 10 is 15:00.

Our last activity is scheduled on the morning of October 19 after checkout.

If you do not plan to extend your trip, you can consider the following direct flights from Toronto:

Air Canada

Oct 08 13:35 departs Toronto
Oct 09 17:30 arrives Seoul

Oct 19 19:05 departs Seoul
Oct 19 19:15 arrives Toronto

Korean Air

Oct 08 12:30 departs Toronto
Oct 09 16:30 arrives Seoul

Oct 20 09:35 departs Seoul
Oct 20 09:55 arrives Toronto

Airport transfer is not included as participants arrive Seoul at a different time.

We can help arrange private airport transfer to the hotel upon request.

There will be a portion of the tour that involves walking, where we sightsee and shop. For farther distances where we travel as a group, transportation will be organized.

We will travel with a mix of private coach, taxi ride and subway where suitable.

The tour includes three main hands-on classes: a bread masterclass with members of Korea’s national team, a pastry masterclass in a leading Seoul studio, and a Korean royal cuisine class in a traditional hanok setting. In addition, there are short workshops woven into the program, including temple cuisine, kimchi/fermentation, and street food. Optional beverage experiences are available for those who are interested.

Yes. Where masterclasses or workshops are conducted in Korea, an English interpreter will be present.

Generally no, but we would recommend having some basic understanding of working in a home kitchen.

Instructor will try their best to guide you step-by-step in the classes.

Yes. We will publish a day-by-day itinerary overview on this page after the early bird period ends. It will include the general plan for each day (e.g., class days, market visits, neighborhood explorations, and cultural highlights), but it will not list exact venues, addresses, or workshop locations. Registered and paid participants will receive the full detailed itinerary, including specific locations, meeting points, and timing closer to departure.

We include one meal at a Michelin-starred restaurant, and a sit-down dessert at a plated dessert bar. Meals are not included for the rest of the tour.

We recommend budgeting about CAD $80 to $120 per day based on 3 meals a day, one of which a sit-down restaurant. This budget comfortably fits where you may order a drink for the meal, and snack or have coffee while visiting pastry shops/cafes.

We will provide a list of chef selected restaurants that we will be visiting for the tour. You have the option to join or visit other restaurants of your preference. Payment will be collected after each meal without markup.

Tour fee deposit and instalment are non-refundable and cannot be transferred as credit towards classes or products at Gusta Cooking Studio and Gusta Supplies.

Only in the event of a cancellation by Gusta Cooking Studio, payment will be fully refunded to the original method of payment.

In the unfortunate event that a registered participant cannot attend, the spot can be transferred to another person the participant appoints.

In the event of a dispute, the decision of Gusta Cooking Studio (Gusta Haus of Sugar Art Inc.) shall be final and binding.

For tourism visits, Canadians generally do not need a visa for South Korea. Canadians are also temporarily exempt from K-ETA until December 31, 2026.

If you travel with another country’s passport, please check the official Korean visa portal to confirm current entry requirements.

We recommend having a travel insurance in case of any emergency that may occur during your travel.

The maximum for this tour is 12 participants.

While we strive to keep the major content of the tour the same, Gusta Cooking Studio (Gusta Haus of Sugar Art Inc.) reserves the right to modify the content if any uncontrollable event occurs.