National cooking concept Taste Buds Kitchen coming to Smithtown

Something tasty is headed to Smithtown.

Taste Buds Kitchen, a fast-growing national brand built around making cooking fun and social, is opening its first Long Island location this summer at 102 W. Main Street.

Franchisee Cesar Del Carpio says the goal is to create a space that feels less like a traditional class and more like a night out. He describes it as a “culinary entertainment destination.”

“We want everyone to enjoy cooking,” Del Carpio told Greater Long Island. “We don’t expect anyone to come in and learn how to be a full chef after one class. We just want people to come here for a good time and then be able to make a good meal at home.”

The Smithtown kitchen will offer a wide range of programming designed for all ages and skill levels.

“We offer the full spectrum,” Del Carpio said. “From globally inspired meals for adults, to corporate events, birthday parties and even summer cooking camp for the kids.”

Taste Buds Kitchen was founded in 2007 by Jessi Brelsford, who was looking for a way to combine her passions for food, family and fun in Manhattan. What began as a cupcake-making birthday party in a friend’s SoHo loft quickly grew into a business, leading to the opening of the first brick-and-mortar location in Chelsea a year later. The company began franchising in 2013.

Today, the brand has grown to nearly 20 locations across the country, with kitchens stretching from New York to California.

Del Carpio said he is hoping to open by early August, though an official grand opening date has not yet been announced.

The storefront is part of a new mixed-use space in the same building as The Dirty Cheesecake, which opened in 2024.

Del Carpio also told GLI that plans for a second Long Island location are already in the early stages, with western Suffolk County’s South Shore under consideration.

Stay with GLI for updates on the grand opening.

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Top: Taste Buds Kitchen is opening its first Long Island location this summer at 102 W. Main St. in Smithtown. (Credit: GLI/Andrew Rappaport)