Meet Marc Vinson | Founder, Life Plus Schools for the Curious

We had the good fortune of connecting with Marc Vinson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Marc, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
Clarity of conviction.

From the beginning, I wasn’t setting out to build “a cooking class.” I was setting out to build an academy for curiosity—a place where a curious mind could be free to explore and actually feed that curiosity. Culinary just happened to be the first department. It could have just as easily been business, personal finance, travel, or any number of other subjects I’m deeply passionate about. I started with cooking because I love it, and when I saw something working, I leaned into it.

I had a very precise picture in my head of what that culinary department should feel like. Not just the techniques. Not just the recipes. The pedagogical framework. The emotional arc. The outcome. I knew what I wanted guests to feel when they left.

In the early days, I interviewed more than a dozen chefs from different backgrounds and professional levels. I hired three before respectfully clearing the slate and starting over. I kept hearing some version of, “That’s not how it’s done.”

I refused to accept that as a stopping point.

If it had to be done the way it’s always been done, I was prepared to let the concept go. I would rather fail trying to build it the way I envisioned than succeed replicating a status quo that didn’t align with the mission.

So I took ownership of the culinary vision myself and built it under the framework I believed in: immersive, structured, extremely hands-on, culturally grounded, emotionally resonant.

From there, discipline took over. We refined the experience. We kept classes small. We protected the integrity of the vision even when it would have been easier to dilute it.
That clarity, and the willingness to protect it, has been the most important factor behind our success.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Life Plus was built on a simple conviction: curiosity changes people.

We create immersive, extremely hands-on culinary experiences that travel the world, from China and Italy to Japan, Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, the American South, and coastal California. Every quarter we expand. It’s not just about recipes; it’s about cultural context, technique, and shared experience.

Guests might arrive thinking they’re just learning how to make sushi or handmade pasta, but they leave understanding flavor structure, technique, and the story behind what they created.

We’re known for extremely hands-on classes where guests actually cook, not watch. We’re known for premium-feeling experiences that are welcoming and human, not intimidating. We host date nights, birthday celebrations, corporate team-building experiences, and youth programs, and underneath all of it is intentional design.

My background in management consulting taught me how to build systems that produce consistent outcomes. That shows up in how we structure our classes, train instructors, and protect the guest experience as we grow.

What I want people to know is this: Life Plus isn’t about becoming a chef. It’s about staying curious. That’s the muscle we’re strengthening.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If my best friend were visiting for a week, we’d split the time between movement, culture, food, and a little indulgence.

I’m an avid hiker, and LA has some incredible trails. We’d get in at least two of my current favorite hikes. There’s something about starting the day above the city that resets everything and gives perspective.

Koreatown is non-negotiable. Right now, my favorite spot for Korean barbecue is Quarters. It’s energetic, loud in the best way, and the food never disappoints.

We’d spend a beach day between Santa Monica and Venice, walk the pier and take in the Venice energy, and if we’re venturing a little farther, a half-day in Laguna Beach is on the agenda.

Theater is happening at two levels. A movie night at iPic in Westwood, the only movie house I frequent these days, and a live show at the Pantages.

A museum is mandatory: the Getty for the views, The Broad for contemporary edge, or LACMA for range.

We’re definitely doing a picnic. I love heading to the Arboretum when it’s not too busy and setting up on the lawn. If it’s peak season there, we’ll shift to King Gillette Ranch in Calabasas—quiet, scenic, and almost always calm.

At some point, they’re coming into Life Plus for a class because that’s the best way to understand what we do. We’ll pair it with a creative or physical activity at one of our partner locations and then wrap the evening with a relaxation session at Burke Williams. LA works hard. You have to balance it.

And we’re absolutely gathering the tribe at one of the houses. If we’re indoors, it’s at the Lake Balboa house—spacious, comfortable, and built for long conversations around the table. If we’re taking advantage of LA’s weather, it’s either Lake Balboa or NoHo. My tribe loves to cook, and we’ve built proper outdoor kitchens for entertaining at both places—think grills, a griddle, pizza oven, deep fryer, outdoor boiler, the works. There’s a pool at either, music playing, and food coming off the heat in waves. Entertaining is in the blood, both the family I was born into and the family I’ve built.

We’ll cook up a storm, plates moving constantly, people drifting between the kitchen and the water and let the night unfold however it unfolds.

That’s my version of LA: movement, culture, coastline, food, community, and a little indulgence.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
If I’m dedicating a shoutout, it begins with my grandmother, Beulah. She grew up during the Depression era, and that resilience showed up in everything she did — especially in the kitchen. She was the kind of woman who could make something from nearly nothing and still feed everyone in her sight. Food, in her hands, was generosity. It was resourcefulness. It was care.

Her children, my mother, Mary, and my two aunts, Evelyn and Shirley (also like mothers to me), were masterful cooks in their own right. They handled everything from everyday meals to massive Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter spreads that brought everyone together. Cooking wasn’t occasional in our family. It was constant. It was how we connected.

My uncles played their part too. Uncle Wilson was a master of outdoor cooking. And my Uncle Jerry spent decades as a professional chef running a large-scale kitchen at a college. From home kitchens to professional ones, I saw both intimacy and discipline up close.

That foundation is embedded in Life Plus whether I consciously think about it or not. The generosity. The structure. The expectation that when people gather, they’re fed well in every sense of the word.

If I’m going full circle, I also have to give a shoutout to my partner, Maxim, who has been there since before day one, helping shape the name Life Plus, the branding, the logo, and more. And I have to acknowledge Kamilla, who has been there since day one inside the business, translating the vision into lived classroom experience and training.

We’ve all dreamed together, fought through hard decisions, worked through failures, danced through wins, celebrated milestones, and grown alongside the business. Building something meaningful is rarely smooth, and having people willing to weather that journey with you matters.

And I have to acknowledge our guests. Over 1,000 people have walked through our doors. Their feedback, their enthusiasm, and their willingness to explore their own curiosities—to try something new—are what allowed this concept to evolve. At some point, your community becomes your greatest teacher. They refine you. They sharpen you. They show you what resonates.

No one builds anything worthwhile alone.

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