Abstract: The current study investigates cooking hobbyists’ information behavior with emphasis on the sources used and information activities performed in different situations and in different stages. Drawing upon Stebbins’ serious leisure theory, Hektor’s framework of information activities, and Hartel’s cooking stages, a web survey was designed including a serious leisure scale, sets of questions asking various information sources consulted, and frequencies of information activities performed when “trying new recipes” and “making dishes once made before” in the “exploring stage” and “planning stage.” Four hundred eighty-seven cooking hobbyists participated in the survey. Results show that while most cooking hobbyists tend to obtain cooking information through online sources, but some cooking hobbyists with higher scores on the serious leisure scale also value print resources. They also engage in various information activities more frequently. Comparing to “dishes made before,” cooking hobbyists are more likely to seek information when “trying new recipes.” Nevertheless, the home recipe was the only source consulted more frequently when making dishes people once made before. Cooking hobbyists tend to browse and exchange information more frequently in the exploring stage when gathering cooking ideas rather than in the planning stage. Suggestions for food ingredients online shopping websites, recipe-recommendation systems, culinary bookstores, and special libraries were also provided and discussed based on the findings.

Keywords: information behavior, information activities, cooking, hobbyists, serious leisure