Picky eaters can become accomplished cooks at Young Chefs Academy, now in Larimer.
Learning Cooking Skills for Kids at the Young Chefs Avademy in Larimer
Through weekly classes, parties, and workshops, kids 4 and older learn age-appropriate kitchen skills for turning out fun recipes.
“We teach kids the joy and value of the culinary arts,” says Laree Rolley, owner of the local franchise, which is new to Western Pennsylvania. “What sets us apart is that we are skills-based. We choose recipes built around skills.”
Cooking Levels and Skill Development
The youngest participants — KinderCooks — are taught whisking, chopping, juicing, and other basic tasks, working with safe knives and wearing protective gloves. JuniorChefs through age 17 take on more advanced techniques like deglazing, pureeing, and creaming butter.
Grocery shopping, food safety, and table etiquette also are covered.
JuniorChefs can advance to SeniorChef status, or enroll in the three-year MasterChef program, in which they “test their way” toward earning an elite black chef’s coat and merit badges, Rolley says.
Hands-On Cooking Experience
Projects for all students include cooking and baking, with some also learning cake decorating and candy making.
“We make comfort foods, but also push kids out of their comfort zone,” Rolley says. Parents can watch young kitchen wizards at work and sample their creations at the end of every session.
Rolley owns the neighboring Romp N’ Roll, a kids gym for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers. She opened the Young Chefs Academy because of her older daughter’s interest in cooking. Her sons have taken part, too.
“My boys went from not touching anything in the kitchen to packing lunches and making breakfast for my husband and me,” Rolley says. “A lot of kids are deep into sports but, at some point, they need to learn to feed themselves for when they go off to college.”
Rolley says as many boys as girls have enrolled in the academy, including some who aspire to become professional chefs.
6 Torrens Street (off Hamilton Avenue), Larimer
Story by Deborah Weisberg
Photo from Young Chefs Academy