Kids as young as 2 1/2 can enroll in a culinary class.
With a cable TV network dedicated to food and exciting reality shows where dueling cooks compete to be declared best chef, it's no wonder Americans are more interested in the kitchen than ever before. Whether something sparked an interest in your budding chef or you're simply looking to entertain a child or group, culinary arts schools for kids offer lots of fun while learning, and a tasty reward at the end! Add this to my Recipe Box.
California
The San Francisco Bay-area Kids Culinary Adventures offers single- and multi-day cooking classes, culinary camps and private individual or group lessons for kids as young as three up to adults. You will receive a discount when you purchase a six- or 12-week class package.
The Culinary Institute at Los Angeles-area Pali Overnight Adventures teaches students age seven to 17 prepare world cuisine including American, Asian, French and Latin dishes. The one-, two- and four-week overnight camps lead up to an Iron Chef-style closing competition.
Nationwide
You'll find branches of the Young Chef's Academy in the U.S. in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and Virginia, and abroad in Botswana, Dominican Republic, Kuwait, Malaysia and Thailand. Each franchise offers cooking classes, mini-camps and kids parties for ages four to 14. Along with hands-on cooking, students will learn etiquette, set a table and fold napkins and international cuisine.
New York
Mini Chef offers weekly culinary classes on the Upper East Side for kids from age 2 1/2 to 13. The age-appropriate classes are limited to groups of 15 students. You can have a private cooking party at one of Mini Chef's Manhattan-area partner locations, your home or the restaurant or party center of your choice.
Taste Buds, located on 27th Street in the Flour District, is a kitchen designed especially for kids age two to 13, with classes each month. You can arrange private classes for individuals or group play dates, scout troops, school field trips or birthday parties. Highlights of the class lineup included a Mom and Me and Dad and Me cooking lessons.
Ohio
Located in the Cleveland-area suburb of Chesterland, Ohio, the Loretta Paganini School of Cooking has offered cooking classes for kids age six to 18 for more than 20 years. Among the highlights: a two-day Junior Chef program where students learn table-setting, cooking techniques and nutrition and the week-long Kids Cooking Camp where students prepare a different Sunday meal each day.
Tags: cooking classes, Mini Chef, where students