Creating Culinary Whiz Kids

Tiny, well-trained hands can be a big help when it comes to getting tasty dinners on the table and yummy snacks in the backpacks.

Savvy mom of three, Karen Kero couldn’t agree more. She runs the popular KidCooks program out of a brightly lit church kitchen in North Vancouver.

Her Little Whiskers group (ages four to six) scrambles in after school and munches on a popcorn snack while discussing that night’s menu.

Then it’s time to tie on aprons and wash hands. Perching on stools, the kids laugh and chat while they chop and mix for some easy and nutritious recipes like granola bars, French toast and fruit kebobs.

They learn about kitchen safety, basic nutrition and get to try new foods thanks to Karen’s ‘just one bite’ rule. The ‘Dinner Dynamos’ (ages seven to nine) tackle more challenging recipes during their two-hour class.

At KidCooks, they’ll love learning and eating at the same time, and we love that when you pick them up at 6 pm, they’re already fed!

Over at The Hungry Oven, the ‘so new it’s not even open yet’ cooking school concept is kicked up a notch with a brand-new, almost 4000 square-foot facility in North Vancouver.

It boasts three kitchens: one custom-built for the KinderCooks (ages three to five) and Junior Chefs (ages six to nine) with induction ovens to prevent burnt fingers, and its own pint-sized eating area and cloak room.

Owner Debby Tonn has spared no expense hiring a professional chef to create the curriculum, and even installing overhead projectors to display the recipes.

We love that every class starts with kitchen rules and ends with samples to take home for sharing. The kids also receive a Hungry Oven apron and recipe binder.

This one-of-a-kind school opens in May, but you can sign up now for five-week sessions and summer camps.

Sending your kids to cooking classes has a price, to be sure. But having a few hours off to yourself while your kids are learning new skills and eating dinner at the same time—we think that’s priceless.

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