Best Cooking Classes for Kids in the GTA

Some days, teaching your kids to cook is effortless; everyone has fun and you’re rewarded with delicious things to eat. Then there are the times when cooking with the under-18 set feels as relaxing as trying to diffuse a bomb. By the end, your kitchen looks post-apocalyptic, you’re covered in strange splatters, there are tears and, ironically, little that’s edible left in the house. This fall, consider turning things over to the professionals and letting the kids experience the joy of cooking in a class created just for them. While flipping pancakes, sautéing veggies or icing impeccable cupcakes, they’ll be honing skills that will come in handy for years to come.

Rooks to Cooks

From private lessons to birthday parties, summer camps and in-school programs, Rooks to Cooks has plenty of options for budding chefs. Camps and weekend classes are held at 12 GTA locations. Or, opt for a mobile approach, and arrange for the chefs to bring the equipment and materials to you, whether in your home or at your child’s school.

PC Cooking School

As far as food companies go, President’s Choice needs no introduction. So, what better place than the PC Cooking School, with a range of individual classes or day camps for children aged 2-16, to introduce kids to the culinary arts? Fun topics, including gluten-free baking and Thai cuisine, ensure kids will learn a wide array of techniques alongside recipes they’ll want to make again and again.

The Chef Upstairs

 

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At this peanut- and nut-free school, with a location in midtown and another in Vaughn, kids learn everything from kitchen safety and accurate measuring to how to properly follow a recipe and more. The range of fall classes, from Mexican cuisine to a Thanksgiving theme, is sure to inspire your little chefs all season long.

City of Toronto

If you’ve ever scrambled to register for city-run sports programs before they fill up then you’re no stranger to Parks, Forestry and Recreation’s FUN Guide. Beyond athletics, though, the city also offers affordable cooking classes, including some for tots aged 3-5. This fall, alongside learning to swim, shoot hoops and somersault like an expert, kids can learn some essential culinary tricks. Will they then start packing their own lunches or helping with dinner? We can’t promise anything but it’s worth a shot.

Le Dolci

For some kids, the allure of the kitchen lies in baking; from trays of gooey cookies to plaited breads, gorgeous cakes, glazed doughnuts and more. At Le Dolci’s Junction Triangle location, kids can enjoy a host of classes all devoted to sugary, doughy goodness. Opt for a single class or Le Dolci’s Kids Baking Bootcamp where aspiring pastry chefs will make magical macarons, a unicorn cake, pies and more.

Dickie’s Cooking School

This east-end spot is devoted to teaching students, aged 4-100+, how to love their own cooking. After-school classes, workshops and PA day camps are hands-on, covering basic knife and kitchen skills as well as more advanced recipes and techniques. Prepare to be wowed by the samples kids bring back after each class.