Karina Bland
The Arizona Republic
Nov. 16 2007 5:27 pm
As demonstrated in the recent Disney-Pixar movie, Ratatouille, an animated movie about a rat who yearns to become a chef, anyone can be a cook - even a little kid. These days, there are plenty of places where children can learn to cook and to cook real food, not just how to boil Ramen noodles. Some offer food-related lessons in nutrition and etiquette, too. Here are 10 to get you cookin':
Home cooking
Where: At home, with mom or dad.
Details: www.cookingwithkids.com to find the perfect recipe
Sure, you could pay someone else to teach your child to make a meal, but you're doing it anyway, so invite the little ones into the kitchen and put them to work. Even the smallest kids can retrieve items from the refrigerator and mix ingredients. Put older ones to work chopping vegetables and stirring whatever is on the stovetop, and you'll have your own little cooking assistant. On the weekends, pick a recipe for one of their favorites, such as chocolate chip cookies or fruit smoothies. Either way, you'll be spending quality time together, and you'll be surprised at how talkative even the most mute middle-schooler can be when he's doing something creative with his hands. Following a recipe also offers practice reading and measuring ingredients works math skills. Cooking together can make for some happy childhood memories.
Young Chefs Academy
Where: 16597 N. 92nd St., Scottsdale
Details: 480-502-0303 or www.youngchefsacademy.com/scottsdale.
Classes are weekly and run for three months, with a different theme each month - for example, September was Italian food, and kids made minestrone soup and cheesy garlic bread and rolled their own pasta. Through a master chef program, kids can earn badges and wear them on their aprons. Earn enough badges to get a white executive chef jacket. Lessons include history, math, science, creativity and manners.
K.C.'s Storybook Kitchen
Where: 2918 W. Straford Drive, Chandler
Details: 602-510-0959 or www.kcskitchen.com
Children listen to a story and then make food that goes along with it - for example, after reading Eating the Alphabet by Lois Ehlert, kid cooks make vegetable soup and plant vegetables in a garden patch out back. With Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett, youngsters make pasta and meatballs from scratch, all under the guidance of cook Cynthia Giroux, a teacher of 33 years. Other offerings include Backyard Camping, where children learn how to pitch a tent, roll a sleeping bag and cook on a stick and in a tin can. Adult classes are available, too.
Simply Impressive Cooking School
Where: 3345 E. Downing St., Mesa
Details:480-654-1981 or www.simplyimpressive.com
From cookies and candy to tacos and chicken and strawberry salad, the school offers an extensive list of classes sure to entice even a picky eater into giving cooking a try. Classes are offered after school and on weekends. In cooking boot camps for kids age 8 to 18, children learn how to make Asian chicken and fried rice and ravioli with cheese filling and a simple red sauce, among plenty of other tasty dishes. Mom and dad can learn something new in classes for adults at the same location.
Entrées to Go
Where: At Desert Ridge, 21050 N. Tatum Blvd, Suite 114, Phoenix
Details: 480-620-7260 or www.entreestogo.com
Want to spend time cooking with your child but don't have the time or the energy to chop up all those ingredients and then clean up afterward? Reserve some time for you and your child at Entrees to Go, where you can choose from a menu of healthful meals and make them together there. Some sure-fire kid favorites offered are roast beef with mashed potatoes, caramel-pecan French toast with sausage, lasagna with meat sauce and even big Oreo ice cream pies. Best part? You spend some quality time with your child and someone else cleans up. Other meals-to-go places also may allow kids to come in with their parents but this particular one encourages the idea.
Cuisine Classique School of Good Cooking
Where: 1060 W. Magee Road, Oro Valley
Details: 1-520-575-0875 or www.cuisineclassique.com
Kids can learn how to make spaghetti, sweet and sour pork, egg rolls, cheesecake and a host of other dishes so you can send them off to college knowing they won't starve. Plus, they could learn how to make fun things such as marshmallows from scratch. Nearly all kids cooking classes are on Saturday afternoons. Classes for parents typically are in the evenings.
Classic Cooking
Where: 10411 E. McDowell Mountain Ranch Road, Scottsdale
Details: 480-502-0177 or www.classiccooking.net
Culinary instruction targeting teens who may be considering a career in the culinary arts. Classes over six weeks cover basic skills and knowledge, including stocks, soups, sauces, pasta, rice, potatoes, meat, seafood and dessert, as well as knife skills. Younger kids can learn too cook, making recipes such as lemon and herb roasted chicken breast, sautéed green beans, brownies with double whipped cream, four-layer lasagna, garlic bread and lemon cupcakes.
Glendale Parks and Recreation
Where: Foothills Recreation and Aquatics Center, 5600 W. Union Hills Drive, Glendale
Details: 623-930-4613 or 623-930-4612 or www.glendaleaz.com
In Kids' Cooking, young chefs learn about good nutrition, how to read a recipe and measure ingredients and cook up some treats to share with friends and family. Cooking classes offered by city parks and recreation departments often are a good value for young chefs who are just getting started. Check your city's course offerings.
Kitchen Classics
Where: 4041 E. Thomas Road, Phoenix
Details: 602-954-8141 or azcooking.com
Kids eat what they create at occasional cooking classes for children who like to wield a spatula. Parents can drop off the kids at a class and pick them up later or take advantage of the time on their own to browse the well-stocked store and pick up a few new ideas themselves. Call the store for information about classes for kids.
Les Petites Gourmettes Children's Cooking School
Where: 12007 N. 62nd Place, Scottsdale
Details: 480-991-7648 or www.lespetitesgourmettes.com
For 13 years, this cooking school has been teaching kids to cook in classes. Classes are only in the summer, though. Kids learn a new technique or two each lesson through demonstration and then the little chefs pair up and work on a recipe or two, tackling everyday favorites, easy ethnic dishes and holiday fare.
