By Katie Hurley
During a kids’ cooking camp at Bayview School of Cooking in 2007, Linda Hunter noticed that the kids were having fun learning to cook, but they were not armed with the basic skills to duplicate the recipes at home. “I decided the children needed better knife skills, assistance measuring, and help when reading recipes to thoroughly understand what to do. That’s when I came up with the class that is now called ‘Mix and Measure,’” said Hunter.
On the first Saturday each month, kids gather for a 2 ½ hour hands-on experience in the Bayview Cooking School classroom where they prepare three to four recipes from start to finish. Under the supervision of Hunter and other adult helpers, the students are honing their knife skills, learning to measure accurately, and are introduced to various cooking techniques.
With an emphasis on safety, they learn everything from how to hold a knife properly to stovetop safety techniques like turning pot handles away from the edge of the stove to keep them from getting bumped accidentally. Hand washing and food safety tips are included in the lessons.
While most of the kids who take the classes are there to learn the fun and creative aspects of cooking, there can be some interesting side benefits as well. A recent study by the University of Alberta published in ScienceDaily shows that the best way to get kids to eat more fruits and vegetables is to get them helping in the kitchen. And who couldn’t use a little extra help in the kitchen?! After just a few of Bayview’s classes, my own 10-year-old daughter can slice, julienne, chop or dice almost any food, make eggs three different ways and throw together a great salad, among other things.
Whether you look at cooking as a life skill or as art (or perhaps a little of both), it’s fun to see the kids’ enthusiasm in learning to cook. “My favorite thing about teaching kids’ classes has to be the interaction with the kids. My motto is to over-prepare and then go with the flow,” said Hunter. “You just never know what will happen during children’s classes; you never know what students will say and their interests can lead you in many different directions. It’s that creativity on the spot that I love particularly when the child you are working with has an ‘Aha!’ moment and they see connections to the rest of the picture.”
Younger kids can get in on the action, too. Bayview’s “La Petite Chef Academy” offers classes for kids ages 5-8 on the first Saturday morning each month. In the 2-hour class they will don an apron and will prepare some or all of the same recipes as the “Mix and Measure” students, but with a level of supervision and instruction that is better suited to their age group.
Bayview School of Cooking offers gift certificates for all classes. The “Mix and Measure” classes are $35 and “La Petite Chef Academy” classes are $30. Space is limited, so early registration is recommended.
There are some fun and festive treats in store for junior chefs at Bayview School of Cooking in the next few months:
February: In February 2nd’s class “Chocolate Extravaganza!” and “It’s All About Chocolate!” the students will learn the differences between mixing, blending and folding as we make cakes, and prepare our delicate and sophisticated chocolate mousses.
March: On March 2, students will be exploring green foods using techniques of sequencing in a recipe, adding spices to perk up the flavor and/or add some heat, and how to cool the palate with a tasty treat. The La Petite’s (ages 5-8) will be having an “Incredible Hulk Party” while the Mix & Measure group (ages 9-13) will be “Going Green!”
April: On April 13, students will learn how to make a complete meal just in time to practice knife skills, grating and oven safety for a Cinco de Mayo “Homemade Fiesta!”
May: Just in time for Mother’s Day, the May 11 classes feature a traditional “Special Person’s Tea” where students will learn manners, table settings and napkin folding.
Bayview School of Cooking is located inside Bayview Thriftway at 516 West 4th Avenue in Olympia. To register for a class, call the cooking school at 360.754.1448.
For more information, cooking school brochures are available at Bayview and Ralph’s Thriftways and at http://www.BayviewSchoolofCooking.com.
All photos courtesy of Bayview School of Cooking.
