“One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.” – Virginia Woolf
A Weekly Cooking Program for the Younger Crowd
CONTACT OUR STAFF TO SET UP YOUR OWN SESSION!
About:
Where young cooks turn curiosity into confidence—one recipe at a time. Our Young Chef Program invites aspiring cooks into a fun, hands-on culinary experience where learning comes to life. Each week, students begin in the classroom with an engaging lesson led by our chef instructor, covering essential cooking techniques, kitchen safety, and foundational food knowledge. Then it’s time to roll up their sleeves and head into the kitchen, where they put those lessons into practice by preparing dishes from start to finish. The class wraps up around the table, as students sit down together to enjoy the food they’ve made—building confidence, creativity, and a love of cooking with every session.
The Young Chef Program is designed for student groups already attending public schools, private schools, homeschooler groups, and other related organizations or classes that are already comprised of multiple kids and teens who can commit to an entire session. If you have only one or a handful of children, we suggest looking at our other Kids & Teens Classes.
Curriculum:
Class 1 – Kitchen Basics & Knife Skills
- Goal: Introduction to the kitchen, knife safety, and basic techniques like chopping, dicing, and julienning.
- Appetizer: Bruschetta – Learn to dice tomatoes, mince garlic, and toast bread.
- Entrée: Chicken & Vegetable Stir Fry with Rice – Practice chopping vegetables, deboning a chicken, sautéing, and cooking rice.
- Dessert: Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries – Simple dessert to practice using a knife and dipping technique.
Class 2 – Stocks, Soups & Sauces
- Goal: Teach the fundamentals of stocks (vegetable, chicken, or beef), and how to make a basic soup and sauce.
- Appetizer: Tomato Basil Soup – Learn how to make a simple vegetable stock and create a smooth soup.
- Entrée: Chicken Alfredo Pasta – Making a cream-based sauce and cooking pasta.
- Dessert: Citrus Olive Oil Cake with Berry Compote – Learn how sauces can even help enhance desserts.
Class 3 – Baking & Pastry Fundamentals
- Goal: Introduction to pastries with a focus on baking and batters.
- Appetizer: Savory Herb Scones – Learn to make scones and practice working with dough.
- Entrée: Chicken Pot Pie – Create a flaky crust and a delicious filling.
- Dessert: Chocolate Chip Cookies – Basic cookie dough, learning about mixing and baking.
Class 4 – Meat and Protein Fundamentals
- Goal: Learn proper cooking techniques for different proteins (chicken, beef, pork, tofu), with a focus on searing the meat.
- Appetizer: Chicken Skewers with Veggies – Learn to grill or roast chicken and vegetables.
- Entrée: Pan-Seared Steak with Compote Butter – Focus on searing a beef steak, making a compound butter, and finishing it with a resting period.
- Dessert: Grilled Pineapple with Vanilla Ice Cream – Grill pineapple slices and serve with creamy vanilla ice cream for a light, refreshing dessert.
Class 5 – Global Flavors and Techniques
- Goal: Explore international cuisines and cooking methods from various parts of the world.
- Appetizer: Chopped Greek Salad with Fresh Lemon Vinaigrette – Make a refreshing salad evocative of Aegean tastes.
- Entrée: Chicken Piccata and Ratatouille – Dishes synonymous with Mediterranean cuisine.
- Dessert: Cream Puffs with Pastry Cream – Learn how to make pâte à choux dough and fill the puffs with homemade pastry cream.
Class 6 – Pizza Week & Yeast Dough Mastery
- Goal: Learn about yeast dough and how to create homemade pizzas, focusing on techniques for dough making, fermentation, and stretching.
- Appetizer: Caesar Salad – Make a simple Caesar salad with homemade dressing and croutons.
- Entrée: Handmade Pizzas – Students will make their own pizza dough, top it with sauce, cheese, and various toppings.
- Dessert: Biscotti – Learn how to make a crunchy, twice-baked cookie, focusing on the technique.
Notes:
- No prerequisite classes or prior kitchen experience required. The Young Chef Program is geared for beginner level chefs and food enthusiasts!
- Certain weeks of the program may be pushed back for other events. Classic Cooking keeps all currently enrolled students updated with any schedule changes.
Links:
- Click here to view our other weekly programs.
- Click here to view our Instagram page and see how some of our prior Young Chef Program sessions looked like.