No matter your age, cooking is a wonderful skill to learn. Some of my earliest memories involve baking holiday cookies with my grandmother; and I hope to continue many culinary traditions with my family. Lately, my daughter has developed a love for cooking, however my kitchen can sometimes be overwhelming or some skills (cutting meat and veggies with sharp knives) will be learned over time. To encourage her ability, I began enrolling her in local kids’ cooking classes; specifically, Kids Can Cook Too at Whole Foods Market.
Recently, she and a few of her neighborhood friends attended the Whole Foods Market’s cooking series, Kids Can Cook Too. Best suited for children ages 5-12, these classes take place in the store’s Café and the best part…..they are FREE! Each week, kids will prepare a new recipe with pre-made and healthy whole foods.
My daughter and friends visited the Mason Whole Foods in the Deerfield Town Centre. The menu for the day was Strawberry Shortcake, a family favorite. We arrived early, and after putting on their aprons (aprons from home to prevent any stains), they were seated at their own personal place-settings with an organic juice box and a variety of berries that will be added to the shortcake. Immediately, the cooking instructor was engaging and handed them activity pages to complete while waiting for the class to begin.
Once all the little chefs arrived, the instructor provided plastic gloves and knives, pre-made sponge cake and whipped cream. Even though an example of the shortcake was on display, she encouraged everyone to be creative. Very carefully, the girls began with slicing their berries and then assembling their shortcake. They took this cooking challenge seriously; and created delicious and healthy culinary masterpieces. Then the girls ate, talked and giggled. A fun and yummy time was had by all.
While the little ladies participated in class, I sat and chatted with some neighborhood moms in the spacious Café. However, if your child is mature enough to sit for the 30-minute class, feel free to do some grocery shopping.
The Kids Can Cook Too classes begin at 10 a.m. on Wednesdays during the month of June and include: Yogurt Granola Banana Pops (June 15) and Watermelon Pizza (June 29).
For more information, visit the Events Calendar for your store (Mason or Rookwood). To register your child for these fun (and free!) cooking classes, email [email protected] (for Mason) or [email protected] (for Rookwood) with the date, name and age of your child. Then come ready to cook!
About Ainslie:
Ainslie Gordon is a St. Louis, Missouri native and graduate of the University of Missouri’s Journalism School. Her career has focused on advertising, public relations and event planning. In 2011, Ainslie and her family moved to Cincinnati; and she became a stay-at-mom and founder of the blog, Modhousewife.
Additionally, she was a fashion/trends contributor on Fox 19 and Fox 2. Currently, Ainslie is the Marketing Director for Game On! Fitness. She is also a Girl Scout leader and enjoys volunteering throughout the community.
She lives with her husband and daughter in West Chester and loves all things Disney. You can find Ainslie on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.
