Best Bets for Kids’ Cooking Classes in Charlotte
Whip up some fun for aspiring chefs preschool aged through teens at these culinary hot spots.
Are you raising a budding Julia Child or Guy Fieri? Give them a place to hone their cooking skills — and keep your kitchen clean — with these cooking and baking schools in and around Charlotte. Preschoolers to teens can learn where food comes from, proper cooking techniques and how to take their cupcake game to the next level. Whether its a one day class or a one-week camp, they can enjoy tasty results and you might get help with dinner!
Chef Alyssa’s Kitchen
Chef Alyssa is passionate about cooking and has been head chef at some of the Queen City’s favorite restaurants. Lucky for aspiring cooks of all ages, she opened Chef Alyssa’s Kitchen in 2013 and has earned a reputation for dishing out creative, healthy and downright tasty dishes. Currently, they are hosting sold-out summer camps, but will return to hosting parent/child/teen culinary and baking classes during the week beginning at 6:00 pm for ages 11-18, along with Parent/Child classes for ages 7-12 on Saturday mornings in the fall. Classes incorporate technique, valuable skills with local and organic ingredients and participants get to eat their rewards. For those who can’t wait, Chef Alyssa offers a variety of virtual cooking classes that you can purchase and view at any time.
Courtesy of Chef Alyssa’s Kitchen
Growing Thyme Cooking
Formerly Little Sprouts Cooking School, Growing Thyme Cooking offers nutrition based cooking courses as well as a stand alone nutrition course. The Growing Thyme Cooking Curriculum is focused on providing each child with the tools necessary to not only make delicious food using whole ingredients, but to understand the nutritional impact of what they put into their bodies. Check their website to keep up to date on their class offerings.
COURTESY OF LITTLE SPROUTS COOKING SCHOOL
Sweet Spot Studio
If your little baker has a sweet tooth that can’t be tamed, Sweet Spot Studio is the place to learn the art of baking. Owner and pastry chef Jossie Lukacik started Sweet Spot Studio with the goal of creating a place for people to up their pastry skills. Classes include cookie decorating, cake decorating and seasonal baking. Check their website for up-to-date class listings.
courtesy sweet spot studio
Flour Power Kids Cooking Studios
Susan Caldwell founded the original location in Raleigh to fulfill her dream of helping kids learn valuable life skills in the kitchen. The franchise studio has a Charlotte location in Rea Farms near Ardrey Kell and Providence roads. Flour Power offers weekly classes, summer and school break camps, and Kids Night Out for preschool ages up to teens.
Courtesy of Flour Power Studios Rea Farms
Bakers Buzzin’
Bakers Buzzin in Tega Cay, South Carolina is designed to be a fun, laid back, no skills required experience for all kids who want to learn about cooking basics and how to follow recipes. There are classes for preschool ages to teens, birthday parties, Kids Night Outs, camps, school’s out classes, classes designed for Scouts, and fun themes such as Harry Potter, Encanto, and Rainbows and Unicorns.
Sur la Table
The Sur la Table at SouthPark Mall offers kids and teens 5-day summer camps. Kids will learn basic food prep skills and cooking essentials as well as the culinary arts of creating a menu and plating dishes, while teens can explore a “how to open your own restaurant” series. The store also offers many class options throughout the year for teens 14+ to attend with a parent.
YMCA of Greater Charlotte
Your family can stay fit and learn valuable nutritional information all in the same place. The Morrison YMCA has a teaching kitchen that offers regular classes for Mini Chefs (3-5 years), Junior Chefs (grades K-5), a Chef’s-in-Training program for various ages, and Chefs de Partie (teens). Families can also learn new recipes together with family cooking workshops. Each class focuses on kitchen safety skills, yummy treats, and how to make adventurous foods.
Courtney McLaughlin is a Carolina native, freelance writer and editor and mom to a daughter who can cooks circles around her.
