Classroom Cooks Offerings:
Books for Cooks
Ideal for Pre-K–1st Grade
Reading has never tasted so good! This beginning-to-cook class is a perfect way to quench your young chef’s thirst for culinary adventure and develop his or her appetite for nutritious nibbles. Books are chosen to reinforce academic and social skills, support diverse cultural values, and to coincide with seasonal cuisine. Ingredients are chosen to expand the culinary horizons of our tot-chefs, encouraging them to use all the senses to explore and experience new foods. Healthy recipes may include Very Hungry Caterpillar Snacks, I Will Never Not Ever Eat a Tomato Salsa, Wild Things Pesto Pita Pizza, and Big Moon Tortillas. Children receive a cook-booklet with all recipes!
Global Eats
Ideal for 2nd–6th Grades
Come travel the world… of food! We’ll stamp our passports and explore wonderful cuisines from around the globe! Through the delicious lens of cooking, our lessons emphasize geography, culture, language, history, and music! Students learn fundamental culinary skills and nutrition education while building self-esteem and exploring their creativity. Fun and tasty recipes may include Italian panzanella salad, handmade tortillas with frijoles and salsa verde, Vietnamese spring rolls, French crepes, and North African couscous. Students design a multi-cultural cook-booklet throughout the semester.
The Secret Garden
Ideal for 2nd–8th Grades
Get cooking with this hands-on garden-based cooking class! This class finds inspiration in seasonal ingredients from the farmers’ markets, as well as the Food Network’s famed Iron Chef Challenge. Each week students are introduced to a fresh “Secret Ingredient”, such as basil, carrots, garlic, or strawberries, and learn about its journey from seedling to the table. Using all 5 senses to explore the ingredients, students learn about their nutritional, cultural, and culinary properties. Our young chefs may take a trip to the “Cucumber Spa” before making Indian raita, become “Bell Pepper Detectives” whipping up a batch of tri-pepper quesadillas, or make a cornhusk doll and sweet corncakes to better understand the role maize played in early Native American society. Students compile a cookbook of the class recipes, and have the opportunity to bring home seeds to plant in their own garden!
Kitchen Science Coming Soon!
Ideal for 2nd–6th Grades
In our kitchen laboratory bread rises, cream whips, and chocolate melts! Cooking IS chemistry! Students in this class learn about the science of nutrition and cooking in a fun and hands-on way. Students create a science journal filled with recipes and observations. Using all five senses to explore ingredients, children wonder Which dairy product contains the most fat?, What do vitamins, their color, and our health have to do with each other? and What are vegetables, really? This edible science class is hands-on, fun, and nutritious.
Special Series and Workshop Offerings:
Throughout the year we feature single-day workshops and multi-week series hosted at select summer camp locations. These include:
“Drop, Shop, and Cook Holiday Spectacular”
Parents, drop your kids off at our Santa Monica camp location on the Third Street Promenade and holiday shop ’til you drop! Kids will cook a spectacular holiday feast with recipes ranging from beef wellington, latkes, and peppermint ice cream cake.
Farmers’ Market Cooking Class Series
In this delicious class, young chefs explore the local Farmers Market each week to shop seasonally and locally. Chefs truly embody the “Farm to Table” culinary experience, getting to know local farmers and seasonal ingredients. After hand-picking the freshest produce, chefs return to our kitchen to cook up delicious eats! The series teaches basic culinary skills and emphasizes recipes that are healthy and fun. Examples from our winter class include: Meyer lemon risotto, roasted chicken with caramelized root vegetables, and persimmon cake with homemade vanilla ice cream. Enroll for winter 2012.
My Own Restaurant Series
Have you ever imagine what it might be like to start and operate a restaurant? In this series, budding chefs, entrepreneurs, artists, and young restaurants enthusiasts will launch their very own restaurant! Students are immersed in every step of the process: from picking a name, choosing the theme (50′s diner or fancy French?), designing the decor, writing the menu, and creating, cooking, and serving the signature dish. Students even enjoy a kitchen and restaurant tour of popular restaurants, such as Manhattan Beach Post. On the last day of the series, parents are invited to enjoy the restaurant’s “opening night”. Enroll for winter 2012.