Cooking Classes for Kids in NYC

Whether your child was born to be a foodie or refuses to eat anything on her plate, she might enjoy cooking classes. There are several places that hold children's cooking classes in New York City, and more that offer birthday parties for your child and their friends to delve into the culinary world. Making food enjoyable can open up the possibilities to your picky eater, teach your child math and social skills, and encourage your child to help around the house. New York City is an especially exciting place for young chefs, as some cooking classes take children on field trips to markets and bakeries and others hold classes and birthday parties inside some famous spots with accomplished chefs.

Kids Cook Brooklyn

Kids Cook Brooklyn takes children on a culinary adventure, with gorditas from Mexico, egg noodles from China, a mango yogurt drink from India, and potato knishes from Russia. Certain classes also teach children how to knead their own dough for bread and roll it out for pastries and pastas. Following each class, kids receive portions of the concoctions they have whipped up and recipes so they can recreate them at home. Kids Cook Brooklyn, located in Brooklyn Heights, offers three eight-week sessions of classes--in the fall, winter and spring--that cost $245. They also hold one-week special summer seminars, which are held at The Moxie Spot at 18 Atlantic Ave. Class sizes are limited to eight children, with two instructors. Classes for the younger age group run an hour while those for the older group last for an hour and a half.

Kids Cook Brooklyn
170 Hicks St.
Brooklyn Heights, NY
[phone]
www.kidscookbrooklyn.com
[e-mail]

Cupcake Kids NYC

More than just baking, Cupcake Kids NYC specializes in special events for your future chef. Along with 12-week courses in the art of basic techniques, Cupcake Kids NYC also offers holiday or themed events such as "Back to School: Lunch Box Lovers";"Happy Halloween: Scary Snacks"; and "Ho, Ho, Ho Gingerbread House." Insider tours of New York City's restaurants, bakeries and markets are also offered. The one-day special events are for children ages 8 to 14 and run between $60 and $70. The 12-week courses are broken up into age groups and cost $570 per session. Cupcake Kids NYC offers children's birthday parties, at restaurants or in your home, that run between $700 and $1,000. They can also provide you with a personalized birthday cake, food for adults and a photography package at an additional cost. If you want a do-it-yourself option, try Party-in-a-Box, which provides you with supplies, directions and a shopping list to host your own cooking party for your child at a cost of $30 per child.

Cupcake Kids NYC
Various locations
[phone]
www.cupcakekids.com
[e-mail]

Home Cooking NYC

As the name suggests, Home Cooking New York comes to you in your own home. Home Cooking New York offers several exciting party themes for children, including Italian Night with individual pizzas or ricotta gnocchi, rainbow salad and banana splits; Dim Sum Party with assorted sushi rolls, potsticker dumplings and a salad with carrot-ginger dressing; and Mexican Fiesta with fresh guacamole and homemade tortilla chips, chicken quesadillas with pineapple salsa and Mexican chocolate brownie sundaes. Parties run around $600 for 12 guests with 15 percent gratuity added for the staff. You can choose from a chef hat decorating activity or a recipe book as a party favor.

Home Cooking New York
Visits you in your home
[phone]
www.homecookingny.com
[e-mail]

Dough Re Me Kids

Dough Re Me Kids advertises their classes as more than just technique and recipes. They stress manners and repetition of ingredients to help your children learn about the whole dining experience. Math and science are incorporated into classes that run for 16 weeks for an hour each week in the kitchen of owner Romy Horn. Cost for each 1-week session is $480. Dough Re Me Kids also offers workshops that run an hour or two and focus on in-season ingredients.

Dough Re Me Kids
Dumbo area of Brooklyn, New York
[phone]
doughremekids.com
[e-mail]

Mini Chef NYC

Mini Chef NYC prides itself on bringing mini-foodies together with trained chefs, offering classes, workshops and parties in various restaurants around New York City and the Art Farm on the Upper East Side. Parties in the Fall of 2009 may be held at Carmine's on the Upper West Side, Wildwood BBQ, Dos Caminos, Paradou Restaurant, Reebok Sports Club and the Art Farm. Students ages 3 to 13 can sign up for a 15-week session, half a session or only particular classes. Individual classes are $40 per class and packages run $37 per class.

Mini Chef NYC
Various locations
[phone]
www.minichefnyc.com
[e-mail]

References

• Kids Cook Brooklyn
• Cupcake Kids
• Home Cooking New York

Resources

• New York City Lessons for Kids