Young Chefs Academy in Draper, UT 84020

Young Chefs Academy is a cooking school created just for kids. Children learn cooking and baking techniques, proper food handling, food preparation, and presentation, kitchen safety, table setting, manners, and more. The Academy offers a variety of hands-on cooking classes, including mini-camps and field trips.

The atmosphere is kid-friendly, with colorful cabinets, counters, cutting boards, and bathrooms (to encourage cleanliness!) inviting even the youngest kids to get busy in the kitchen. Parents are welcome to stay and observe, and even taste the end product of their children's efforts.

Instructors follow concise, clever lesson plans and have to know the two Cs: cooking, and children - and be good with both. During classes, kids are encouraged to ask questions, express their likes and dislikes, and get confident about cooking skills. Each session's recipes are provided to students, with a section for comments (what they might change next time, how highly they rate the taste, etc.), and those who sign up for a class series get their own recipe binder, chefs hat, and apron to continue their culinary explorations at home.

Birthday parties last 90 minutes, and guests participate in real hands-on cooking activities. There are two birthday packages to choose from; contact the academy for current offerings and pricing.

A retail section offers chef accessories, t-shirts, and cooking-themed gifts to go along with gift certificates.