I remember the first time my parents slept in on a Saturday morning and invited me to fix breakfast for my little sister, Pam. I could have opted for cereal, but that was not exotic enough. Pam at age 4 was already a “foodie” and would not have been satisfied with Fruit Loops.
In an inspired moment, I decided to make eggs! I broke them into a bowl, whipped them up to a mediocre state where they were still runny, and found a frying pan. What I failed to realize before doing all this, was that we had a gas stove, and I was afraid of fire. I did not light the stove and tried to convince Pam that raw eggs were good and good for her. I spooned them over a piece of bread.
She embarrassed me by getting a fresh piece of bread, putting it in the toaster herself and turning on the stove!
No 9-year-old big sister should ever be humiliated like that, and no 4-year old should risk a gas stove without some training!
Fast forward to Vancouver, Washington in 2011 where kids as young as 3 years old are making chicken enchiladas and serving them to their parents. They’re folding linen napkins and learning table manners. They are rolling, mixing and measuring ingredients to prepare healthy foods. And they are making new friends.
The Kids Cooking Corner opened last December and is already a popular destination for children celebrating birthdays or looking for new challenges.
“Once the kids are there, they have so much fun,” said Heidi O’Connor, who founded the school with a mission to teach children how to prepare and appreciate healthy meals.
The experience takes math, science and nutrition to a new and more exciting level for the young students.
“They have to read the recipes and help figure out how to double the ingredients,” O’Connor said. “And it’s easy for them to learn this when they can see it, such as with liquid.” O’Connor said part of the learning experience for the children involves tweaking kid-favorite recipes to come up with healthy alternatives.
She said one recent hit with the kids was “elephant ears.” This treat brings back “state fair” memories for most of us, but the version served up at The Kids Cooking Corner lacked the heavy grease – they were oven baked.
The inspiration for The Kids Cooking Corner came to O’Connor after she was laid off last spring.
“I went through a lot of questioning. Who am I? What is my legacy?”
She knew two things right away: She wanted her pity party to be short, and she did not want to land another job that would require her to be away from her family so much.
She spent some of her new free time cooking for her husband and their three children. That’s when the idea hit her. “Kids are not getting home economics classes at school anymore,” She reasoned that she could start a school where young chefs could learn some tasty life lessons.
In December, she opened her business in the historic Padden home, a 109-year old house owned by a prominent Vancouver 5206 NE 78th St. in Vancouver
Some of the kitchen tools are donated, she said.
The school is still in need of donations such as china, linens, pizza making equipment and hopefully another bread maker for some of the gluten-free classes recently added to the school’s class menu.
The classes are scheduled mainly around children’s school hours or on Saturday’s. Discount pricing is available for packages of four classes. Some families have staged birthday parties for their children and friends at The Kids Cooking Corner.
“Everything was beautiful and well done,” Jeanette Rafferty posted to the school’s website after her children enjoyed a recent class. Rafferty called it “a stress free moment for mama” and added, “I am raving to everyone that I know about how great you are and how much fun we had.”
During spring break in April, O’Connor plans a week where visiting professionals can meet with the students to talk about their “real life” jobs in the food industry. Visitors will likely include a professional chef, a butcher and perhaps a local celebrity who will offer the children a chance to cook for their special guest.
This summer, The Kids Cooking Corner will expand with a garden, giving its students a “farm to table” opportunity. Future plans call for more “around the house” classes teaching skills such as sewing and arts and crafts. But for now, O’Connor says, the kitchen experience The Kids Cooking Corner is giving to local families is a most welcome full plate.
“It’s been an amazing journey,” she said.
Not only are the students making memories. Parents have been served some of their children’s creations and “they’re so proud of them. Just the hugs and kisses -- it brings tears to your eyes.”
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