WARNER ROBINS, Ga. — Cooking is a life skill that's never too early to learn and a Warner Robins couple is helping young kids whip things up in the kitchen.
The Young Chefs Academy is a culinary school for kids and teens. They offer weekly classes, culinary camps, and workshops.
They have a Kinder Cooks class for ages four to seven. Their Junior Chefs are ages seven and up. Students age 12 and up who have mastered their skills can join the senior chefs class.
Each week, students follow their daily menu sheet and have big dishes to whip up.
"We made tortellini, and we made it with cheese and made the noodles from scratch and made the shapes," Junior Chef Caitlyn Frawley said.
"My favorite was making breakfast pizza, I liked making the scones," Junior Chef Donovan Smith said.
The students make a new surprise dish every day.
"It's really fun, I've learned a lot," Frawley said.
The students follow a skill-based curriculum. Owner Daphne Register, says they like to follow a method they call Read it, Create it, Place it.
"They're learning how to read a recipe, how to follow instructions. They're learning of course how to work with others, how to communicate, so it's just like all of those different life skills, of course, cooking as well, but it's a mixture of all of these things that they're learning," Register said.
They want students to have fun making dishes, but they also learn how to properly use kitchen utensils safely.
"We're learning when you're using raw meat, what should you do to prevent cross-contamination. We're learning how to actually use equipment, so they're using mixers and blenders and food processes," Register said.
These kids are taking their skills out of the Young Chefs Academy and putting them to use at home.
"I'm gonna maybe cook dinner tomorrow," Frawley said.
At the end of the week, the students will have a folder full of recipes to take home.
Classes aren't just offered to youth. The academy also has a Young Chefs at Heart Program for adults to learn how to make appetizers.
They also do parties and field trips.
You can find information on getting connected to the Young Chefs Academy on their website.