First-of-its-Kind, Montessori-inspired Little Kitchen Academy Creates a Foundation for a Healthy Life by Teaching Practical Life Skills and Responsible Eating Choices in a Safe and Joyful Environment.
Little Kitchen Academy (LKA) announced today — on the heels of announcing its first franchise location in late January 2020 — the company has inked its first multi-unit franchise deal for two additional locations in South Surrey/White Rock & Kelowna, British Columbia in 2020. Little Kitchen Academy, the first-of-its-kind, Montessori-inspired cooking academy for children ages three through teen, opened its successful flagship location in Vancouver in June 2019, with an ambitious growth plan for global expansion.
“We believe that by empowering children with practical life skills and knowledge in a positive and joyful environment, we will affect positive lifestyle changes that result in a healthier world,” said Felicity Curin, founder of Little Kitchen Academy. “With Nicholas and Angela Popoff, our newest franchisees, we found a kismet of love for food, children and social impact, combined with proven culinary and hospitality success.”
Nicholas and Angela Popoff, CEO and CFO of Gem Hospitality Group, founded and run a family of popular restaurants and hospitality offerings: ONYX | steak seafood bar, Pearl Bistro & Oyster Bar, Jaded Wines and Aquamarine Catering.
“We were looking for what would be our next culinary endeavor, and fate brought us to Felicity and Brian Curin through LKA co-founder, Praveen Varshney. When we toured the flagship location, we got goosebumps. What happens when children put on their crisp chef coats and BIRKENSTOCK chef shoes and step into their little kitchens to learn and create is really magical,” said Nicholas Popoff. “We are thrilled to be able to make an impact in children’s lives by teaching practical life skills, creativity, decision-making, responsibility and how to make healthful food choices and dishes from scratch with wholesome, in-season produce. We are so excited by this fresh and meaningful concept that we are already in discussions about a number of other locations or a territory deal.”
“It’s all about finding like-minded entrepreneurs who share our vision and values of societal change with lessons that begin in but go far beyond the kitchen,” said Brian Curin, CEO/co-founder of Little Kitchen Academy. “To have social impact on a global scale and truly be changing lives from scratch, it requires doing business with passionate partners who believe in what we are committed to and empowering them to do it. I found this in our first franchisees and now with our first multi-unit franchise partners.”
While the two new locations will be in South Surrey/White Rock & Kelowna, the exact locations are yet to be determined. Timing for opening is expected to be fall 2020, with enrollments starting late summer. A hallmark of the Little Kitchen Academy experience – the inviting, inclusive and modern kitchen environment – will be featured at the two new locations, complete with 10 individual cooking stations (aka Little Kitchens), each with its own oven, cooktop, sink, prep table, Kitchen Aid mixer, and all the equipment and utensils needed to make the “from scratch” creations. The new locations also will include three other brand signature items — a community table made of more than 33,000 recycled chopsticks for students to enjoy their creations at the close of every lesson, chairs made of recycled plastic bottles, and an eye-catching living food wall for students to grow and harvest fruits, vegetables and herbs made in their dishes.
Little Kitchen Academy sessions run year-round and focus on seasonal, locally grown and organic produce and ingredients, with classes running three hours each and are taught by age group by three instructors, who can host up to 10 students per class. The learning begins as soon as students enter the “for student chefs only” environment. Each student dons a chef coat and a fitted pair of BIRKENSTOCK kitchen shoes (one of several global brand partners) to begin his or her personalized cooking journey, which includes experimenting with math and science concepts; testing one’s reading skills; learning social etiquette and table manners while enjoying a meal together; and learning sustainable decision making as students learn about local, in-season, and organic produce, and dine at a community table made of recycled chopsticks and chairs made from recycled plastic bottles.
Potential franchisees who share the company’s mission, vision and values can learn more at https://littlekitchenacademy.com/
About Little Kitchen Academy
Little Kitchen Academy (LKA) is the first-of-its-kind, Montessori-inspired cooking academy for kids ages three through teen, focused on providing a safe, inspiring, and empowering space for children to identify, develop and refine their senses. Based in Vancouver, Canada, the global franchise concept was co-founded by proven global brand and franchise expert and serial entrepreneur Brian Curin, his wife, Montessori trained, culinary expert and visionary Felicity Curin, and social impact investor and entrepreneur Praveen Varshney, on the belief that by empowering children with practical life skills and knowledge in a positive and joyful environment, they and their company will affect positive lifestyle changes that result in a healthier world. True to its mission, LKA lives to create a more educated, able and healthy society through mindful, healthy eating choices, and is committed to changing lives, from scratch to consumption.
LKA has forged strategic partnerships with Iron Chef Cat Cora, BIRKENSTOCK, ChopValue, Emeco and ChefWorks. Little Kitchen Academy’s flagship venue is located at 3744 West 10th Avenue in Vancouver, BC. For a taste of Little Kitchen Academy, visit https://littlekitchenacademy.com/ or join its communities on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and TikTok.