Little Kitchen Academy (LKA), first-of-its-kind, Montessori-inspired cooking academy for children ages three through teen, announced starting today through the end of August it will hold its Summer of Celebration with fun games and prizes in collaboration with its generous global brand partners, and exclusive behind-the-scenes photos and videos of how Little Kitchen Academy came to be will be shared on social media.
Although LKA celebrates lessons learned and milestones in the kitchen at each cooking session, today marks a milestone worthy of celebration: With 57,960 sets of washed hands, 5,760 eggs cracked, 5,110 cups of flour used and 25,200 minutes of baking, LKA finished its first year in business at its flagship Vancouver location, making 503 recipes during more than 5,000 student lessons.
In the past year, Little Kitchen Academy has become a home away from home for a few hours a week for lots of budding chefs. Several of these little cooks will be featured in the Summer of Celebration campaign on social media during the next two months, where fun facts and favourite recipes will be shared, contest questions will be asked, and prizes will be awarded.
Prizes are being supplied by global brand partners Iron Chef Cat Cora, AeroGarden, BIRKENSTOCK, ChopValue, ChefWorks, Emeco, Welcome Industries, and Pacific Foods, and will include home garden kits, chef shoes, cutting boards, kitchen tools, Iron Chef Cat Cora autographed ChefWorks chef coat and autographed copy of her latest book, and more.
“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, which is needed now, more than ever,” said Founder Felicity Curin. “As we celebrate our one year in business, we want to thank and celebrate our loyal parents and students, and our team of amazing instructors many of whom have been with us since the very beginning.”
Curin noted since opening its doors for business on June 24, 2019, LKA also has:
Incorporated more than 725 pounds of fresh, locally grown produce into its recipes
- Served up more than 140 plates of delicious pasta
- Eaten more than 400 cloves of healthy garlic
- Used more than 100 bottles of agave for natural sweetening
- Produced 1000’s of delightful squeals as children used an oven for the first time
- Created 100’s of parent smiles when they learned their child made every dish by him or herself, including the ketchup
- Taught more life lessons and received more “THANK YOUS” than one can count
The Vancouver academy has always been focused on providing a safe learning environment complete with proper hygiene and child safety measures. This has included more than 15,000 loads of dishes in our commercial sanitizer, nearly 60,000 hand-washing occasions (multiple during every lesson), and safe cleaning of surfaces and materials. Increased measures were put in place in light of the pandemic, including increasing physical distancing and sanitizing. With these measures in place, the academy has seen its strongest bookings since opening a year ago.
Little Kitchen Academy empowers children with practical life skills and teaches the joy of making healthy food choices in an inclusive and modern kitchen environment, 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 “from scratch” creations. Sessions run year-round and focus on seasonal, locally grown and organic produce and ingredients. Classes run 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 to begin their 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; learning sustainable decision making as students learn about local, in-season, and organic produce; and sharing the fruits of their labor by dining together at the end of every lesson at the community table. For older students, Little Kitchen Academy offers LKA Late Nights on the weekend customized for teens.
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, ChefWorks, AeroGarden, Welcome Industries and Location3. 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.
To fulfill its global growth plans, the company seeks like-minded franchisees. Potential franchisees who share the company’s mission, vision and values can learn more here.