Registration is Officially Open for LKA Panorama Village in Surrey, the Company’s Third Location to Open in the Greater Vancouver Area
Today, Little Kitchen Academy (LKA), the key ingredient for an independent child and the first-of-its-kind, Montessori-inspired cooking academy for kids ages three through teen, announced it will welcome students to its newest location, the third in the Greater Vancouver Area to open, on December 20th. The purpose-driven concept was founded by Montessori-trained culinary innovator Felicity Curin; her husband, proven global brand and franchise expert and serial entrepreneur Brian Curin; and social impact investor and entrepreneur, Praveen Varshney to provide a safe, inspiring, and empowering space for children to identify, develop, and refine their senses. Registration is now open for LKA Panorama Village. It is the company’s fifth location to open and represents the next step in the brand’s journey to open 423 locations globally by the end of 2025.
Just minutes from Cloverdale, LKA Panorama Village will be located at Unit #101 – 15230 Highway 10 in Surrey and is being opened by BC Area Developers Nicholas and Angela Popoff. This is their second location to open, with LKA South Surrey having opened in July 2021, and LKA Richmond Oval opening in Spring 2022. “We are excited to be opening our second location so we can share the gift of LKA with even more children,” said Nicholas Popoff, BC Area Developer. “We have seen the joy and empowerment our students feel every day at LKA South Surrey, and we can’t wait to welcome more families in the community to experience the same.”
“Changing lives from scratch isn’t just a tagline. We see the impact we are having on our students, their families, and the community everyday” said Felicity Curin, co-founder/co-CEO, COO and director of Little Kitchen Academy. “When children enter our kitchen and put on their chef coat, they stand a little bit taller. We see them transform in front of our eyes! It’s so inspiring to watch the overwhelming joy and pride our students feel at the end of class, when their parents or caregivers come to pick them up and they get to show off the meal they made from scratch!”
Seasonal Sessions Year-round
Seasonal sessions run year-round and are organized by age group (ages 3-5, 6-8, 9-12, and 13+ years old). Students experience a three-hour class once a week during the school year for four weeks or over five consecutive days during Summer, Winter, and Spring breaks. Students learn how to make healthy, delicious, and seasonal meals from scratch to consumption. Sessions are limited to 10 students and are overseen by three instructors. The curriculum focuses on seasonal, locally grown, and organic produce and ingredients, and students enjoy the fruits of their labor for a “scratch to consumption” experience at the end of each lesson. All students are welcome in this fully inclusive program, including those with learning or other disabilities. The program is nut, meat, poultry, and seafood free, and can accommodate those with gluten, dairy, or other allergies.
The Montessori Approach
LKA’s Montessori-inspired environment is organized to support the growth and development of each child. Instructors show the students how to safely use tools, but step back to closely observe the independent work, only stepping in when deemed appropriate. This approach enables students to learn at their own pace while they acquire practical life skills that foster independence, confidence, and socialization. LKA further empowers students to make better food choices, to apply age-appropriate math and science skills in real-world settings, and embrace practices such as recycling, composting, and the concept of philanthropy in order to make positive, socially conscious contributions to the world through its global philanthropic initiative “How Can I Help,” which empowers students to learn about giving back and making a difference by putting the choice in their hands to support one of four notable causes. Learn more about LKA’s innovative philanthropic program: https://littlekitchenacademy.com/how-can-i-help/
The Inspiration and Trajectory
LKA is the brain trust of co-founder Felicity Curin, a mother of three, who combined three of her life-long passions: cooking, education, and children. She is a trained chef who began her career at Earls Restaurants, a Canadian-based upscale eatery chain. She also is the daughter of the founding headmaster of the prestigious West Point Grey Academy and took her natural ability to teach and love for children to the classroom by getting her (AMI) Association Montessori Internationale teaching degree. The idea for Little Kitchen Academy was born in 2018 and Felicity opened her first location in June 2019. Her husband and co-founder, Brian Curin, quickly developed the brand and franchise model, secured the company’s early investors and advisors, and set out to secure global partners and the first multi-unit franchisees and development partners.
Little Kitchen Academy is currently seeking like-minded multi-unit franchisees and development partners based exclusively in Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, North Carolina, Oregon, Texas, Washington, and Wisconsin. In Canada, LKA is focused on expanding further into Alberta, select markets in B.C., and Ontario. Globally, Australia, Japan, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, MENA region, Singapore, Spain, and the U.K. are markets available for development.
The Signature Environment
Little Kitchen Academy features the brand’s signature innovative and mindful design and includes 10 individual cooking stations (a.k.a. Little Kitchens); a handwashing station; a living food wall powered by AeroGarden for students to grow and harvest fruits, vegetables, and herbs for use in their creations; the LKA Community Table made by ChopValue from more than 33,000 recycled chopsticks; chairs made of recycled plastic and glass bottles by Emeco; a stocked pantry and refrigeration system for the children to gather their seasonal and local ingredients; laundry facilities for the LKA ChefWorks chef coats; and an educational recycling and composting area.
About Little Kitchen Academy
Little Kitchen Academy is the key ingredient for an independent child. The first-of-its-kind, Montessori-inspired cooking academy for kids ages three through teen is focused on providing a safe, inspiring, and empowering space for children to identify, develop, and refine their senses. Based in Vancouver, Canada, the 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 effect 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. Part of that mission includes empowering students to learn how they can make the world a better place through How Can I Help by Little Kitchen Academy, LKA’s signature philanthropic program, supporting Chefs for Humanity, The Global FoodBanking Network, and Kids Help Phone. In addition to charitable partnerships, LKA has forged strategic global brand partnerships with Iron Chef Cat Cora, AeroGarden, BIRKENSTOCK, ChefWorks, Emeco, ChopValue, Welcome Industries, Location3, PRISE Inc., KitchenAid Canada, and Trail Appliances. Little Kitchen Academy’s flagship venues are located in Vancouver, B.C., and Los Angeles, Calif.
For a taste of Little Kitchen Academy, visit littlekitchenacademy.com or join its communities on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube.