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Little Kitchen Academy – The Key Ingredient For An Independent Child – To Open New Location In Toronto’s The Beach Neighbourhood In Spring 2022

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As Part of a 50 Location Provincial Expansion Plan This Will Be the Company’s Second Location to Open in Ontario

Today Little Kitchen Academy (LKA) announced it will open its next location in Ontario in spring 2022 in the popular Toronto community of The Beach. The new location, LKA The Beach, is the first of two locations being opened by Hayley Sexton, a Montessori guide at a local school, and Eamon Clark, a 10x Canadian oyster shucking champion, who, together, will open another location in the Leaside area of Toronto later in 2022. LKA The Beach will be located at 2052 Queen Street East in Toronto and will be the second LKA to open in Ontario. The company’s first location in the province, LKA Oakville, opened in July 2021. The quickly growing 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.

Hayley Sexton at LKA The Beach

“We are thrilled to have found such a great new home for our Little Kitchen Academy, in a community that means so much to us,” said Hayley Sexton, franchise partner for LKA The Beach and LKA Leaside. “I can’t wait for our two children to experience their first class when we open!” Eamon Clark added, “we know what a gift Little Kitchen Academy is for any community and are excited for children in The Beach to experience our safe, empowering environment while learning practical life skills and growing their independence. This opportunity means so much to us because we know what a positive impact we will have on our community.”

“We are delighted to see the expansion of Little Kitchen Academy in Ontario in such a vibrant, tight-knit community like The Beach,” said Brian Curin, co-founder/co-CEO and president of Little Kitchen Academy. “Hayley and Eamon are such incredible partners, and we are excited for them to share the gift of LKA with families in their backyard.”

Cat Cora, the first female Iron Chef and recipient of The President’s Volunteer Service Award from President Barack Obama, is excited to have more locations opening in Ontario. “Little Kitchen Academy is so important to me. When I first met Felicity and Brian and learned about their purpose, I immediately knew that it was something I wanted to be a part of. When I experienced a class and saw how empowered and independent the students were in the kitchen in response to the caring Montessori-inspired approach, I was certain that we had to share this incredible gift with as many children as possible,” said Cat Cora. “As a mother, I was drawn to and am completely aligned with the unique curriculum and food philosophy. There’s never been a time when a program like this was more needed than now.” Cora has served as a key advisor to the company since opening its doors in June 2019. (Hear why Cora wanted to be a part of changing lives from scratch with LKA at: https://youtu.be/b-zR6Lcltxs)

Seasonal Sessions Year-round

LKA The Beach will be located at 2052 Queen Street East in Toronto

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 or over five consecutive days during Summer, Winter, and Spring breaks. Each class, students learn how to make healthy, delicious, and seasonal meals from scratch to consumption — all while experimenting with math and science concepts, working on their reading skills, and polishing up their table manners by sharing meals around the LKA community table (made with more than 33,000 recycled chopsticks). Sessions are limited to just 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, which is nut, meat, poultry, and seafood free, also 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 three 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. Four locations are now open in Canada and the U.S. with more than 140 in development including two locations opening soon, LKA Panorama and LKA Edgemont.

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 with LKA.

About Little Kitchen Academy

Little Kitchen Academy (LKA) 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 Goemans. 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.

 

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