The Seasoned Gourmet in Wilmington believes kids can do more than decorate cookies. Kids can truly cook! Yes, when properly instructed, kids of young ages can perform essential components of cooking. And to prove it, The Seasoned Gourmet offers a full slate of kids cooking classes, camps, and parties. Through these activities, kids of all ages can dive into all aspects of cooking.
For instance, on November 16, 2019, from 5:00 to 7:30 pm, The Seasoned Gourmet is offering a true, multi-course, Harry Potter cooking class! The menu includes butterbeer, pumpkin pasties, treacle tart and Hagrid’s Shepherd’s pie. It includes full dinner and a slate of prizes for the kids.
Variety of Kids Cooking Classes
Held about once a month, each class is different. Some are holiday-themed, such as the upcoming St. Patrick’s Day and Easter classes. And some involve fun competitions, like the recent “Casserole Cookoff” and “Nailed It! Bake-off” class, based on the popular Netflix show on which amateur cooks attempt to recreate masterpieces – with often hilarious results.
For the recent Saturday evening “Poultry Party! session, 12 kids came together for a hands-on session on how to prepare a variety of delicious chicken dishes safely. From their positions on stools around the counter, the students watched attentively as charismatic instructor Ashley Wixon demonstrated key techniques. A long mirror above the spacious cooking area allowed them to see Wixon’s demonstrations, hear her funny, illustrative stories and share their own ideas.
About two years ago, Wixon and Erin Tifft, class coordinator, launched the kids cooking program.
“We wanted to teach the kids about things that are useful at home so they can make a dinner for their family,” Tifft explained. “We started incorporating different spices, techniques, sanitation, kitchen safety.”
As Tifft and Wixon learned what worked, they adapted the kids cooking classes to match. Initially, they divided the offerings into two separate age groups. Then they observed that age wasn’t always an accurate measure of a child’s cooking skill. “We’ve had six-year-olds with knife skills you can’t imagine!” said Tifft. Equally, some older kids may know about nutrition, but are just getting started in the kitchen.
And so they combined the groups. “We found that the 12-year-olds work so well with the six-year-olds,” explained Tifft. Classes are flexible enough that instructors can give additional responsibilities to more experienced kids and teach them more advanced techniques. Once kids reach the age of 14 or so, Tifft encourages them to attend adult classes.
“A lot of the kids who come to the cooking classes here already have an interest in cooking, whether from watching cooking shows or trying to cook with their parents,” said Wixon. “I think it’s awesome when they can be immersed in the skills and culture of cooking with a group of other kids.”
A Typical Kids Cooking Class
Over the course of the “Poultry Party!” evening, each student made dishes based on different chicken parts. They took turns focusing on chicken wings with homemade BBQ sauce, chicken thighs with herbs and roasted potatoes and breaded chicken breasts. There were also side lessons, including how to use a knife properly, how to measure flour accurately, how to use heat safely. With at least two or three staff members at every class, kids can always get extra help if they need it.
After they had completed their dishes, the kids moved over to the covered table and sat down to sample their own cooking formally. Chatty and laughing throughout the class, the students were quiet as they tasted their dishes. They spent time talking about which herbs they liked best, which chicken parts they preferred, and which dishes they’d like to take home to their parents in a to-go box or make again later using the detailed recipes.
Confidence from Cooking
Of the classes she’s taught, Wixon particularly loved showing the kids how to make their own sushi. “The kids come in and think they won’t be able to make a maki roll – they can’t even fathom it,” she said. “And by the end, they’ve learned this really cool technical skill that they never thought they could accomplish.”
A recent kids’ cooking class on homemade pasta was also rewarding. “The kids are amazed at how spaghetti comes out of the machine and becomes pasta,” said Wixon. “They learned that you don’t have to buy it in a box or a can, and you can make it with things you have at home.”
Offering a Variety of Events
The Seasoned Gourmet also offers birthday parties for groups of up to around fourteen kids. Often, these take the form of a bake-off competition, where kids prepare desserts while parents observe and have wine and cheese. And with a Spring Break camp and several weeks of Summer Camps, kids have several options.
“I really like taking advice from the kids themselves about what kinds of classes they want to see,” said Wixon, “and I love the smiles on the faces when they are so excited to come back and are already thinking of the next class.”
To learn more about The Seasoned Gourmet’s classes and camps for kids, visit www.theseasonedgourmet.com.
This is just one of the many fun family experiences the Wilmington NC area offers. Read more about some of the Cape Fear’s other great things to do, or check out some of our featured families.