4 of the best spots in the valley for kids cooking classes

Remember when summer was a glorious time; time to hang out with friends, lounge by the pool and sleep in until noon? If that’s your take on summer, you have a beautiful life and I am crazy jealous.

This is, however, more often than not how our children view the summer. As a parent it can be hard to find a variety of ways to keep their little minds and body’s busy. Play dates, pool time and reading logs will only take you so far. In my son’s district our kids go to school year round so the summer break time is only a little over a month, but I know that there are several other districts in the Valley that follow a traditional school schedule.

One way to keep the kids busy, entertained and expand on their knowledge is to immerse them in some cooking classes. Kids Cooking classes can help foster a love of food for those children that are already mini-foodies-in-training, but they can also be really helpful with the pickiest of eaters. I know that in my house, with my very picky boy-tween, if I bring him into the process of making choices about meals as well as allowing him to take part in the creation of that meal he is going to be far more interested in trying new foods and dishes.

Check out these great cooking classes specifically designed for the kids in your life, and see what their little hands and minds can come up with.

Great Spots for Kids Cooking Classes in the Valley

Sweet Basil Gourmet
10749 N. Scottsdale Rd., #101
Call 480.596.5628 to register for classes

Sweet Basil offers a variety of classes for kids and teens and they make the process incredibly easy. All classes are all encompassing; no need to bring anything with you. The first half hour of the class will consist of basic instruction and review of the recipes that you’ll be making and an overview of what you can expect from the class. You’ll then be invited to wash up and head to a station. Every station will feature all of the items needed, but rest assured that instructors are at the ready for any questions that might come up. Once the food is prepared and ready all attendees will sit for a feast of the foods that have been created.

Mom or Dad will have an opportunity to observe from the “gallery” with all seats providing a perfect vantage point to all spots in the kitchen.

All classes include copies of the recipes prepared during your instruction so that your little mini-chefs can wow the whole family.

Kids Cook Camp led by Linda Martin of Anthem Country Club
Friday July 6 – 10 9:30am-12:00pm
This week long series teaches a wide range of foods you’ll have a great time preparing; then make them at home for your family. Class offered to children ages 8 to 12.
Monday| Fun, Healthy Snacks
Fresh Vegetables with Homemade Ranch Dressing; Hummus with Pita Chips; Three Smoothies: Strawberry Vanilla; Blueberry Blast; Mango-Orange; Deviled Eggs; Homemade Granola Bars; Parmesan Chicken Nuggets, & Fresh Fruit Salad with Cinnamon Crisps.
Tuesday| Tacos & Burritos
Chicken Soft Tacos; Pork Fajitas Tacos; Ground Beef Tacos; Breakfast Soft Tacos; Bean & Cheese Burritos; Chili Burritos, & Steak & Rice Burritos with Guacamole.
Wednesday| Muffins & Quick Breads
Apple Spice Muffins; Maple-Bacon Muffins; Raspberry-Lemon Muffins; Cheddar Cheese Scones; Blueberry Coffee Cake; Biscuits with Honey Butter, & Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins.
Thursday| Burgers & Sliders
Meatball Sliders; Veggie Sliders; Cheese Steak Sliders; Peanut Butter, Bacon & Apple Sliders; Beef & Cheddar Mini Burgers; Teriyaki Mini Burgers with Grilled Pineapple, & Avocado-Bacon Turkey Mini Burgers.
Friday| Cupcake Wars
Vanilla Cupcakes; Chocolate Cupcakes; Red Velvet Cupcakes; Carrot Cupcakes, & Banana Cupcakes. Teams will make Cupcakes, choose colors for Icing & decorate with a theme of their choosing.
This week-long camp is $250.00 per participant

Teens Cook Camp led by Amy Barnes of Impeccable Pig Restaurant
Monday – Friday July 6 – 10 2:00pm – 4:30pm
This class is for people ages 13 to 17 & enjoy cooking & are ready to take on lessons with lots of new foods.

Monday| Brunch
Brown Butter Scrambled Eggs; Cheddar Buttermilk Biscuits; Maple & Black-Pepper Bacon; Homemade Hash Browns; Honey Almond Granola Yogurt Parfaits; Baked Blueberry French Toast; Zucchini Scallion Frittata Cups, & Breakfast Bacon & Sausage Pizza.
Tuesday| Asian Appetizers
Chicken Pot Stickers; Coconut Barbecued Baby Back Ribs; Ground Beef Lettuce Wraps with Crispy Roasted Edamame; Chicken, Shrimp & Beef Sates with Peanut Sauce; Baked Cream Cheese Wontons with Sweet & Sour Sauce; Teriyaki Chicken Wings, & Green Tea Milkshakes.
Wednesday| Southwest Foods
Double Decker Beef Tacos; Chile con Queso with Baked Corn Chips; Cheddar & Chicken Quesadillas with Tomato & Corn Salsa; Chorizo & Potato Empanadas; Salsa Verde baked with Goat Cheese & Chili-Lime Tortilla Strips; Turkey Taquitos with Guacamole & Salsa; Chocolate Ancho Brownie Bites, & Watermelon & Strawberry Lemonade.
Thursday| Salads
Wilted Spinach Salad with warm Bacon Dressing; Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad with Crispy Croutons; Baked Kale Chips; Mixed Green Salad with Strawberry Dressing; Popovers with
Homemade Butter; Bow Thai Pasta with Shrimp; Summer Fruit Salad with Lemon, Honey, & Mint Dressing, & Chocolate Chip-Toffee Scones.
Friday| Pasta Party
Lasagna Stuffed Shells; Fresh Fettuccine with Alfredo Sauce; Pasta Bolognese; Homemade Potato Gnocchi with Gorgonzola Sauce; Spaghetti alla Carbonara; Super Garlic Bread; Penne with Creamy Chicken & Pesto, & Strawberry Tiramisu
This weeklong camp is $250.00 per participant

Kids Cook Camp led by Melissa Stockmar  of Boulders Resort
Monday – Friday July 20-24 9:30am to 2:00pm
This series for people ages 8 to 12 offers great lessons on a lot of topics.
Monday| Breakfast
Baked Oatmeal with Berries; Strawberry Cream Cheese Waffles; Turkey & Apple Sausage Patties; Butterscotch Monkey Bread; Potato, Broccoli & Egg Casserole; Ham, Cheddar Cheese & Tomato Strata, & Honey Nut Granola Yogurt Parfaits.
Tuesday| Pasta
Chicken & Asparagus Alfredo; Ricotta Gnocchi with Creamy Marinara Sauce; Bow Tie Pasta with Bolognese Sauce; Macaroni & Cheese Casserole; Meat Ravioli Skillet Lasagna; Sausage & Mushroom Cannelloni, & Chocolate Chip Ricotta Stuffed Shells with Fudge Sauce.
Wednesday| Pizza & Calzones
Baked Potato Pizza; Taco Pizza; Chicken Alfredo & Spinach Pizza; Pesto Shrimp Calzones; Grilled Balsamic Vegetable Pizza; Sausage & Pepper Calzones, & Nutella & Ricotta Calzones. Thursday| BBQ Carnival Foods
Corndogs with Homemade Ketchup; Hawaiian Burgers with Grilled Pineapple & Sweet Soy Glaze; Mini Chicken Pesto Sliders with Parmesan Sweet Potato Fries; Honey BBQ Chicken Fingers; Peanut Butter Popcorn Balls with Chocolate Drizzle; Cinnamon & Sugar Funnel Cakes; Frozen Chocolate Dipped Bananas, & Caramel Apples.
Friday| Cookies & Bars
Peanut Butter & Jelly Thumbprints; Root Beer Float Cookies; Triple Chocolate Chip Cookies; Sour Cream Sugar Cookies with Colored Rock Sugar; Apple Pie Bars; No-bake Reese’s Peanut Butter Bars, & Oreo Cheesecake Bars.
This week-long camp is $250.00 per participant

Teens Cook Camp led by Linda Martin of Anthem Country Club
Monday – Friday July 20-24 2:00pm to 4:30pm
Teens who like to cook will learn a lot in this series. If you’re 13 to 17 you are the right age to be part of this culinary challenge.
Monday| Italian Dinner
Crostini with Pan-Roasted Tomatoes, Garlic & Herbs; Panzanella Salad; Chicken with Sun-dried Tomato Pesto; Spinach & Ricotta Rolled Lasagna; Braised Broccoli with Garlic; Italian Bread with Herb Butter, & Sicilian Doughnuts with Cinnamon & Sugar.
Tuesday| Southwest Fiesta Foods
Grilled Mango & Black Bean Quesadillas; Romaine & Watercress Salad with Cilantro-Ranch Dressing; Green Chili Macaroni & Cheese; Southwest-Style Roasted Baby Back Ribs; Grilled Vegetables with Chipotle Dressing; Potatoes with Roasted Peppers & White Cheddar, & Flourless Chocolate-Chili Cake with Vanilla Ice Cream.
Wednesday| Greek Island Foods
Spanakopita; Tomato & Cucumber Salad; Grilled Chicken Kebabs with Romesco Sauce; Potatoes with Olives & Feta Cheese; Grilled Vegetables with Balsamic & Olive Oil; Greek Meatballs with Tzatziki, & Almond-Lemon Cake with Fresh Raspberries.
Thursday| French Favorites
Mini Croque Monsieur; Spinach, Lettuce & Mushroom Salad; Chicken Cordon Bleu with Butter Sauce; Pan Roasted Chicken with Mushrooms & Rosemary; Pommes Frites; Roasted Garlic, Baby Carrots, & Green Beans, & Crepes with Berries & Cream.
Friday| Chinese Buffet
Vegetable Egg Rolls with Mustard Sauce; Chicken Chow Mein; Orange Chili Noodles; Vegetable Stir Fry with Spicy Peanut Sauce; Lemon Chicken; Pork Fried Rice with Carrots & Snow Peas, & Dessert Won-tons with Bananas & Strawberries.
This weeklong camp is $250.00 per participant

Kids Cook Camp led by Eric Naddy of Tall Order Catering
Monday – Friday July 27-31 9:30am to 12:00pm
This fun series is for people ages 8 to 12 who like to cook & are ready to learn more. Sign up for fun & wonderful recipes.
Monday| Italian
Spaghetti Bolognese; Vegetable Lasagna; Italian Wedding Soup; Caesar Salad; Caprese Salad; Eggplant Parmesan & Tiramisu.
Tuesday| Sleep Over Foods:
BBQ Turkey Sliders; Whole Wheat Margarita Pizza; Homemade Baked Tater Tots with Tomato Relish; Baked Mac & Cheese; Bratwurst Corndogs; Monkey Bread & S’Mores Bars.
Wednesday| Mexican Foods
Pork Green Chili Enchiladas; Red Chili Beef Fajitas; Traditional Spanish Rice; Roasted Tomatillo Salsa with Homemade Corn Chips; Posole (Mexican Soup); Pineapple Pico de Gallo, & Sopaipillas with Strawberry Sauce.
Thursday| Snack Foods
Pepperoni Pizza Cups; Garlic Dough Knots with Herb Butter; Cajun Potato Wedges with Spicy Remoulade; Baked Pita Chips with Guacamole; Tomatillo Salsa with Baked Corn Chips; Tempura Chicken Tenders with Honey Dijon Dip, & Marbled Brownies with Caramel Sauce & Marshmallow.
Friday| Desserts
Peanut Butter & Jelly Bars; Candy Shop Pizza; Cookie & Cream Fudge; No-Bake Butterscotch Snack Bites; Apple & Caramel Tarts & Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes
This weeklong camp is $250.00 per participant

Moms and Kids Cook led by Melissa Stockmar of Boulders Restaurant
Saturday August 22 9:30am to 12:30pm
If your child is 8 or above, sign up for this great class & come enjoy a session cooking together! Our lesson is Fried Cheese Ravioli with Pesto Cream Sauce; Ham, Cheese & Broccoli Turnovers; Cheeseburger Soup; Zucchini Boats with Ground Turkey & Creamy Marinara Sauce; Mexican Lasagna with Flour Tortillas & Ground Pork; Chicken Alfredo & Spinach Pizza, & Caramel Apple Upside-down Cake.
$50.00 per person

Sur La Table
Mostly known for fancy pants kitchen items that you never knew you couldn’t live without, Sur La Table also offers a variety of store events and cooking classes. This summer your kids are invited to participate in some exciting classes that are sure to bring out your child’s inner Alton Brown.

When you sign your kids up for The Science of Cooking classes your kids will be immersed in a week of mad-delicious food experiments all the while learning to cook some of their favorite foods, or soon to be favorite foods. The week-long series will help students to grasp fundamental kitchen skills, how to read and follow a recipe, measuring and mixing and the very important point of kitchen safety. Classes run about 2 hours and will last for 5 consecutive days. All students will take home a packet of the recipes they learned, a Sur La Table apron and a new-found confidence in the kitchen.

A sample menu includes items like mini pizzas, mini cheese frittatas, gnocchi with pesto, buttermilk biscuits and much more.

Class series (no single class registration, only the 5 day series) will begin on the following days:
06/29/2015    Scottsdale       10am until 12pm (approximately)
7/20/2015     Scottsdale       10am until 12pm (approximately)
8/10/2015     Scottsdale       10am until 12pm (approximately)
A 5 day class series runs $250 per participant.

Indulge Culinary Academy
Cooking is all about exploration and using the techniques you have learned to create food memories.  You will be working in a hands-on environment led by an experienced chef instructor.  You can expect the following to occur each class:

• Work side-by-side with another student to prepare each dish
• Learn fundamental culinary skills
• Classes are 3 hours long (unless otherwise noted)
• Each class is held in our commercial teaching kitchen
• Price is per person (unless otherwise noted)

Kids Cooking Boot Camp (4 week series) $200
During this series your child will have the opportunity to hone in on their culinary skills.  Your child will learn advance techniques in food preparation, cooking and baking methods, as well as artistically plating food.  The best part is they get to eat their masterpieces when they are done!  Each class will be held one day a week for 3 hours.  It is recommended that your child take a Kids Cook class prior to registering for this series, as it is a very fast paced class. (Restriction: you cannot exchange classes in this series and classes for this series are only offered on the scheduled dates.  Please plan accordingly when registering for the camp).

Kids Cook (Ages 8-17)       $65
Your child will be given the opportunity to showcase their skills and identify their talents.  Each week they will be given hands-on training in preparing dishes from a particular region around the world.  Instruction will include basic kitchen safety, knife skills, reading and following a recipe, and how to measure ingredients properly.  Classes will be grouped into two sections: ages 8-12 and 13-17.

Kids Bake (Ages 8-17)       $50
Your child will be given the opportunity to showcase their skills and identify their talents.  Each week they will be given the opportunity to understand the basics of baking: including various mixing methods, how to execute a recipe, measuring and timing.  Each week we will focus on a different category of baked goods, pastries, and desserts.  Classes will be grouped into two sections: ages 8-12 and 13-17.

Kids Baking Camp (4 week series) $200
During this series your child will have the opportunity to develop or improve their baking skills.  Your child will learn advance techniques in baking methods.  The best part is they get to eat their masterpieces when they are done!  Each class will be held one day a week for 3 hours. (Restriction: you cannot exchange classes in this series and classes for this series are only offered on the scheduled dates.  Please plan accordingly when registering for the camp).

Scramble Kids Cooking Classes
Scramble – A Breakfast Joint has launched their “Think Global – Eat Local” Junior edition, in an effort to get kids to think about where their food comes from and how they can look for the best local products and create amazing dishes.

Scramble will be offering quarterly cooking classes for children aged 6 to 16 years old on the first Wednesday of June, September and December. Executive Chef Rick Moses at the Scottsdale location will be leading hands-on classes. With each class there will be a vendor spotlight, focusing on a farm or producer that will be supplying the main ingredient of focus.

The June 3^rd class was focused on Peddler’s Son Produce and the students learned how to make pancakes with homemade fruit toppings including crème brûlée bananas, fresh berries and much more.

Attendance fees are $25 per class and all mini-chefs will learn kitchen safety skills and cooking techniques. They will also be invited to sample all that they have made and will take home a goodie bag complete with Scramble water bottles, aprons, samples coupons and more – not to mention all that tasty culinary knowledge.

All junior chefs need to be accompanied by an adult.