Kids in the kitchen: Cooking lessons for children teach more than just meals

[isilzha]

Kids in the kitchen: Cooking lessons for children teach more than just meal preparation
By Emily Young , Staff Writer
Eagle-Tribune
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It was Patricia McCourt's outfit that separated her from the six other young culinary students captivated by cookbook author and instructor Katie Wilton during a recent class. Her white chef's hat complimented her traditional chef's jacket, on which "Chef Patricia" was embroidered above the name of her future restaurant: "Bagoo 4."

"My dad calls me Bagoo, and he started when I was 4," explained the 8-year-old, who dreams of becoming America's next Top Chef. "I help my mom in the kitchen and learned how to make pasta because my mom's Italian. My tips are always try to use anything that would taste good and take risks because you never know when an idea could work."

To attend the cooking class at Eurostoves in Beverly, Patricia was willing to skip her Girl Scout meeting. And she's not the only kid crazy for cooking - as demonstrated by the growing number of classes popping up in the area.

"Schools used to offer home economics, but a lot don't anymore. Kids still want to learn cooking skills and a lot of them love things like the Food Network," said Michele McKay, a Derry, N.H., personal chef who teaches a kids' cooking class at the YMCA in Nashua, N.H., and has run cooking-themed summer camps in the past. "Oh sure, they know all the celebrity chefs and have their favorites."

Some parents might feel it's risky enough to allow an 8-year-old anywhere near the kitchen, let alone take command of a meal. But Wilton and McKay agree that the benefits kids can reap over a hot stove outweigh the negatives, including the messes.

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[Food Network Fan]

My daughter is trying to fix more things herself. But they like eating better than fixing.