Is your home routine becoming old and tiresome? Are you looking for something unique and worthwhile to get your child involved in during these challenging times? Are your children practically begging you to get out of the house to do something (actually anything!) other than being stuck at home with their siblings? Well, look no further than Young Chefs Academy in Strongsville to fill that void.
Young Chefs Academy is the perfect place to bring your child for a creative escape that allows them to learn new skills and to safely interact with others in a new environment. Be it weekly classes, membership programs for kids, field trips, all-inclusive parties or just a one-on-one night with your child to develop new skills and the chance to bond with them in a way that they may not be accustomed to, Young Chefs Academy has a plethora of options. And whichever you choose, you can be sure that your child will enjoy the experience and – more than likely – will pick up a new hobby that keeps them excited to cook and comfortable being in the kitchen.
New owners, Sy and Tanya Mougrabi, along with friends, Ray and Jen Must, have poured their hearts and souls into their new venture, which they purchased last summer. After a brief period of intense remodeling, the group reopened the doors for customers to experience the new space that they had created for aspiring young chefs. Since then, the feedback and reviews have been nothing short of spectacular!
On the day of my visit to Young Chefs Academy, I happened to be there when a field-trip class was in session for a group of Girl Scouts. This, as it turns out, was the perfect time for my tour of the facility. The smell of freshly cooked food filled the entire academy and children were abuzz with excitement and enthusiasm. Kids were working at their own work stations, putting together and mixing ingredients for a pizza dish with dough made from scratch. The busy sounds of happiness and joy rang out and I heard one little girl yell, “I love this place!”
“Their enthusiasm is contagious, isn’t it?” Head Chef Tiffany Nickem asks. She points out that the skills they are learning in the kitchen translate into other skills they will use in their everyday life. “It really boosts their confidence,” she says. “Every time a kid goes out into the world and accomplishes something on their own, or with their family, it just boosts their self-esteem. And that just helps them to keep going forward and they start taking on more risks themselves and investing in themselves just a little bit at a time.”
She continues: “Our recipes are amazing and the kids love them. They try so many foods that they normally wouldn’t try because they made it themselves. They touched it and they know what went into it, so something they haven’t tried before isn’t as scary to them anymore. It takes the fear out of it for them. Plus, they're around other kids who are eating it and it makes them feel a little more confident about eating something they might not normally eat…like broccoli!”
Young Chefs Academy offers classes and memberships for all ages of children, starting with their Kinder Cooks class with ages ranging from 4-6 or 7. After that, Young Chefs Academy offers their JuniorChefs (7+) and Senior Chefs (12+) programs. All members are given a new white chef’s coat to begin and they earn a different patch for each mastery level completed. When enough patches are earned and displayed on their coat, the young chefs then move up to the next level of the program. Your kids will love the Young Chefs Academy because it is fun, challenging and most of all, rewarding!
To learn more, visit YoungChefsAcademy.com, call (440) 853-5004 or email strongsvilleoh@youngchefsacademy.com. Young Chefs Academy of Strongsville is located at 14759 Pearl Road, Strongsville, OH 44136.