Children enjoy helping in the kitchen, whether baking chocolate chip cookies or rolling out dough to form the crust for their favorite pizza. Participating in cooking classes can encourage your kids to experiment with new foods, get comfortable using cooking utensils, practice fine motor skills, and learn creativity and teamwork to serve them for a lifetime. Reading recipes and measuring ingredients also enhances their language arts and mathematic proficiency. Most importantly, cooking classes allow your kids to put down their digital devices, step into the kitchen, and engage in edible fun they can share with friends and family. 

If you’re looking for opportunities to get your kids interested in baking and cooking, keep reading as our Crème de la Crème team explores kids’ cooking classes near Romeoville, Illinois. 

Farmhouse Academy

A young Boy and his grandma in the kitchen mixing ingredients in a silver bowl together

Farmhouse Academy presents a welcoming environment for kids to acquire or hone their baking and cooking skills with hands-on experiential learning. Learning opportunities include the following:

  • Kids’ classes are open to children ages 2-17. From learning to prepare fresh homemade pasta to mastering the art of creating the most delectable cream puffs, your children will love experimenting with new techniques and recipes. 
  • Family classes promise culinary fun for everyone in your household. Discover the art of artisan pizza or practice the techniques for preparing the most tender strudel you’ve ever tasted.
  • You and your children can bond over fun baking classes while you learn to decorate cupcakes, create fabulous French-inspired macarons, and fry a batch of delicious doughnuts.

In addition to these cooking classes, Farmhouse Academy invites families to host children’s cooking-themed birthday parties. Guests can bake and frost rainbow cupcakes or prepare their favorite pasta and pizza creations. Costs vary based on the package you select.

  • Location: 8940 W. 192nd St., Unit L, Mokena.
  • Telephone: 708-921-3528.

Kidinary Cooking Academy

Kidinary Cooking Academy is a mobile cooking school offering education and entertainment for children. The academy’s mission is to reverse the childhood obesity epidemic by partnering with parents to help children acquire hands-on skills and knowledge to guide them toward a lifetime of wellness. Through the academy’s classes, dedicated, friendly instructors empower children to build confidence in their abilities and hone enduring skills, such as leadership, communication, problem solving, and teamwork, through chopping, mixing, and preparing healthy foods for themselves.

Kidinary Cooking Academy offers in-person and virtual cooking instruction sessions, plus summer camp experiences. Fun programs cover cupcake wars, French bistro baking, and breakfast bonanza. The cooking experiences are ideal for children ages 5-12.

Various churches and schools throughout the area serve as host locations for Kidinary Cooking Academy. They include Community Christian Church in Plainfield, Community Christian Church in Naperville, Roots & Wings Christian Homeschool Co-Op at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Naperville, Oswego 308 School District, and Plainfield 202 School District. Visit the class calendar page on the academy’s website to view upcoming culinary programs and summer camp information. 

  • Location: Host sites vary; see above for examples. 
  • Telephone: 815-600-2044.

Little Kitchen Academy

Little Kitchen Academy is the first-of-its-kind Montessori-inspired cooking academy opening soon in Plainfield. Through its supportive environment, young chefs who make up the Little Kitchen Academy community can build practical life skills while developing their self-confidence, independence, and a lifetime of healthy eating habits. 

Little Kitchen Academy’s programs support kids ages 3-18. The littlest cooks may learn topics such as choosing healthy foods and basic table manners. Older kids may focus on boosting their competence in using various kitchen equipment, tweaking recipes to suit their tastes, and preparing full meals for family and friends.

Keep tuned to Little Kitchen Academy Plainfield’s social media channels for more grand opening updates.

Marcel’s Culinary Experience

For more than a decade, Marcel’s Culinary Experience in Glen Ellyn has been the hub for cooking innovation and celebration. Longtime Glen Ellyn resident Jill Foucré founded Marcel’s Culinary Experience, which offers a state-of-the-art kitchen that invites cooks of all ages and skill levels to connect through fabulous food adventures with friends and family. 

Professional chefs, chef educators, and culinary assistants are at the heart of Marcel’s Culinary Experience, and kids and families are welcome to participate in enriching education. Kids can register for summer camp to hone their culinary knowledge of basic cooking techniques, baking, summer grilling, and preparing garden-inspired meals. Children ages 6-16 are welcome to participate.

Registration information is available online, by telephone, or in person. 

  • Location: 490 N. Main St., Glen Ellyn.
  • Telephone: 630-790-8500.

North American Pizza & Culinary Academy

Any aspiring chef would love the opportunity to work in a professional kitchen. At the North American Pizza & Culinary Academy, kids can get that experience thanks to a state-of-the-art kitchen space that provides ample room for culinary creativity. 

Chef Anthony Iannone of the Bice Restaurant Group in New York founded the North American Pizza & Culinary Academy, which offers fun and informative kids and teens workshops. Chef instructors will get your kids rolling up their sleeves and delving into cooking fundamentals, such as reading a recipe, understanding ingredients, mixing and sauteing, working in groups, and more. Every participant receives hands-on, step-by-step instructions to take them from raw ingredients to the finished product.

Classes are approximately 2 1/2 hours. Each child will enjoy a full four-item meal of what they create in each class. Programs will introduce your kids to the wonders of global cuisine, let them bake savory and sweet treats, and explore food diversity through a culinary adventure camp.

  • Location: 1970 University Lane, Lisle. 
  • Telephone: 630-395-9958.

Plan Even More Cooking Adventures for Your Child 

Our Crème de la Crème of Romeoville team  hopes you and your family will participate in one or more of these upcoming cooking classes. Which ones have you explored? What did your child like the best? Please write to us and let us know. We’d also love to hear about your experiences and recommendations for even more cooking-themed activities and classes for children in the Romeoville area.

Boy in White Shirt and Black and Red Apron Sitting on Kitchen Counter by Los Muertos Crew is licensed with Pexels License