Little Kitchen Academy Denver focuses on building life skills while also fostering independence.
DENVER — Little Kitchen Academy (LKA) Denver teaches more than just kitchen rules. They teach basic skills to help students build self-confidence. This Montessori-inspired culinary academy offers year-round cooking classes for students ages 3 to 18. During class, students learn how to prepare healthy, seasonal meals from scratch while building life skills and food literacy.
“Everything we do here is education,” says LKA Denver Principal Marcy Levin, “It's really important that we talk about food literacy in every class so students understand that food doesn't just come from the grocery store, but there's a history and a story behind it.”
The curriculum focuses on cooking with local, organic ingredients in a hands-on kitchen environment. Students learn how to cook from scratch, with instructors showing them how to use tools safely and prepare a variety of recipes. But Levine says the learning goes far beyond the kitchen.
“We don't want to produce the best chefs in the world; we want to produce productive members of society,” Levine said. “By teaching students essential life skills, like self-reliance, we can build better futures for them both in the kitchen and when they leave our school.”
The Vancouver, Canada-based concept was co-founded by entrepreneur Brian Currin, his wife Felicity Currin, a Montessori-educated culinary expert, and social impact investor and entrepreneur Praveen Varshney, with a vision to become a global leader in teaching kids practical life skills and food literacy to promote a healthier society.
“We focus on building fundamental life skills, independence, curiosity and confidence in every student who comes through our school,” Levine said. “It may be hidden or disguised because they're using food, but they're using social skills and building on that.”
Students attend three hours of classes where they learn how to make healthy decisions while building their reading and math skills.
“We use visual measuring cups, we talk about math, we talk about reading comprehension. Everything we do is very academic, even though we're doing it in the kitchen,” Levine said. “They're gaining confidence, independence, curiosity, and they're going outside and they're gaining basic life skills that they can apply to whatever they do outside of us.”
Levine said their mission is to help students make an impact.
“They use a variety of tools and build confidence that they can do anything.”
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