The Young Chef Academy is in Strongsville, Ohio, 4 miles from the heart of Cleveland. The academy teaches children from 3 to 14 how to cook and bake some of their favorite foods and treats. Classes range from $15 per class or $45 for four classes for 3-to-5-year-olds, $20 per class or $65 for four classes for 5-to-11-year-olds, and $25 to $30 per class or $80 for four classes for 12-to-14-year-olds. Menus are age-appropriate and can include such favorites as soups, salad, omelets, cookies and cupcakes. The Young Chef Academy brings a unique, safe experience to children that encourages them to discover and create in the kitchen.
Cooking Thyme specializes in teaching families how to cook healthy meals together. Each class is two hours long, and you and your family rotate around 12 stations, cooking 12 different meals. After each class, you are allowed to take home all 12 meals, each of which feeds between four and six people. You can freeze the meals to feed your family for up to two weeks. Cooking Thyme is in Westlake, a suburb of Cleveland that is 22 minutes away and easily accessible from I-90 and I-480. Full sessions of the 12 dishes costs $228; the school also offers half-sessions, six meals for $126.
The Viking Cooking School in Cleveland offers classes for children and adults, ranging from regular workshops to demonstrations and even guest chefs. The school also offers special event classes, such as team-building exercises for office employees or a unique birthday party. Child and teen camps at the school are two hours long for the kids and 2 1/2 hours for teens. Viking Cooking School also offers advanced cake decorating; would-be food artists can learn how to mold and decorate using advanced techniques such as fondant and gum paste.
The Loretta Paganini School of Cooking is located in Chesterland, 38 minutes from Cleveland. It offers courses in culinary basics for students of all ages as well as culinary classes for the career-oriented. Apply early because courses fill up quickly, which attests to their popularity. The courses focus on topics such as Homemade Pasta, Eating Smart, Easy One Pot Meals, Basic Techniques, Nutrition, and Chocolate Desserts. Paganini also offers her students culinary tours of her native Italy.