My family had the opportunity to decorate a gingerbread house at Young Chefs’ Academy over the weekend, and we will probably add this to our holiday traditions. I had heard good things about their cooking classes for kids, so when they invited us to decorate a house I was thrilled. We had a great time and I didn’t have to clean up the mess!
Young Chefs’ Academy is a cooking school for kids located not too far off the Morse Road exit in Gahanna. The academy is a fun atmosphere with 
brightly colored walls and has an all around “happy feel” to it. They offer weekly classes and one-day classes where kids learn cooking and baking techniques, kitchen safety, proper food handling, table setting, manners, and much more. Classes are offered to preschool-aged children on up to adults. They also do team-building, birthday parties, and “Fun Fridays,” which is a drop-off event (still got Christmas shopping to do?).
Our station was set up and ready for us, all we needed was vision and creativity. One wall was lined with jars filled with an array of candy – from candy canes to sweet tarts to M & Ms, they had tons of choices. The Academy staff directed us every step of the way and were there with hot chocolate (for when we needed a break from all that design work – exhausting!). We were allotted 45 minutes to decorate our candy-dream home, which included adding trees, a snowman and coconut snow in our yard. Once the house was ready for an elf 
or a family of mice to move in, it was put in a box to transport home – keeping all that coconut snow contained from the seats of my car.
If you want to decorate a gingerbread house as a family or perhaps have a house-decorating party, all you have to do is call and arrange a time. They are flexible and accommodating – I told you it was easy! One house is $40, two are $35 each, and 3 or more are $30 each (ask about group discounts).
Also – I spoke with a mom whose child is taking cooking classes. Here’s what she had to say:
What a wonderful experience for children who have an interest in cooking! My daughter is just loving her time at the Young Chefs’ Academy. She is learning everything from simply identifying kitchen tools and products to creating full meals. She especially loves being able to help prep by choosing items from the pantry or fridge, and by 
doing this she is gaining an appreciation for the whole process. While each child uses the same ingredients and recipes, they all also create their own food items and this allows for creativity and individuality. My daughter’s interest in cooking has only increased since she has been taking these classes. She puts it best by saying, “It’s baking and cooking with friends, what could be more fun than that!” 🙂
Young Chefs’ Academy
425 Beecher Rd.
Gahanna, OH 43230
614-933-9700
www.youngchefsacademy.com
*Disclosure: Young Chefs’ Academy provided us with the gingerbread house and hot chocolate. Big thanks to them!
