Sticky Fingers Cooking: Real Food, Real Recipes, and Real Skills for Kids #MBPHoliday20 #Review

Thank you to Sticky Fingers Cooking for providing classes in exchange for a review. All thoughts and opinions are my own!

Growing up, I was not able to spend much time in the kitchen, unless it was related to holiday baking. In my late teen and young adult years, after spending time in camp kitchens, I started to develop a passion for baking and cooking. I've wanted to pass this joy on to others and am glad that my niece has expressed interest in learning to cook! She likes cooking for her family and sharing how much she enjoys learning new things.

When Sticky Fingers Cooking Classes popped up, I wanted to gift her these classes so she could sharpen her skills and take-away something that will serve her well for life.

Sticky Fingers Cooking offers camps and classes for children both online and in person. Since 2011, Sticky Fingers Cooking has taught more than 39,000 classes to 51,000+ children, ages 3-18, and families. Their approach to cooking with kids and families is an incredibly unique experience that highlights globally-inspired recipes. They offer both kids-only cooking classes, as well as cooking classes for families. In virtual cooking classes, kids learn from engaging Chef Instructors, where they will experience the joy of cooking, grow independence in the kitchen, and experience recipes and cultures from around the world.

My niece and I participated in 4 one-hour sessions across the month of November in a Kids in the Kitchen Cooking Class. Typically, kids are encouraged to attend class alone (with an adult figure nearby if help is needed) but for this review, I was able to join in since I live in a different state. Prior to each class, participants received checklists with recipes, ingredients, and prep work that should be completed ahead of time.

Recipes Included:

Week 1: Vegetable Confetti Cantonese Fried Rice Cup + Bubbly Ginger Limeade

Week 2: Choose Your Own Adventure Buttermilk Slab Pancakes and Sparkling Orange Juice

Week 3: Kid-Created Thanksgiving Sides: Green Bean Casserole Cups + Creamed Spinach Stuffed Mushrooms + Fancy Cranberry Juice Sparklers

Week 4: Sticky Toffee Gingerbread Pudding + 2-ingredient Chocolate Frosting

Held over Zoom, our class sizes ranged between 6-8 children. Some of these children had been in classes a while and had prior relationships with the instructor, but that did not stop my niece from jumping right in!

The classes are designed for kids to be able to complete the recipes on their own, but sometimes an adult figure needed to be around when the child was unable to complete a task by themselves.

Typically, a class is led by one instructor unless illness or other obligations pop up. In our course, two weeks were led by a different instructor. We must admit- this was a slightly difficult adjustment. We know this in teaching- different styles, different techniques, and different ways of relating to kids (and adults) can throw people off when substitutes are thrown in. My niece rolled with it, but she did comment that she preferred her original instructor's pace and instructions better.

Zoom Cooking Classes can always be challenging, regardless of age, so I was highly impressed with the Chef. Each session started by making sure that the children had the ingredients and utensils needed. Techniques and tips were interspersed with instructions about vegetables, about proper microwave usage (such as "no metal in the microwave") and even a little bit on knife technique!

Time management is key in the kitchen and both chefs were clear with instructions and with letting students work at their own pace. If the children fell behind, chefs continued to check in with them and helped them sort out their issues while still helping the rest of the class move along. The chefs prefer that group moves forward together, but sometimes issues prevents that from occurring, so they were great about checking in and encouraging students.

At the end of the time, the Chef allowed the children to ask questions, discuss what they learned, what they enjoyed/ had difficulties with, and even held time to try their creations together. Sometimes children, as I used to be, are picky-eaters and the chefs do encourage them to try things even if they think they wouldn't like it!

Overall, the quality of these classes is really good. The familiarity of one's kitchen adds a great touch- so that not only are kids learning to cook, but they are cooking with the tools and foods in their own kitchen.

My sister was in the kitchen with my niece and did comment that she often times wished the class was 75 mins versus 60 so that the children didn't feel rushed. I did see that if children got behind, they ended up feeling frustrated even though the Chef was letting them work at their own pace. This happened with my niece on occasion, but she always managed to catch back up and felt relaxed after doing so.

Sticky Fingers Cooking is amazing at substitutions and recipes. One of the themes throughout the class was to use what you have at home. If a recipe item couldn't be found in the store, or if a parent didn't have time to grab it- it was okay to adapt. I love this concept because it's what we do in adult life, right? We don't always have time to go grab that $7 ingredient for one meal, so we adapt and change.

Sticky Fingers is also great at allergies! When entering in your child's information, make sure to include any allergies and they will come back with substitutions. One week, I noted I personally can't eat mushrooms and the Sticky Fingers staff came back with a substitute that was really great! Gluten Free, Dairy Free, and Vegetarian options are available as well.

A direct quote from my niece sums up her experiences "They (the classes) were fun. I liked learning how to cook new things. When you are making it, you are excited to eat what you are creating and then when it is good, it makes you happy. I liked having the classes on zoom, and the instructors. I liked Chef Dylan because he went slow and steady. The other Chef I had for two classes, she went a little bit too fast and I had a hard time keeping up. I want to do more classes soon!!"

Sticky Fingers Cooking offers a variety of classes at various days and times through-out the week. Upcoming Classes include the following sessions:

School Break Holiday Savory Cooking Camp (December 28th-30th)

Winter Sweets + Treats Baking Camp (December 28th-30th)

Family 3- Session Packages (where family members who live in different locations can join together)

Simplicity 101: One Pot Dinners Course w/ Chef Dylan (4 week session: 1/5, 1/12, 1/19, 1/26)

Would you love an experiential hands-on gift where your children can have fun and learn in the process? Full Sessions, Individual Classes, and even family gatherings are all available. Virtually learning to cook will make a great Christmas gift for the entire family! Perhaps your family will learn new recipes, new methods of cooking, and gain some skills in the process. I definitely recommend trying out Sticky Fingers Cooking.. your kids will love it!