Kitchen Wizards will host several cooking classes exclusively for kids in Middletown Township
By Samantha Bambino
The Times
Thanks to the recent plethora of kid-friendly shows on the Food Network, including Kids Baking Championship and Chopped Junior, more kids than ever are taking a serious interest in the world of cooking.
Unfortunately, most schools don’t have extracurricular activities to accommodate students who’d rather play with fondant than a football. But that’s where Kitchen Wizards comes in. Over the next few months, the cooking program will host a slew of classes in Middletown Township exclusively for kids, teaching them how to create everything from sugar cookies to a beef stew dinner.
Based in Blue Bell, Kitchen Wizards was founded a little more than 16 years ago by Kathy Wolper. What originally began as a home-based baking business called Kathy’s Just Desserts has since transformed into the educational program seen today. Now, Wolper and her staff of culinary specialists travel throughout New Jersey and Pennsylvania, including Middletown and Newtown townships, to help people “discover the magic of cooking one bite at a time.”
From ladies night out to corporate team building, Kitchen Wizards teaches anyone and everyone looking to learn a thing or two about preparing a homemade meal. But for Wolper, who has a lengthy background in elementary education, helping kids embrace an early interest in cooking is one of her favorite aspects of the job.
On the evening of Saturday, Jan. 27, the aspiring young chefs of Middletown dove head first into their first Kitchen Wizards experience. During the class, which was entitled “Mangia, Mangia!,” they made baked manicotti, Italian salad with homemade dressing and Italian S-shaped cookies for dessert.
“The kids are hands-on,” Wolper said. “They get to see the ingredients.”
Sometimes, this isn’t always a positive thing, with each class usually having that one picky eater. The child may love Ranch dressing, but cringes when they learn mayonnaise is in the recipe. While no student is ever forced to eat something, they’re encouraged to at least taste it, which many end up doing.
According to Wolper, so much of what people eat today is processed and packed with preservatives. We choose the convenience of a microwave meal rather than slaving over a hot stove, and are rarely informed about the ingredients we’re putting into our bodies. But Wolper doesn’t want her students living off Lean Cuisines and ramen noodle cups when they get to college.
“I like them to develop a taste for made-from-scratch,” she said.
In her classes, Wolper helps kids realize creating a homemade meal isn’t some insurmountable task, though mistakes will be made along the way. It’s all part of the learning process.
“You can’t expect perfection,” she said.
Dinners and desserts may look flawless coming out of ovens on the Food Network, but she said it’s all “smoke and mirrors,” with most of the food premade off-camera.
To drive home her point, Wolper shares stories with the kids of her own trials and errors. At only 8 years old, she tried her hand at baking homemade cupcakes. They looked absolutely beautiful as her mother set them on the table for dessert. So it came as a shock when her older brother started gagging on his. At first, she thought he was being a typical annoying sibling. But then she noticed her father guzzling tea, trying not to cough as well.
Wolper accidentally mixed up the recipe, adding in a cup of salt and a teaspoon of sugar instead of the other way around.
“We ended up having ice cream for dessert,” she laughed. “It happens.”
It’s safe to say that a Kitchen Wizards class is far from Hell’s Kitchen. There’s no such thing as a mistake, and all levels of experience are welcome to participate. Wolper makes sure each child feels included, regardless of whether they’ve ever held a spatula, by asking about their favorite foods among other light-hearted topics. Throughout the class, friendly feedback is provided to help them grow, but primarily, their work is praised.
“It’s all about having them feel confident and accomplished,” Wolper said.
Kitchen Wizards accepts students as young as 4 and as old as 15, and each upcoming Middletown class takes place on a Saturday evening from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. According to Wolper, it’s the perfect chance for mom and dad to have date night while their child picks up a new life skill.
“Parents don’t have to feel guilty about having fun themselves,” she said.
The next class, “Make a Meal of Snacks,” will take place on March 3, where students will learn the difference between sweet and savory.
“It’s kind of sneaking education into a fun environment,” Wolper said.
“Soup-er Spectacular Supper” will be on March 24 and include chicken noodle soup, corn muffins, salad and butterscotch sugar cookies. “Beef Stew Dinner” will take place April 21.
All classes are hosted at 3 Municipal Way in Langhorne through Middletown Township Parks and Recreation. Ages 8 to 13 are welcome to participate, and cost is $30-$35 per class. Each student receives printed versions of the recipes to take home. Those interested are asked to preregister at least three days in advance.
Visit parksandrec.middletownbucks.org/ParksRec_Live/home or kitchenwizards.info/ for more information and additional programs. ••
Samantha Bambino can be reached at [email protected]
