Young Chefs® Academy is not a just your average kids program, it is a skills-based cooking school.   They teach children by providing hands-on environment  for your child to develop a life skill that they will use every day. And they start working with kids as early as three years old.

How does learning to cook benefit children? 

• Cooking builds self-esteem.
• Cooking teaches kids about fractions (is a 1/2 cup bigger than a 1/4 cup?) to temperature (what makes broiling hotter than baking?).
• Cooking encourages a connection with reading and tangible results.
• Cookingmakes kids more willing to try new foods.
• Cooking teaches kids about different cultures and the origin of different foods.
• Kids who cook tend to eat more fruits and vegetables.
• Cooking fosters independence and gives kids an important lifelong skill.

What does YCA offer?

offers new classes each week that are uniquely structured around a monthly theme. Children can drop in for a single class or sign up for a month at a time.  Each class focuses on true culinary techniques where teachers guide their students through original YCA recipes ~ all created exclusively for Young Chefs® Academy by certified chefs.  Most important, those recipes are not duplicated – there is something new at every class!

What about the more advanced student?

The Young Chefs® Academy MasterChef Program is a unique opportunity for our Junior & Senior Chefs Club Members who are serious about cooking and interested in mastering the basic culinary skills and techniques needed to embark on a lifelong love of cooking. Members who are enrolled in the MasterChef Program will earn patches to proudly display on their chef jacket uniform by simply participating in weekly classes and mastering knowledge assessments.  Each level of the MasterChef program is designed to help each member achieve the honor of wearing the elite black chef jacket and becoming a YCA certified MasterChef.

Learn More

Do you think your child would benefit from learning to cook?
Contact Young Chefs Academy for more details.
2230 John Rolfe Parkway, Richmond, VA 23233
804.360.9797      richmondva@youngchefsacademy.com