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In The News
In The News - Articles
2008 Top New Franchise - Rank #22
2008 Fastest Growing Franchise - Rank #55
2008 Franchise 500 - Rank #295
NY Times
Top Chefs and Iron Chefs Have to Start Somewhere
Published: October 17, 2007
Young Chefs Academy, a chain of more than 150 franchised cooking schools for children in the United States and Canada, has opened its first branch in New York City, at 108-10 72nd Avenue (Austin Street) in Forest Hills, Queens. The school's quarters are bright and well equipped. Classes, divided by age, are taught appropriate tasks by at least two instructors and often, an assistant. On a weekday afternoon last week the 7- to 11-year-olds made yeast-raised pretzels and a berry compote to go with them. More than a dozen 4- to 6-year-olds were busy decorating cookies and making punch.
I admired the way the instructors, like Christopher Chesleigh, left, an owner of this franchise, kept this group nicely behaved and interested. Safety and hygiene are given good emphasis. There are also classes for children 3 to 5 years old, with a parent, and evening classes for those 12 and older. Classes are given as a series or individually; prices start at $35 plus a registration fee: (718) 268-0343, youngchefsacademy.com.
BusinessWeek Magazine
Cooking for Kids Kids learn to cook
Cooking classes for kids are heating up. We look at the culinary skills children are learning and what classes cost. Watch out Julia Child and Rachael Ray, here come Madison and Emily
Working Mother Magazine
ENTREPRENEUR MOM - CHEF'S CLUB
How to Franchise an Idea
By: Claire Whitcomb, Photo: Helena You
Julie Burleson, 44, mom of two, ages 12 and 8, and Suzy Nettles, 43, mom of three, ages 13, 12, and 7; founders of Young Chefs Academy, based in Waco, TX. '07
Projections: Franchises, 250 in 30 states.
Gross income: $5 million.
Our story: Business flops are a big part of our success. In the dozen or so years since our oldest children were born, we'd searched for a business idea to help us avoid going back to teaching (Suzy) and administrative work (Julie). First there was our herb shop—too time-intensive. Then there was our quest to market a hair clip that didn't fall out of our daughters' hair. But it didn't make a dime. Our catering business? It felt too much like housework. But a funny thing happened while we were cooking other people's dinners: Andrew, Julie's 4-year-old, would materialize and ask to help mix and measure. The proverbial lightbulb finally went on: a cooking school for kids!
To test the waters, we put an ad in a local freebie parenting paper. We didn't list an address because we didn't have one. When the phone began to ring, we convinced a local coffeehouse to let us offer birthday parties during its off-hours on weekends. Judging from the volume of calls, we realized there was a huge appetite for kids' classes that were more Food Network than babysitting. Both parents and kids wanted classes that taught kids to make baked apples and burritos, not just to ice cupcakes. So we rented a store using the money we'd made so far, did the renovation ourselves and offered afternoon classes and camps. All the while we were thinking, If this concept is so popular in Waco, why not franchise it? By selling the rights to other entrepreneur moms, we could expand the business quickly, and moms could reap the benefits of buying a franchise: low investment, low risk and high success rates.
Having been through FastTrac (www.fasttrac.org), a continuing-ed business course, we knew we'd developed a formula that could be duplicated. Even though we had only a year's experience under our belt, we called Waco entrepreneur Gary Findley, whom we discovered through friends. Gary was then the president of the incredibly successful franchise Curves. During a lunch meeting, Gary "got" our idea. He understood that cooking is math, reading, geographyâ?"not to mention family connections and memories. The next day he offered to partner with us, and we made a heavenly deal. He takes care of the franchising, meaning his team sells the franchises, collects the licensing and royalty fees, handles the marketing and promotion of the brand and does all the paperwork. We handle training, curriculum and the fun stuff.
From the start, our kids have considered the business theirs. Weekends, they're down at the merchandise warehouse sorting spatulas. They watch TV on the big screen at our training center. And when we're too tired to cook--which is often these days--they can do more than heat up fish sticks. Last week, Julie's daughter, Rachel, produced a batch of cookies, even though there were no eggs in the house. "Wow," we said, "can we have that recipe?"
Lessons learned
- It pays to be mom-friendly. We wanted our franchisee moms to be able to do what we did: work part-time, on weekends and afternoons, with maybe just a high school student to help. So our franchise has a deliberately low fee, $29,500. If some moms want to go bigger, they can add a second kitchen or buy multiple territories.
- Offer memberships. You want repeat business so a good way to boost your revenue stream is to sell memberships. Instead of signing kids up for the occasional birthday party, a Young Chefs membership means they can drop in once a week for classes. Plus, they're given a chef's kit, discounts on birthday parties and guest passes.
- Brand yourself with products. When we first started, we sold one or two kid-friendly cooking items. Now it's close to 20. Pizza kits and chef hats can be a major source of revenue. We hired two smart and handsome employees to take over this arm of the business: the men who only two years ago thought we should get "real" jobs—our husbands!
- Study your kids. Ours avidly watch the Food Network. When we first started Young Chefs, we pretested our classes on our kids. They loved doing grown-up things like making royal frosting and stuffed acorn squash—with real tools, just like on TV!
Success Magazine10 Franchises We Love
These fast-growing businesses are buzzing by the competition to become industry leaders--and they're looking for a few good owners.
Success Staff
Young Chef's Academy
What? A cookery class for young children
Where? Waco, Texas
How Many Franchises? 162
Best friends Julie Fabing and Suzy Nettles became entrepreneur-moms when they cleaned out their savings accounts to start Young Chefs Academy. The idea? To teach kids to cook in a fun, inspiring environment designed specifically for children. Eager to bring this fresh new concept to other parents, the first location opened in 2003. Although they control the growth of YCA, it has grown faster and bigger than they could have imagined. The franchise costs $29,500 to start.
Entrepreneur MagazineKidding Around
These entrepreneurs are serious about their kid-friendly franchises.
By Tracy Stapp | Entrepreneur Magazine - February 2007
With the under-18 crowd making up over a quarter of the U.S. population, catering to kids can really pay off. But it’s a crowded market, so standing out can be tough. New franchisors are finding unique ways to target the children’s market--and attracting parents by teaching kids important skills and values.
The Right Ingredients
Julie Burleson and Suzy Nettles had a strong desire to run their own business and had made several attempts, including selling herbs and hair accessories. It was while working on a catering business, with Burleson’s then-4-year-old son trying to help in the kitchen, that the idea for Young Chefs Academy struck. With a shared love of cooking and Nettles’ 10 years of teaching experience, they finally found a business that fit them perfectly. Young Chefs Academy teaches cooking to kids ages 4 to 14 through classes, camps and birthday parties. Along with the creativity, math and science skills that come with hands-on cooking experience, the kids learn kitchen safety, etiquette, table setting and more. Burleson and Nettles, 45 and 44, respectively, started small in 2004 with weekend-only classes, but the Waco, Texas-based business grew quickly. Since they began franchising in June 2005, more than 50 Young Chefs Academy franchises have opened across the U.S.
D Magazine | Best Of
Best Kitchen for Kids Website: http://www.youngchefsacademy.com
Young Chefs Academy
Most kids feel like mini-Rachael Rays if they can cook a frozen pizza or follow instructions on a box of mac and cheese. However, you can help your kids channel their inner culinary creativity without the mess by enrolling them at Young Chefs Academy, where kids from ages 4 to 15 are instructed on basic cooking and baking techniques, food safety, table setting, and—drum roll, please—manners. The classes are hands on, and with membership, each student receives a chefs’ hat, apron, and binder for recipes.
About.com: Atlanta, GATop 10 Places for Children's Parties in Atlanta
From Joy Johnston,
Your Guide to Atlanta, GA.
Atlanta offers many family-friendly venues that are perfect for hosting children's parties.
1. Zoo Atlanta Zoo Atlanta offers two birthday party programs, a traditional package that is designed for up to a dozen children, and the monthly Birthday Crawlers overnight program that is designed for individuals or groups.
2. Imagine It! The Children's Museum of Atlanta The museum offers private rooms for children's birthday parties and even a hostess that will lead the children through an interactive activity. Other amenities include goody boxes for all children at the party and free admission to the museum. Cakes and food are available for additional charge. Perfect for kids ages two through eight.
3. Center for Puppetry Arts Dual/Family memberships include members only birthday party opportunities. Or simply buy tickets to one of the Center's excellent children's productions for a birthday to remember.
4. Imagym Kids Play and Fitness Sandy Springs facility dedicated to helping children achieve a healthy and active lifestyle at an early age offers a variety of birthday packages. Refer to their website for complete birthday package details and pricing.
5. World of Coca-Cola Birthday parties at the World of Coca-Cola include a private party room rental, a special t-shirt for the birthday child, and souvenir goodie bags for all party participants. For an extra charge, the Coca-Cola polar bear will make a special appearance!
6. Young Chefs Academy Let kids create something yummy in the kitchen at the Young Chefs Academy. Two different birthday packages are offered.
7. Tanglewood Farm's "Barnyard Bash" The "Barnyard Bash" is a children's party package that includes a tour of the miniature animal farm, and access to either an indoor or outdoor picnic area. A pony ride for all of the children is also included.
8. Stone Mountain Park Stone Mountain Park doesn't officially offer birthday packages, but they do have public picnic areas, and plenty of kid-friendly activities.
9. Fernbank Museum of Natural History Museum members can host their birthday party here, which includes all-day admission to the museum, three hours in a private party room, and a free t-shirt and goodie bag for the birthday child. Tickets to the IMAX theatre and lunch are available for an extra charge.
10. High Museum of Art The Greene Family Education Center doesn't offer any specific birthday packages, but museum admission price allows children to explore this hands-on interactive playroom.
Seminole Chronicle
Young chefs
A school in Winter Park is teaching children the skill and pride of cooking
By Amy K. D. Tobik July 12, 2007
Casie Pfeiffer discovered the recipe of a lifetime.
After seven years spent working in the medical billing field, Pfeiffer was ripe for change. With a penchant for cooking, she successfully blended her taste for good food with her love for children and opened Young Chefs Academy.
"My daughter got me into this. She's the reason why I changed my life," Pfeiffer said.
Every time the Pfeiffer family went to Georgia to visit family, she explained, 9-year-old daughter Katie attended classes at the local Young Chefs Academy. With no cooking school specifically geared toward children in the area to come home to, Katie encouraged her mother to be the first to open the franchise.
"And I thought, why not? My parents taught me how to cook," Pfeiffer said.
She has many fond memories of her childhood spent with family in the kitchen.
"I grew up cooking and it was great," she said. I cooked with my grandma. We actually cooked big breakfasts and lunches; and we grew everything we ate. That is how I was raised to cook," she said. Pfeiffer's earliest memory of cooking was when she was 6 years old, standing on a chair at the stove with her older sister by her side.
Today, as Pfeiffer sits on a stool at her new business in Winter Park, surrounded by colorful classroom walls and shiny stainless steel counters, it is obvious Pfeiffer has found her niche. She feels completely at home helping children become young chefs.
The first Young Chefs Academy opened in 2003 in Waco, Texas, with Julie Fabing Burleson and Suzy Vinson Nettles at the helm. More than 155 franchises have since opened around the country. The unique cooking school offers children an opportunity to learn valuable cooking skills in a safe environment while encouraging creativity and healthy food choices.
Pfeiffer said older children often benefit from the independence that knowing how to cook provides. If the desire to cook is fostered, children can take the lead and prepare meals with the help of a family member. "A lot of my older girls and boys have told me they want more independence in the home which was fascinating to hear," she said.
With busy afternoon schedules, however, children don't always have the chance to spend enough time learning to cook with mom or dad in the kitchen. Too many times, she said, dinner is picked up on the go.
"We have so many parents now who are working," Pfeiffer said. "Learning to cook gives older children a chance to start dinner before mom or dad gets home," she added, "and gives children the chance to have the parent be the child's assistant instead of the other way around."
Most importantly, Pfeiffer stressed, a family who prepares the food together, eats it together.
Learning to cook also builds confidence in children. Twelve-year-old Olivia Keene of Winter Springs started classes at Young Chefs Academy the day the business opened.
Olivia's mother, Kristen, said the experience at the academy has brought their family closer together in the kitchen. Olivia was so proud of her newfound skills she cooked dinner every night during her spring break and she now plans and prepares meals for the family at least twice a week.
"Olivia is really into cooking for her age. Within the next week or two of a class, we try that meal at home. She has made a variety of meals from pasta and bread to deep-dish pizza and a blackberry dessert," Kristen said.
Olivia said her favorite recipe to date is the Caribbean rice because of its unique flavors. She said it doesn't matter to her whether she cooks professionally or as a hobby as an adult. "It's fun either way, I'm going to stick with it," she said.
"The class has given Olivia confidence," Kristen said. "She is more willing to open a cookbook and choose something. It's a morale booster."
Pfeiffer likes to focus her classes on teaching students cooking tips and safety rules while exposing them to a variety of foods.
"We teach them the right way to measure ingredients," she said, noting that some people don't realize that flour needs to be tapped when being measured to remove air pockets. Students also learn the correct way to crack eggs and the importance of washing hands to prevent salmonella.
"Another thing that we do here is to teach them healthier food alternatives. We don't make anything out of a box, although every now and then we have to use (prepared) pasta." The freshest ingredients and spices are important to making the best food, she believes.
Pfeiffer said she is amazed by the mathematical skills her students have acquired as the result of cooking together. To keep her young chefs on their toes, Pfeiffer said she sometimes likes to quiz them on their fractions. She was amazed when she recently asked a group of 6-year-olds what one half of one-quarter cup would be. Most people would answer one eighth, which is not incorrect, but that measurement is not usually listed on a measuring cup. Nearly every child in the class shouted out "two tablespoons," which is the equivalent of one eighth of a cup.
Pfeiffer said she also treasures the creativity of the students in her cooking classes. For example, when a class recently made banana empanadas (a Spanish turnover), the children were so thrilled with the outcome that they were eager to go home and try using different fillings.
"I told them they have the basics for any type of empanadas because we taught them how to make the dough from scratch," she said. Ninety percent of the class returned for the next session with an empanada story. One child tried adding apples, while another used chocolate chips. With the help of an adult, another child made meat empanadas.
The students also discovered that alternating the measured amount of ingredients can have unusual results.
"We like the science of the recipes," Pfeiffer said. "If you have a child who says, 'Hey, instead of adding three cups of flour and two cups of sugar, what happens if you use three cups of sugar and two cups of flour?' And we will do it, and then talk about why it worked, or didn't work," she said.
Young Chefs Academy has become an ideal birthday party location for budding chefs. At a private pizza party, children make the dough from scratch, knead it and use homemade tomato sauce to create their own personal pizza. Students also learn important cooking facts, like why yeast is an integral ingredient to successful dough.
At the pasta party, children make fresh pasta dough and run it through a pasta machine. It is served with fresh garlic herb butter sauce.
Young Chefs Academy is offering three-day mini camps for children ages 6 and up throughout the summer. The theme is "Road Trip 2007" and students will prepare foods unique to the seven regions of the United States, such as Shrimp California Rolls and Hawaiian Sweet Potatoes, while learning facts about each of the states.
Last month Pfeiffer taught her Teen Night chefs how to grill everything from steak to sandwiches. The menus also included summer favorites like new potato salad and a refreshing glass of berry mint iced tea.
Pfeiffer is thrilled when she sees young people who usually limit themselves to certain types of food try something different.
"That's one thing I love about this, the kids are actually trying new foods and new ways to eat foods." One child who refused to eat spinach tasted spanakopita (a Greek spinach pie with cheese) and now loves it, Pfeiffer said.
One of the most rewarding experiences has been working with children who really want to learn to cook. "That is what they are interested in, it's what they want to do," Pfeiffer said with a huge smile. "One hundred percent of my kids have told me they are the next Rachel Ray or Emeril."
HeraldPublished: Wednesday, July 18, 2007
These kids are cookin'
Young chefs learn from the experts at chef camp
Story by Debra Smith, Herald Writer
Brett Bean, 9, reads cookbooks and watches the Food Network.
The plaid Betty Crocker cookbook is the best, Brett says, because "it's a classic for the kitchen."
When it comes to celebrity chefs, he prefers Emeril Lagasse and Giada De Laurentiis.
His mom just wants him to eat something other than boxed macaroni and cheese.
Both agreed a summer camp at a new cooking school for kids at the Mill Creek Town Center might be fun.
The school, Young Chefs Academy, opened in March and it offers cooking classes, camps and special events in a brightly colored kitchen.
Most classes are for children ages 7 to 14, but special sessions are available for children as young as 4. The school is offering a "College Survival Series" for older teens in August, and a class for mom and dad called "Elegant Summer Entertaining."
The kids classes are hands-on, with children tying on an apron and following a lesson given by a chef trained at Le Cordon Bleu, a culinary school in London.
The cuisine varies. The series of summer camps takes kids on a flavor tour of the United States. Each camp focuses on a different regional cuisine of the United States.
Brett Bean prepared classic recipes from New England such as clam chowder, Boston baked beans, lobster pie and homemade graham crackers, a treat apparently invented by a Presbyterian minister from Connecticut.
Whatever the cuisine, the instructor addresses basic skills such as menu planning, kitchen safety and etiquette.
The kids just love to cook and taste the results.
"We make lots of yummy stuff, and we get to taste," said 5-year-old Hannah Kevin of Monroe.
Austin Bailey, 9, of Edmonds said he enjoys cooking with his grandmother.
"I like to cook, but I never get to do this at home," he said.
The Young Chefs Academy is a franchised business, and owner Andrea Stein left a career teaching parenting classes to start the academy.
"In the beginning it was so easy," she said. "Families walked by, saw the awesome bright colors and asked how they could sign up."
Like Brett, many kids are far more aware of cooking and celebrity chefs, Stein said. She has had children as young as 3 tell her about a recipe they saw Rachael Ray prepare or one from their favorite Iron Chef.
About half the parents who bring their children to the school are passionate about food, she said. Other parents aren't as comfortable in the kitchen and want to make sure their children learn those skills.
Boys make up about half of the kids involved, something she attributes to the many male celebrity chefs on television.
"Boys will come here and then leave for football practice," she said. "That's exciting."
Chef Lindsay Clausen said she tries to install more than the ability to follow a recipe; she wants to introduce kids to the art of cooking.
"I think we're seeing less and less kids knowing how to cook," she said. "Families are eating out more and a lot of people have lost the art of cooking."
Some children come into the class never having touched or tasted certain vegetables and fruits, she said. On the flip side, others surprise her with what they know. One 9-year-old informed her that a great way to get flavor out of cilantro was to squeeze it in a garlic press.
Parents can help their children feel more comfortable in the kitchen by letting them help, she said.
Take them to the grocery store to select ingredients, let them measure dry and wet ingredients, and read through the recipe together. For safety reasons, she suggested waiting until kids hit high school age before letting them work with knives and the hot cooktop.
"Hand over some tasks," she said. "It's amazing what they can do if you let them."
Reporter Debra Smith:
Memphis FlyerLook Who's Cooking
Kids in the kitchen at the Young Chefs Academy.
By SIMONE WILSON
If your little Sally bypasses SpongeBob SquarePants on Nickelodeon for the Food Network's Rachael Ray, she should feel right at home at the Young Chefs Academy, a cooking school in Cordova for kids ages 5 to 14.
Young Chefs Academy is a Texas-based franchise founded in 2003 by Julie Burleson and Suzy Vinson, two moms who "love cooking, love children, and love a good time in the kitchen." There are now about 100 schools nationwide, including three in Tennessee.
The Cordova academy opened four months ago and is owned by Bill Canterbury, who used to work as a professional baker for Pillsbury.
"Today, children really don't learn any of the basic housekeeping skills because the schools don't offer home-economics classes anymore," Canterbury says. "We're just providing an outlet for kids who like to cook, and it's great to see how much they enjoy it."
During the academy's classes, instructors bewitch the children, showing them how to prepare tiramisu, seven-layer dip, potato salad, and homemade pasta. A favorite among the kids is chocolate mousse. "It tastes like chocolate ice cream," raves first-grader Shelby Dorris.
Shelby has been going to the Young Chefs Academy once a week, and her mom, Shannon, is surprised at how much she's learned in a short time. "Vanilla used to be the name of her favorite ice cream, but now she knows that it is an ingredient used for flavoring, and she even points out the bottle on the shelf," Shannon says.
Andrea Barrach, whose 6-year-old daughter Emily is a regular, tells a similar story. "It's just amazing all the things she's learned here, and it's not just preparing a dish," Barrach says. "The other day, they made pasta from scratch and that definitely left an impression on Emily. She thought pasta came out of a bag or a box. When she actually made pasta herself, she told everybody about it."
The academy has two fully equipped kitchens so the children can be divided into age-appropriate groups of no more than 15 chefs-to-be. Every class is 90 minutes, and the kids usually prepare two recipes with the help of a head cook and an assistant. They also learn about kitchen hygiene and safety. (The older kids use safety knives, and the younger ones use scissors.) In addition, most children have a folder for their recipes, and each recipe page has a space on the back to rate the recipe and make notes about what was good, what was not so good, and what they would change, if they want to make the dish again at home.
Before cooking can begin, the kids and the chefs read the recipe together to make sure they have all the ingredients and understand the directions. For instance, the tiramisu recipe calls for ladyfingers, so a quick survey is done: Does everybody know what ladyfingers are? No? The chefs then take the time to explain the ingredients and preparation. Another example: Most of the kids know the cocoa powder they use to make chocolate milk, but the cocoa powder they'll sprinkle on top of the tiramisu is different. It's unprocessed Dutch cocoa powder and it's bitter, not sweet. During class, the children have a chance to see, smell, taste, touch, explore, and ask questions about food and experience what they can cook with a bunch of different ingredients.
"When the kids read the recipe and see the ingredients they sometimes turn up their noses because the recipe might call for things they don't like -- onions, for example," Canterbury says. "But at the end, when they get to try the finished dish, the onion might have disappeared in, let's say, a pasta sauce. So then they're amazed that something that has onion in it can taste so good or they forgot all about the onion."
The academy's team, as well as the parents, encourage the children to take at least one bite of everything they've cooked.
"That's our rule," says Shannon Dorris. "Shelby has to take one bite. If she doesn't like it, that's fine, she can wash it down with some lemonade. But sometimes she might find that it's not that bad after all."
Barrach agrees. "Emily is definitely more open to try new things, here and at home."
Date created: 07/12/2006 URL for this story: http://www.memphisflyer.com/memphis/Content?oid=17572
Kalamazoo Gazzette
Kindergartners in the kitchen Kids gain cooking skills and confidence at new academy Monday, June 11, 2007 By William R. Wood bwood@kalamazoogazette.com 388-8549 Sixteen car doors slam shut in sharp succession. Kids from the cars run and skip from the Oakwood Plaza parking lot to the Young Chefs Academy, in a corner of the strip mall. Trailing parents call out for the students to slow down.
This is a class of 18 kindergarten students from Paramount Charter Academy, 3624 S. Westnedge Ave., on a field trip to the Young Chefs Academy, a newly established cooking school at 3021-A Oakland Drive. The visit, at 9 a.m. on a Wednesday, will be the students' first cooking class.
Paramount Charter teacher Angela Newton asks the students to line up, which helps to calm them down. She asks for their attention.
``The first thing I want you to be is safe. The next thing I want you to be is gracious. This is like going into someone else's home,'' Newton says. ``Let's be nice so they'll want us to come back.''
Inside the Young Chefs Academy, owner Kharen Warfield-Shelton steadies herself for the 90-minute class she is to lead. An adrenaline rush tightens her stomach, but she knows that's a good thing: The kids will feed off of her energy.
Kids stream into the two-room school. They jump on the silver stools stationed neatly at three stainless steel tables that shine. Parents look in all directions and chat among themselves, dazzled by the bright blocks of color on cabinets on one side of the room -- rose, sky blue, kelly green, caution-light yellow.
Warfield-Shelton beckons students to select aprons that hang from 18 pegs along one wall. Each white apron carries the purple logo of the Young Chefs Academy, a chain of kids' cooking schools based in Waco, Texas. The kids settle down quickly, eager to make something.
``Everybody say pasta,'' Warfield-Shelton says with a smile as broad as a lake.
``Pasta!'' the kids scream.
``That's what we'll be making today. We'll be making our own,'' Warfield-Shelton says.
``Those of you adults who want to get dirty with us can grab an apron. We'll have flour everywhere, although most of it will end up in our stomachs.''
