Before his parents enrolled him in an introductory cooking series at 21 Acres, the kitchen was never a place Cooper thought he’d like to be. Now, after completing the 5 session series, Cooper is considering a career as a chef, further proof for all you disbelievers that mom and dad know best!

In January 2014, Cooper participated in 21 Acres’ sustainable cooking series, Venturing into the Kitchen: The Basics of Cooking Seasonally, aimed at introducing young and aspiring chefs to the fundamentals of cooking and sustainability.

Class instructor and a member of our 21 Acres’ kitchen team, Brianna Paris, taught Cooper and his classmates a variety of culinary skills including how to properly handle knives in the kitchen, how to make and prepare soups and  stocks, salads, grains, and proteins. Bri incorporated lessons in sustainability into each session, teaching students how to eat in season, locate local food, compost, and create weekly meal plans.

Since taking Bri’s Venturing Into the Kitchen series Cooper has enrolled in other 21 Acres cooking classes for burgeoning chefs and volunteered to assist in culinary classes as well as the 21 Acres kitchen. Cooper has signed up for the Bothell High School Culinary Arts Program, the same program from which Bri graduated before going on to attend one of the country’s top culinary institutions, Le Cordon Bleu, here in the Puget Sound

All of us here at 21 Acres wish Cooper the best of luck in all his culinary adventures and have no doubt that he will make a fantastic chef!

If you know a young chef-to-be, check our calendar at 21acres.org/school for the next series of youth cooking classes.