School Holidays Cooking Program

If your dream is to work in a restaurant kitchen or you love the idea of honing your cooking skills, time management and tidiness, then this class is for. Come explore the many facets of cooking and find your true food identity! In this program, you’ll learn how to prepare and cook a wide variety of different dishes, each day, focusing on entirely different cuisine. Our expert chef will guide you (10 years+) to prepare various menus over the duration of this course. We’ll learn about knife skills, food safety, how to prepare and cook vegetables, meats, and seafood and also how to make dessert. The course focuses on understanding food through local ingredients and a global perspective. Participants learn about the seasonality and origin of common foods. We will also explore contemporary issues relating to food justice, food wastage, and sustainability. Students will learn how to make healthy food choices as well as learn how to make a budget. Students may participate in a single class or the full 4 day-workshop throughout the duration of the week.

Highlights

This hands-on cooking experience for 8-12 kids per school holiday lasts for 3 hour-class each day Learn fundamental skills of cooking as well as introducing kitchen new-comers Having fun with the real-life challenge and work with fresh ingredients In-class discussions on food safety, local foods, food justice, and sustainability A delicious and healthy meal made from scratch

On the Day

Our guests will be given a 15-minute orientation guiding them through basic kitchen techniques with everyone including new chef junior. After the chef junior was their hands and be given our apron, we will go over the lesson of the day. They will work together in a group of 2 as their kitchen team. The chef will do the demonstration and answer any question. After that, the kids will go prep and start the process of making the 3 dishes and they will eat the foods. Everyone will have a chance to taste other team food so they will learn from their friends. The children will clean down and organize their areas and be ready to be picked up.

January Module

Workshop 1 | Kitchen Foundations (Tuesday)

Skills: Knife basics, mise en place, seasoning, stir-frying

Meals they can recreate at home: Entrée: Vietnamese corn chicken soup Main: Chicken fried rice with mixed vegetables

Workshop 2 | Pan Cooking (Wednesday)

Skills: Sautéing, heat control, egg cookery, timing

Meals they can recreate at home: Entrée: Pan frittata (zucchini, spinach, ham, cheese) Main: Pan-seared chicken, mashed potato, green beans

Workshop 3 | Stocks & Simmering (Thursday)

Skills: Stock basics, poaching, simmering, moist-heat cooking

Entrée: Fried wontons Main: Hainanese chicken and rice with braised carrot and onion

April Module

Workshop 4 – Frying Techniques (Tuesday)

Skills: Crumbing systems, frying safety, oil control

Entrée: Crunchy cabbage slaw Main: Fried chicken schnitzel with potato wedges and slaw

Workshop 5 – Stir-Fry & Knife Skills (Wednesday)

Skills: Knife precision, high-heat cooking, sauce balance

Entrée: Gỏi cuốn (Vietnamese rice paper rolls) Main: Beef stir-fry with jasmine rice and greens

Workshop 6 – Global Flavours (Thursday)

Skills: Spice balance, mixing and shaping, grilling

Entrée: Niçoise salad Main: Lamb kofta with pilaf rice and tomato salad

July Module

Workshop 7 – Baking & Fish (Tuesday)

Skills: Baking, doneness cues, gentle heat control

Entrée: Eggs en cocotte with mushroom and Gruyère Main: Baked white fish with potato salad and greens

Workshop 8 – Fish & Sauces (Wednesday)

Skills: Pan-searing fish, glazing, basic sauce reduction

Entrée: Garden salad Main: Teriyaki salmon with steamed rice and vegetables

Workshop 9 – Sauce & Comfort (Thursday)

Skills: Sauce building, emulsification, pasta timing

Entrée: Creamy pumpkin soup Main: Pasta puttanesca or bacon carbonara

September/October Module

Workshop 10 – Comfort Classics (Tuesday)

Skills: Layering flavours, baking assembly, portion control

Entrée: Pea soup Main: Beef cottage pie with mashed potato and mixed vegetables

Workshop 11 – Marinades & Plating (Wednesday)

Skills: Marinades, grilling, plating and presentation

Entrée: Vegetable spring rolls Main: Chicken satay with coconut rice and stir-fried vegetables

Workshop 12 – Final Challenge (Thursday)

Skills: Menu planning, execution, teamwork, stress control

Entrée: Student-designed starter Main: Choice of protein, rice or potato, and seasonal vegetable

Skills Your Child Will Learn:

• Culinary Skills: Knife skills & prep, Seasoning & flavour balance, Sautéing, stir-frying, frying, Baking & oven cooking, Stock, sauce & pasta basics, Fish, meat & egg cookery, Plating & presentation.
• Kitchen Skills: Food safety & hygiene, Equipment use, Organisation & clean-down, Ingredient handling, Waste awareness.
• Ready for Work Skills: Time management, Teamwork & communication, Problem-solving, Confidence under pressure

Important Details

Duration: Class runs from 10 AM to 12:30 PM. Please arrive 10 minutes early.

Who Can Join: Suitable for children aged 10-14.

Please note that kids/teens with severe food allergies cannot be accommodated.

The program runs across the year with 4 intakes. Each intake runs over 3 consecutive days: Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Each day is a 2.5-hour hands-on cooking workshop. Kids and teens can join any intake during the year. You do not need to start in January - enrolment is flexible. If your child misses a session: They may return the following year to complete it, or receive a credit to use in the next intake or a future school holiday workshop

We cannot accommodate or refund for those who arrive after the scheduled start time, even if you call ahead. The instructor will be expected to start on time and will not be able to repeat the health and safety and/or demonstrations done at the beginning of the class. If you need to cancel or reschedule a booking you must do this at least 14 days before your class to cancel or reschedule.

We are sorry that we cannot refund or rebook any cancellations made online or in-person after this time. In the event that your child is unwell, we ask that you send someone in their place. The participants who are not unwell will still be expected to attend. Alternatively, if you provide notice prior to the class, you are welcome to collect the ingredients and online recipe to take home with you after the class. Please note that this may not be possible as fresh meats and seafoods are included in all cases

Please note: If you are bringing a support worker to the class with you, they will also need a paid ticket for the class.

We provide everything - food, expert chef and refreshment. Apron and equipment.