3 Levy restaurants host kids cooking school at Downtown Disney this summer

UPDATE: The June 22 class is full, and a second cooking school has been added on June 29. To register for the later date, call 407-828-8996.

How are foodies born?

Everyone loves delicious food, but the truly dedicated — those adventurous eaters who look forward to tastings, new restaurants and different recipes — may also enjoy cooking and learning to create tasty dishes in their own homes. And for them, it’s never too soon to start.

Levy Restaurants is again offering a summer cooking school for kids ages 6 to 12, who may be the foodies of the future. The kid-friendly cooking class takes place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, June 22, at Fulton’s Crab House, Portobello Restaurant and Wolfgang Puck Café.

“It never ceases to amaze us each year how excited the kids are to learn about cooking,” said Steven Richard, area chef for Levy Restaurants and former executive chef at Portobello. “There doesn’t seem to be a minimum age requirement to be a foodie.”

Budding chefs will be guided through preparing one recipe at each restaurant: Mini Crab Cakes at Fulton’s, Ravioli Gigante with Tomato Basil Sauce at Portobello and Yummy Gummy Dessert Sushi at the Wolfgang Puck Café. And then the kids will be able to eat the dishes they are learning to prepare from each restaurant’s executive chef and culinary team.

“We’re bringing back the Dessert Sushi and Ravioli by popular demand,” said Richard. “The kids seem to enjoy the hands-on manipulation of food the most, such as ravioli assembly and sushi role assembly.”

Aside from learning how to make something delicious to eat, children learn valuable skills when they learn to cook, Richard said. They develop a better understanding of organization, nutrition, and even math skills when it comes to measuring ingredients.

“Cooking is about planning your work and working your plan. Staying organized is key to professional cooks and that carries over to home cooking,” he said. “Also, for me, cooking and feeding people is an important part of life. It’s something that every culture shares. I think it’s a positive thing to nurture a curiosity in cooking at an early age.”

So, how do parents build on the enthusiasm for cooking that their children gain from the Levy event?

“Most of the good home cooks that I know are defined by a short list of things they do very well. I would stick to simple but satisfying items like a the tomato sauce that we do with the kids at Portobello. It’s an item that can be built upon by combining with a simple pizza dough recipe or meat balls. You can apply it to a number of dishes like lasagna and chicken ptarmigan,” Richard advises. “Follow your curiosity and cook what you like.”

The Levy cooking school is $37 per child. Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis until the event is full. To sign up, call 407-828-8996. Parents are welcome to stay with their children during the cooking school or enjoy the four hours on their own at Downtown Disney. Levy also offers group cooking classes at all three locations for adults, which can be booked through the same phone number.