2017Issue4_Alabama_v3_COVER_Proof

1 5 MINUTES WITH…

S aman t ha Barn e s

KITCHEN KID FOUNDER AND CULINARY COACH

BY LEN LEWIS

Where are the camps? “Beverly Hills, Pasadena, Santa Monica, Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach, and South Los Angeles. Our camps reach capacity with 15-20 kids, depending on the camp and kitchen. We also teach 150 students each semester at a local preschool.” What else is Raddish doing? “About three-and-a-half years ago Raddish launched a Kickstarter program to further our mission of bringing families together in the kitchen and at the table on a larger scale. We weren’t able to do that with all our camps and classes in Los Angeles. It was a challenge because parents were busy and basically dropped their kids off at camp. The kids were having a great experience, but it wasn’t creating family time around food which is so integral to our lives these days.” How is Raddish guiding them? “For one thing, we give them step-by-step illustrated recipes that even a four-year-old can read because they are visual. Adults like the visual instructions, too. So the kids are making food for parents who are amazed that their children are not only making the food, but also eating it. We found that kids are much more likely to eat what they have made.”

In retail we’re always talking about demographics. Would you say kids have been overlooked? “That’s an interesting point. Food is something everyone can relate to. It’s the great unifier. Kids like to cook and they have a real passion for it. Parents and teachers tend to forget how talented and smart kids can be. So giving them the opportunity to “Well, one of our camps, and the most popular, is called ‘Restaurant Camp.’ The kids actually create their own restaurants. They come up with the idea, the logo and the menu. Then they source ingredients, make grocery lists and go to farmers markets and supermarkets. They also interview for different jobs at the restaurant in the front and back of the house. Then, parents are invited to the opening. concept. This summer we’re doing Edible Experiments where the kids will be exploring Food Truck Favorites, which will focus on international cuisine. We’re also doing Fresh From the Farm, a course that focuses on our state's local produce. We’re also looking for ways to bring these and other camps to other cities.” cook is really powerful.” What do the kids do? “Some of our camps sell out as early as February. But we’re expanding the

While everyone’s agonizing over mysterious millennials and burgeoning baby boomers we shouldn’t forget the “Kitchen Kids”! That’s the focus of Raddish, a 10-year-old membership cooking club for kids ranging in age from four to 14, founded by Samantha Barnes, a former grade school social studies teacher. The club is a kind of edible education program offering summer camps, after school classes, parties and other events focusing on teaching kids about shopping, food preparation and feeding their interest in a wider variety of foods with simple recipes that also manage to blend in a healthy serving of math and science. AG: How do you get from social studies for elementary schoolers to food? Barnes: “I discovered that my students loved talking about food and were excited about it, but few had the opportunity to get involved at home. Even though they watched the Food Network, none of it was geared to kids. So I took my education background and started doing some after school cooking classes, which morphed into summer camp programs and cooking birthday parties.” How many kids are involved in Raddish? “We probably teach about 700 students in the Los Angeles area at six different camp locations. We rent various kitchens from the city Parks and Recreation Department or church kitchens everywhere from Beverly Hills to Santa Monica.”

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