Can your little chef whip up a crème brulée with her eyes closed? Gyles Laney of Charleston can. Well, not really, but the 12-year-old has been taking cooking classes for four years and doesn’t plan to step out of the kitchen any time soon.

“I love it. It is fun.”

Her mother Maggie, who describes her as an “artsy type of child,” decided to let her then 8-year-old choose her own summer camp that year.

It has paid off. Since then, Gyles has participated in numerous cooking-related classes and events, which have taught her manners, measurements and even nifty clean-up techniques. She has also developed a love of not only cooking but also of new “fancier” foods.

Matt Carroll, who teaches the Young Chefs program at St. Andrews Parks and Playground, says children need to learn how to cook – and how to eat properly.

“This is an essential skill,” he says. “Being able to eat healthy and knowing how to prepare these foods, it’s like knowing how to balance your checkbook, put gasoline in your car, how to pay your bills. A lot of Americans have gotten away from healthy eating and you can see the effects of it now.”

The four-session program is designed to introduce children ages 10–16 to different styles of entry-level cooking. Students learn proper knife technique, safety with kitchen utensils, and proper handling of foods, including raw meats and vegetables.

“A lot of times these kids have never even touched raw meat or poultry.”

The class is very hands-on and in-depth yet still keeps the young chefs’ attention.

Each individual session incorporates a different theme. For example, on appetizer night, they may make a made-from-scratch spinach dip.

Carroll says part of the fun of the class is introducing new ingredients the kids have never seen, such as artichoke hearts.

Kids sample the food they make – no matter what it is.

Alexa Griffin, 11, of Charleston had never tried any of the foods they prepared when she took the class and was surprised at what she did like – for example, black bean salsa. She doesn’t like black beans except when “you cook it like that.”

“Without a doubt, two-thirds of the class is going to say ‘I’ve never had an artichoke’ or ‘I don’t like spinach’ or ‘It’s green,’” Carroll says.

But they usually end up liking the foods they try. Griffin says she even liked the artichoke.

Trident Technical College’s Division of Continuing Education also offers cooking classes for children. Participants learn many different techniques from professional chefs, like how to bake and ice cookies or desserts with a pipe. The college also offers parent/child classes ranging from making breakfast to homemade soups.

“Our chefs are great with young children … it’s their passion,” says Michele Shinn, director of continuing education at Trident Technical College. “And the children that come are so into it as well.”

Charleston Cooks! also offers culinary classes for children throughout the year. The class themes change depending on the month, and students take home treats they made to share with their families.

This month features a chocolate workshop for Valentine’s Day.

“We’ll do some savory dishes with chocolate and they’ll get to make some truffles,” says Danielle Wecksler, general manager of Charleston Cooks!

Wecksler teaches children adult recipes but just chooses them by age-appropriateness.

“We always try to come up with recipes that are interesting and different for the kids.”

For example, classes for 5 to 7 year olds incorporate plenty of baking and mixing. The kids don’t use knives; instead items are pre-cut for them. Participants learn how to measure, how to pour and how to wisk.

Classes for older children ages 8 to 12 focus on terminology, how to use a knife safely and properly, how to chop correctly and how to read a recipe.

The teen class is a mini-version of the kitchen fundamentals class, which is geared to adults.

“Basically at that point they are very competent and their skill level is very high so they’re are able to do basically what our adults are able to do,” Wecksler says.

She, too, enjoys introducing children to new things, but stresses that healthy eating habits must start at home.

“It’s great [for me] to get their kids to eat a variety of foods, but a lot of that mentality starts with the parents. If the parents are open to eating different types of foods then the kids are usually going to be a lot more responsive to that.”

Parents should keep an open mind and expose their children to different foods.

“It’s really easy to eat healthier that way – to eat better overall – when you get a lot of different variety of food in your diet.” *