‘Kids in the Kitchen’ at Le Petite

Le Petite Gourmet Shoppe, the cookware store on the La Grange square, is hosting a summer program called Kids ‘N the Kitchen, where kids ages 5-12 can learn to cook.

On Friday, June 7, the class’s theme was “Everything Bite Sized,” where they learned to cook mini lasagnas, pizza bites, and smores bites. The teacher was Landon von Minden, a recent graduate of La Grange High School.

Landon teaches this class because “I enjoy interacting with the kids” and “I like knowing they are having a good time.”

This year was Landon’s second year teaching at Le Petite, and he plans on continuing to teach classes for the rest of the summer. When asked what some of the struggles of teaching a younger age group how to cook are, Landon’s answer was time management.

“It’s hard getting the food done on schedule sometimes,” he said. “You just have to make sure the kids aren’t getting bored and parents aren’t waiting.”

However, teaching does come with its rewards.

“Knowing they’re having fun and watching them warm up to the activities they’re doing are all really nice to see,” he said.

Landon has taught at Le Petite for two years, and he plans on continuing to teach classes through the summer.

Braylee, a participant, says “I like going to these classes because I get to play with my friend Elise.”

When asked what her favorite thing she’s made during one of the classes was, her answer was the Italian soda.

Vincent Shaw said that he liked his teacher because “He explained everything really well, and he was nice.”

Le Petite will host several more of these classes. You can register your child for a class at their website, lepetitegourmetshoppe.com/ kids-in-the-kitchen, in person, or by phone at (979) 9684000. Ages 5-8 are from 11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., while ages 9-12 are 1:30 - 3 p.m.