Approaching this summer after over a year-long pandemic, it is a time to take stock of what works, what we want, and what brings us together. Covid, quarantine, and virtual everything showed us that place and distance are not the constraints that they once appeared to be. For Kathy Wolper of Kitchen Wizards, what began as a necessary pivot in the face of the pandemic has been transformative.

Flashback to Thanksgiving 2020. Two cousins who live in different states are unable to celebrate together in person, but through the magic of Kitchen Wizards (and Zoom), they still had the same dinner. Cooking together with Kathy, they prepared the same side dishes together and were able to share that experience despite the distance.

Food brings people together in such a unique way, and with virtual cooking classes, Kitchen Wizards has been able to use that special connection to transcend the challenges brought on by the year. Helping kids “discover the magic of cooking, one bite at a time” has always been the mission of Kitchen Wizards, but with the transition to virtual classes, they are able to reach more kids and even improve on the program.

“I’m actually considering staying virtual when things go back to normal,” Wolper says. When her classes were in person, she would bring the ingredients to the venue, and constraints of time and space inevitably altered the process. As a group, the class would work together to make one dish, rather than having each child make their own complete recipe. Premade dough or other efficiency measures were a necessity, as well.

With the advent of virtual classes, each child has access to their entire kitchen and ingredients lists are sent out for the week. Now, everyone can make the recipe from scratch and alter it according to their dietary restrictions and preferences. “I have to slow down compared to the in-person, but they’re getting more basics out of it,” she explains.

In addition to teaching cooking basics and life skills, the classes also incorporate grade-level lessons to reinforce what kids are learning in school. For example, “Cookies from Around the World” includes daily geography lessons—including what climates and economic conditions may dictate a region’s particular ingredients. Meanwhile,” Eat Like the Presidents” features recipes past presidents favored, and includes trivia about the presidents.

Each weekly camp runs Monday through Thursday for two hours per day. This schedule grants kids the flexibility to choose more than one camp per session—each day has both morning and afternoon camps that are different from each other, so a budding chef can fill their summer days with cooking—or supplement their morning activities with an afternoon of cooking at home. Kids can also keep up with their camp even if they are splitting time between home and the shore, since camp is only as far away as their laptops! In a year that has dismantled concepts of “place” and “distance,” it is refreshing to have a summer that recognizes that newfound freedom.

View all Kitchen Wizards’ class and camp options, and register online to reserve your spot and plan a delicious summer!

Kitchen Wizards support the Main Line Parent Community.