Got a teen who loves to cook?
Meet Purple Kale Kitchenworks.
It may not surprise you to know my kids love to eat. They also love to cook, and they learned partially from me, but mostly from the Dymanite Shop, the amazing cooking school for tweens and teens run by food world veterans (and Strong Buzz BFFs) Dana Bowen and Sara-Kate Gillingham. In their 7th Avenue kitchen-as-classroom, my kids learned so much about cooking, culture and confidence; the recipes they learned to cook there are ones we still reach for. Sadly Dynamite Shop closed, but if you’re looking for a spot to have your kids and teens cook, luckily there’s the Green Apron Kitchen, run by my friend Fabiana Santana, and now a new series of classes from the lovely Chef/Instructor Ronna Welsh.
If you don’t know Ronna, she’s a South Slope mom of two, and a former New York City chef (she was at il Buco) who runs a Brooklyn cooking school called Purple Kale Kitchenworks aimed at teaching home cooks how to be more resourceful, creative, and happy in the kitchen. She’s now branching out to help teens who love to cook improve their skills. The first workshop for teens is a basic knife skills class, and she’s inviting parents to join as well, because we likely need knife practice too.
In this two and a half hour class, you’ll learn the “Spider Walk,” how to thoroughly sharpen your knives, and where to find your cutting board’s sweet spot (I did not know that a cutting board had one of these).
Unlike other knife skills classes, this one prioritizes balance, posture, cadence, and flow. Ronna takes time to make sure your knives are sharp and teach you strong, clean technique to develop speed. What’s more: you’ll bring home skills to sharpen your knives, as well as fixings for a light meal using the ingredients you cut in class.
This workshop is limited to 6 people and will be held two times on Saturday January 21st at 12pm and at 3:30pm. Ronna is going to be adding more teen-only and teen and parent classes in the months to come so be sure to follow her on Instagram or sign up for her newsletter. Purple Kale Kitchenworks Studio is located in Brooklyn at 250 44th Street (2nd/3rd Avenues), Suite #215.
Book your Parent and Teen Knife Skills ($250 per pair).