Culinary Workshops for Kids and Teens

Give your child a structured, hands-on culinary experience this school holiday with the Otao Kitchen School Holiday Cooking Workshop. Designed for kids and teens aged 10 to 14 who love food, this program blends real cooking skills, teamwork, and confidence-building in a professional kitchen environment—guided by experienced chefs. 🍳

The program runs across the year with four seasonal intakes. Each intake runs over three consecutive days: Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Please note that each day needs to be booked and paid for separately. To complete the full course, we recommend booking all three days, though your child is welcome to attend just one or two sessions.

Workshop Highlights

• Small Class Sizes: Personalised attention with only 8 to 24 participants per class.
• Hands-On Fun: Kids cook together in pairs, fostering teamwork while learning essential techniques.
• Expert Guidance: Led by professional chefs in a purpose-built kitchen for an engaging, safe, and structured experience.
• Discussion Topics: Explore relevant issues like food sustainability, healthy eating, and minimising waste.
• Tasty Creations: Every child will cook a healthy, delicious meal from scratch to enjoy on-site. 😋

What is Included

• Interactive Learning: Guided by expert chefs, kids will discover how to cook a variety of global cuisines.
• Skill-Building: Participants will learn essential skills, including knife techniques, food safety, and meal preparation with fresh ingredients.
• Culinary Exploration: Through discussions and activities, kids will gain insights into food seasonality, sustainability, and food justice.
• Tasting Adventure: Every child will enjoy their culinary creations and sample dishes made by their peers, fostering a sense of community.

On the Day

• Enjoy an exciting 2.5-hour session filled with cooking, cultural learning, and delicious food.
• Students will prepare and cook traditional dishes under expert chef guidance.
• Wrap up with a shared dining experience while exploring the cultural stories behind the food. 🍕
• Children are encouraged to learn independently and make new friends during the class.
• Please pick up your child at 12:30 pm, or at the estimated class finish time advised on the day.
• Parents and carers do not need to stay during the session, unless they are attending as the child’s NDIS support person. In that case, the support person will need to book and pay for their own ticket.

Our Seasonal Menus

A flexible, skills-based cooking menu that grows with your child’s cooking and kitchen skills.

January Module: Kitchen Foundations

Workshop 1 | Kitchen Foundations (Tuesday)

• Skills: Knife basics, mise en place, seasoning, stir-frying.
• Entrée: Vietnamese corn chicken soup
• Main: Chicken fried rice with mixed vegetables

Workshop 2 | Pan Cooking (Wednesday)

• Skills: Sautéing, heat control, egg cookery, timing.
• Entrée: Pan frittata (zucchini, spinach, ham, cheese)
• Main: Pan-seared chicken, mashed potato, green beans

Workshop 3 | Stocks & Simmering (Thursday)

• Skills: Stock basics, poaching, simmering, moist-heat cooking
• Entrée: Fried wontons
• Main: Hainanese chicken and rice with braised carrot and onion

April Module: Frying and Global Flavours

Workshop 4 – Frying Techniques (Tuesday)

• Skills: Crumbing systems, shallow frying safety, oil control
• Entrée: Crunchy cabbage slaw
• Main: Fried chicken schnitzel with potato wedges and slaw

Workshop 5 – Stir-Fry & Knife Skills (Wednesday)

• Skills: Knife precision, high-heat cooking, sauce balance
• Entrée: Gỏi cuốn (Vietnamese rice paper rolls)
• Main: Beef stir-fry with jasmine rice and greens

Workshop 6 – Global Flavours (Thursday)

• Skills: Spice balance, mixing and shaping, grilling
• Entrée: Niçoise salad
• Main: Lamb kofta with pilaf rice and tomato salad

July Module: Baking and Seafood

Workshop 7 – Baking & Fish (Tuesday)

• Skills: Baking, doneness cues, gentle heat control
• Entrée: Eggs en cocotte with mushroom and Gruyère
• Main: Baked white fish with potato salad and greens

Workshop 8 – Fish & Sauces (Wednesday)

• Skills: Pan-searing fish, glazing, basic sauce reduction
• Entrée: Garden salad
• Main: Teriyaki salmon with steamed rice and vegetables

Workshop 9 – Sauce & Comfort (Thursday)

• Skills: Sauce building, emulsification, pasta timing
• Entrée: Creamy pumpkin soup
• Main: Pasta puttanesca or bacon carbonara

September and October Module: Comfort Classics

Workshop 10 – Comfort Classics (Tuesday)

• Skills: Layering flavours, baking assembly, portion control
• Entrée: Pea soup
• Main: Beef cottage pie with mashed potato and mixed vegetables

Workshop 11 – Marinades & Plating (Wednesday)

• Skills: Marinades, grilling, plating and presentation
• Entrée: Vegetable spring rolls
• Main: Chicken satay with coconut rice and stir-fried vegetables

Workshop 12 – Skill Challenge (Thursday)

Participants must have attended at least one class during the September/October module to be eligible.

• Skills: Menu planning, execution, share teamwork, stress control 🔪
• Entrée: Student-designed starter with soup, salad or something of your choice.
• Main: Choice of protein (chicken thigh, beef or tofu), rice or potato, and seasonal vegetable

Skills Your Child Will Learn

• Culinary Skills: Knife skills & prep, seasoning & flavour balance, sautéing, stir-frying, frying, baking & oven cooking, stock, sauce & pasta basics, fish, meat & egg cookery, plating & presentation
• Kitchen Skills: Food safety & hygiene, equipment use, organisation & clean-down, ingredient handling, waste awareness
• Ready for Work Skills: Time management, teamwork & communication, problem-solving, confidence under pressure

Important Details

• Duration: Class runs from 10 AM to 12:30 PM. Please arrive 10 minutes early.
• Who Can Join: Suitable for children aged 10-14. Tell us about any allergies when you book. We’ll talk through whether we can manage it safely. This is a shared kitchen and we can’t guarantee nut-free, gluten-free or dairy-free preparation.
• Flexible Enrolment: Kids and teens can join any intake during the year. You do not need to start in January.
• Schedule: The program runs across the year with 4 intakes. Each intake runs over 3 consecutive days: Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Each day is a 2.5-hour hands-on cooking workshop.
• Missed Sessions: If your child misses a session, they may return the following year to complete it, or receive a credit to use in the next intake or a future school holiday workshop.

Booking Information

• Book early to secure your spot – spaces fill up fast!
• For cancellations or rescheduling, notify us at least 14 days in advance.
• Ensure your child is present to avoid missing important safety instructions at the start of class.

What Parents Say

“My daughter loved this! Very well-organised and fun. She learned so much.” – Sarala Fitzgerald

“Fantastic experience. Great teaching and delicious results!” – Rachel Burrows

Give your child a memorable and enriching experience this school holiday. Book their seat in our cooking workshop today!