Kids’ Cooking Program Deserves A Chef’s Kiss

There’s finally a class where kids can literally and figuratively get a taste of the world.

In 2020, Mia Kotikovski, founder and CEO of Cultured Kids Cuisine (CKC), created the first organization to host 100% free classes educating children about culture and history through cooking to help our next generation develop a broader palate and celebrate diversity.

“My parents, who were immigrants and very well-traveled, worked hard to instill in me a curiosity about the world. Food was one of the most meaningful ways I experienced that cultural exchange.”

The Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University medical student actually came up with the idea as far back as high school, when she volunteered at hospitals throughout New York City, particularly in pediatric departments. “I saw firsthand how much time children in the hospital could spend without opportunities for stimulating, engaging activities. I worked with hospital administrators and other volunteers to organize cooking workshops, which were incredibly well received and showed me that there was something special about using food to educate and engage children.

“Unfortunately, COVID-19 made it impossible to continue holding these programs in person. Rather than letting the idea disappear, I decided to build upon it with a team of like-minded students and individuals from different backgrounds and parts of the world who shared the same passion for cultural education and working with children. Together, we developed CKC’s programming and began hosting virtual classes.”

CKC is run by a global team of several hundred student volunteers, and every virtual workshop is inspired by a traditional recipe connected to a region or culture from somewhere around the world.

How it works: Register for a cooking workshop on Eventbrite, and an email leads to a page with a link to the Zoom room as well as a full list of ingredients.

When asked how kids from lower-income families, who might struggle to afford the groceries needed, can participate, Kotikovski addressed the issue by saying: “Accessibility is something we take very seriously. It would be counterproductive for an organization centered around cultural inclusion to create a financial barrier that prevents children from participating. Whenever possible, we work to provide ingredients directly or minimize the costs families have to bear. We also look for opportunities to partner with community organizations and donors so that the cost of participation does not fall entirely on individual families.”

In addition to cooking classes, the organization, primarily funded via donations and a GoFundMe page, offers resources and opportunities such as a podcast educating children about gastronomic cultural traditions worldwide, a “cooktivity” cookbook, and a YouTube channel documenting cooking tutorials with an educational twist. Says the CEO, “Donations have been incredibly important in helping CKC get started, but I want to diversify our funding through grants, corporate and community partnerships, sponsorships, school and institutional partnerships, fundraising events, and other sustainable sources of revenue.”

She also sees a future where CKC will expand its platform to physical spaces where children can regularly attend cooking classes, cultural education programs, camps, and community events.

Of her career goal to become a pediatric surgeon as well as an entrepreneur, Kotikovski says, “At first glance, pediatric surgery and Cultured Kids Cuisine may seem like two completely different paths, but to me, they are connected by the same underlying purpose: working with children and finding ways to improve their lives.”

For more information, contact culturedkidscuisine.com.