Junior Sous, a pop-up Seattle cooking school, is a charming way to educate and inspire the next generation of chefs.
However, Junior Sous goes beyond the traditional drop-in kitchen for a kids’ environment.
“We use some of the top restaurants in the city. Currently we are at Staple & Fancy, which is owned by Ethan Stowell,” said Sarah Cyr, who has been a professional cook since 2010 and wanted a way to rekindle her love of babysitting and being a nanny.
She partnered with friend Brianna Bato Draper because of her passion for cooking and her degree in Early Childhood Education.
“It just seemed like an awesome, natural pairing,” she said.
Junior Sous teaches kids to cook, but it’s also about much more than that.
“I think that we’re really teaching them lifelong valuable skills that go beyond just cooking,” Cyr said. “We’re trying to teach them the art of hospitality and the art of cooking for others and sharing a meal and nurturing people through food. We are also working on confidence, and you have to use math skills in the kitchen. You have to use social awareness. You have to multitask. There’s lots of life long skills that go beyond just learning to actually cook.”
Kids who sign up for a cooking class will work with raw ingredients and cook with real equipment.
“We practice knife skills in all of our classes,” Cyr said. “We use real pairing knives, same as you would in any restaurant kitchen.”
Cyr and Bato Draper are looking for the next round of young cooks to join them for the last class before summer break. “Farmer’s Market Finds” is set for Sunday, June 10 and the cost is $65 per child. You can learn more and reserve your kids space at juniorsous.com.
