About
As a food educator who is focused on using real foods and utilizing local, seasonal foods as much as possible, my cooking classes go beyond just learning basic knife skills and kitchen terminology. We will go over questions about sourcing your ingredients, storing them and how to cut back on waste.
Additionally, since all new students receive a 15 minute initial consultation via phone, every lesson is completely custom based on what you would like to learn and any specific needs or questions you may have.
Lastly, I have extensive as a Food Educator for youth ranging in age from 2 years old through high school. Based on this I am capable of handling some of the challenges that face families and parents as it relates to cooking and the kitchen!
Cooking is an incredibly creative and personal endeavor that I believe can be so enriching to your life. Not only can cooking for yourself physically feed you, it can also allow you important time to slow down and be present.
I love watching my students discover this and realize that in fact, they CAN cook and actually enjoy it. There is also something special about helping my students remember past memories through different foods and flavors.
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Nicole L.
Frequently asked questions
What is your typical process for working with a new student?
When working with a new student, I believe it is very important to understand their specific challenges, needs and goals as it relates to cooking. A lesson may vary greatly if I am teaching and working with a young family who has many palettes to please compared to if I am working with a single professional who just wants to cook for themselves a little more often!
To start, I schedule an initial phone consultation with every new student. During this consultation we discuss what they would like to learn, any likes or dislikes when it comes to food along with some more logisitical questions that can help me develop the ideal lesson plan for them.
Before our first session, I provide to the student an outline of what our lesson will cover as well as the recipes we will be making together to make sure there are no issues or allergies.
In our lesson we review the basics of kitchen safety and the basic equipment every kitchen needs.
What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
For 3 years, I have worked with a NYC based non-profit that provided food & culinary education for students in NYC public schools. This also includes workshops and lessons with families and their children.
Additionally, I have been teaching cooking lessons and workshops locally with my business, Wellness by Kristen, for the past 3 years.
I also have my health coach certification from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and understand how to use real food for health.
What types of students have you worked with?
I have taught all different types of students including:
- Couples
- Families with Young Kids
- Youth Classes (ages 2 - 18)
- Single Students
- Groups (sometimes as an activity or get-together)
Within these groups, here are some of the topics we have covered:
- Basic cooking skills (i.e. knife skills)
- How to eat more fresh, seasonal food
- Fermentation & Basics of Traditional Foods
- Healthy Baking Alternatives (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, etc)
- How to Meal Plan & Meal Prep
Describe a recent event you are fond of.
I recently taught a lesson for a group of women focused on canning seasonal produce. It was a great lesson that brought together my passion for seasonal produce and how to use traditional methods to cook our food! Everyone involved really learned a lot and are excited to try out more canning projects this summer.