Cooking can provide children with lots of fun learning opportunities. The humble home kitchen, with its ingredients, appliances, and tools, offers an exciting prospect for hands-on, sensory activities. From kneading sticky dough to frying fragrant spices and popping corn, you would be hard-pressed to find another activity that can engage all five senses.
So, despite Qatar’s desert heat, some schools have created flourishing edible gardens maintained by students and teachers packed full of fresh, healthy produce for cooking. This growing understanding of the importance of developing children’s cooking skills has led to the creation of local initiatives like The Cooking Academy that aim to get them more involved in the kitchen.
The Academy’s Beginnings
Cooking has always been an essential part of the life of local aeronautical engineer and The Cooking Academy co-founder Mohamed Abdul Malik Al-Hammadi. From a young age, his mother, acclaimed Qatari chef Aisha Al Tamimi, encouraged Al-Hammadi to help in the kitchen, sharing her knowledge and passion for food. One of his earliest culinary memories goes back to when he was six years old and struggling with his first Ramadan fast. “I told my mama that fasting was too hard. She gave me a seat in the kitchen and taught me how to roll samosa. I [had] rolled 110 pieces by the time I was done! It was breakfast [iftar] time,” he recalls. Looking back, Abdul Malik believes that his mother did this to both distract him and teach him how to cook and be creative in the kitchen.
Cooking has always been an essential part of the life of local aeronautical engineer and The Cooking Academy co-founder Mohamed Abdul Malik Al-Hammadi. From a young age, his mother, acclaimed Qatari chef Aisha Al Tamimi, encouraged Al-Hammadi to help in the kitchen, sharing her knowledge and passion for food. One of his earliest culinary memories goes back to when he was six years old and struggling with his first Ramadan fast. “I told my mama that fasting was too hard. She gave me a seat in the kitchen and taught me how to roll samosa. I [had] rolled 110 pieces by the time I was done! It was breakfast [iftar] time,” he recalls. Looking back, Abdul Malik believes that his mother did this to both distract him and teach him how to cook and be creative in the kitchen.
Learning at The Cooking Academy
For Al-Hammadi, creating a child-led setting full of lively and stimulating activities was crucial. “I make sure The Cooking Academy has hands-on classes for kids. We allow kids to lead, be creative, communicate, and build self-esteem whilst enjoying their time,” he explains. This educational approach, which experts call “indirect learning”, encourages kids to be active participants by engaging in exploration, critical thinking, and problem-solving.
On a typical day, cooking classes start in The Energy Room, which is filled with toys and a TV broadcasting child-friendly cooking shows. Al-Hammadi says: “In The Energy Room, our chef introduces him/herself, tells jokes, and performs tricks to grab the kid’s attention. The children wash their hands to highlight the importance of hygiene and then start the technical aspect of cooking such as baking, frying, oven grilling, decorating, and plating”. Each class holds a maximum of 15 students, covering all levels of ability. At the end of the sessions, kids get to taste their culinary creations!
Aside from the obvious skills and knowledge children learn in these classes, Abdul Malik shares a poignant observation of the young students who have attended his culinary school. “The sense of pride for those children who meet their families after the class is incredible. I don’t know an adjective that can explain the kid’s emotions! It’s a mix of smiles, glory, triumph, and achievement.” According to him, this overwhelmingly positive response from children encourages their families to keep bringing them back. “The boost of self-esteem that kids have from accomplishing a recipe can’t be expressed,” he says.
Abdul Malik believes that cooking is an essential life skill that people can learn early, and the sooner they start, the better. “Fundamentally, we need to teach kids the art of cooking before counting. In my opinion, it is essential learning for kids as they are our future.”
The Benefits of Cooking Classes
In the UK, the National Food Strategy report of 2019 recommends that schools “instil a love of cooking in pupils” while teaching them the skills that will enable them to feed themselves and others well. It emphasises that children should start their culinary education as early as possible and that eating a balanced diet will be easier if they know how to cook from scratch. This is crucial, as the report suggests that cooking skills are becoming much less common. “Culinary skills and knowledge have declined across every social class since convenience food became widely available, and are still declining, as one generation after another grows up without seeing or trying cookery at home,” it says.
Children’s health experts also confirm that children of all ages who cook develop various valuable skills that can last a lifetime. The American Association of Pediatrics states: “There are so many lessons that can be taught while cooking. Math concepts like counting, measurement, and fractions naturally unfold when navigating a recipe with kids. Explaining how food changes with temperature or how certain foods can help our body be healthy and provides great lessons in science, planning, and completing projects.” And the world’s largest organisation of nutrition and dietetics practitioners, The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, agrees: “Cooking is a valuable life skill that teaches children about nutrition and food safety, as well as building math, science, literacy, and fine motor skills.” Now that’s food for thought!
About the Cooking Academy
The Cooking Academy currently offers two programmes for young, budding chefs:
1. The Future Chef Program
- Ages: 10 to 15
- Duration: three-hour classes on two consecutive days
- Children learn cooking skills, build friendships, learn communication and leadership skills, hygiene, and food science.
2. The Mini Chef Program
- Ages: four to eight
- Duration: two-hour classes on three consecutive days
- Children learn to prepare a variety of childhood classics such as burgers, macaroni cheese, cookies, and crepes.
To learn more about The Cooking Academy, visit cookingacademy.qa or follow @thecookingacademyqtr on Facebook and Instagram.
