Youth Culinary Passport: Spain

Program Dates

October — Tuesdays or Thursdays
3:30 PM – 6:30 PM
Four weekly sessions · choose one weekday and keep it for the month

Give your child the chance to explore the world through food in this immersive, month-long youth culinary experience.

Youth Culinary Passport – Spain is a four-week series designed for curious young cooks who want to build real kitchen skills while discovering global culture.

Each week, students explore Spanish cuisine as a gateway to understanding geography, regional traditions, ingredients, and culinary history. From the seafood of the Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts to the saffron-scented rice fields of Valencia and the olive groves of the south, students learn how landscape and season shape one of Europe's most celebrated food cultures.

Building on September's journey through Mexico, students trace the Atlantic exchange — how New World ingredients like tomatoes, peppers, and chocolate crossed the ocean and transformed the way Spain (and the world) cooks.

Classes are fully hands-on — kids cook complete dishes from start to finish while building confidence, knife skills, kitchen safety, sofrito and rice fundamentals, flavor balancing, and teamwork.

To deepen the experience, Spanish music plays throughout each session, and visual displays provide cultural context such as maps of Spain's regions, the tradition of tapas, bustling markets, and the rhythm of the shared table. The kitchen becomes a classroom where food, history, geography, and creativity come together.

This program emphasizes curiosity and confidence. Students are encouraged to explore flavors openly — discovering how smoked paprika, saffron, olive oil, and fresh produce build the warmth of Spanish cooking. Every class is designed so there's something each child connects with, while gently expanding their palate and perspective.

Program Structure

Schedule: Tuesdays or Thursdays, 3:30–6:30 PM
Duration: Four consecutive weeks
Class Size: Limited to 10 students

Curriculum Focus – Spain

• Spanish cuisine and its regional influences (Atlantic, Mediterranean, and interior)
• The Atlantic exchange — how New World ingredients (tomatoes, peppers, cacao) reshaped Spanish food
• Core techniques: building a sofrito, cooking rice the Spanish way, the classic tortilla española
• Tapas culture and the tradition of sharing food at the table
• Foundational techniques in age-appropriate ways (knife skills, sautéing, seasoning with saffron and smoked paprika, layering flavor)

Please Note

This is a progressive, four-week series and is designed to be taken as a full month. Dietary considerations can often be accommodated if shared in advance.

Knowledge Required

Beginner-friendly. No prior cooking experience needed.