Rooks to Cooks is the leading culinary school for children in the GTA! Kids learn to cook, but they also learn about nutrition, self-sufficiency, team-work, safety + more. Keep your kids busy, engaged & learning with fascinating virtual cooking programs. Experienced chefs guide them through recipes in the comfort of their kitchen while having fun interacting with peers online!

Choose the right programs and sessions for your child; currently 10 programs available; 53 TBD.

Filter activities :

• Arts & Crafts
• Baking/Decorating
• Cooking

Shai Mandel, Founder and CEO
Bachelor of Kinesiology, Wilfrid Laurier University. Bachelor of Education, Wilfrid Laurier University. Chef Training Certificate, George Brown College

Hi there, my name is Chef Shai Mandel and I am pleased to introduce you to Rooks to Cooks!

Rooks to Cooks is the GTA’s leading culinary school for children, offering a vast array of services from our award winning summer culinary camps to our new virtual after school programs, workshops and virtual camps!

As a certified teacher and professional chef of 14 years, I know there is no better way to educate and inspire youth, in all areas of life, than cooking. Learning to cook is an integral life skill and I have had the privilege of witnessing, on a regular basis, the impact that teaching a child to cook can have on their lives. It builds independence, self-sufficiency, but most importantly builds self-confidence. When a child or teen is truly confident in themselves, they are not only prepared for what life can throw at them, but they are empowered and inspired to follow their dreams. 

Rooks to Cooks is not your typical youth cooking program. Our culinary school offers innovative, high quality, hands-on culinary programs unparalleled by others of similar nature. What sets our program apart is simple, we are experts in culinary education for children and take a holistic approach to culinary education. With a team of certified teachers, holistic nutritionists, mental health advocates and real chefs, our curriculum not only teaches youth how to cook and the why’s behind the practical skills, but in the process they learn a whole lot more! By participating in one of our awesome programs, your child will learn culinary skills, responsibility, independence, nutrition, problem solving, and apply math and science in the real world. Imagine the value of these life skills to your child - all while expanding their palates, getting creative and having fun!

In our inspiring, creative and educational classes, your child will have a fulfilling, exciting virtual experience with our top-notch professional instructors and like-minded peers online. We keep our class sizes small (1:8 chef to student ratio) and are constantly striving to provide exciting new recipes and new skills for our students to learn! Our focus is on offering the best quality culinary programs that provide significant life-long skills and value to our students and families. We invite you to join us and experience our outstanding classes!

Sincerely,

Chef Shai

About Chef Shai Mandel: Shai has a Bachelor of Kinesiology degree, as well as an Ontario Teaching Certificate and a Chef Training Certificate. Over the past 6 years, Shai and her team have had the privilege of teaching over 7,000 students how to cook through summer camps, after school programs, birthday parties, workshops and private lessons. www.rookstocooks.ca

Accommodations:

Are meals provided? Yes

Is Rooks to Cooks technology free? Yes
Personal technology (ex. smart phones, mp3 players, tablets etc) may be used during break time. If a camper would like to take a picture of his/her meals, they are welcome to, but must put their devices away afterwards.

• Learn a lot and have fun too!

  "A few days late but I just wanted to say how much my daughter enjoyed the Budding Bakers Sr. camp with you and your helpers. She learned a lot and had a ton of fun. She really enjoyed the pop-up restaurant challenge. We loved it too! Yummy! Thank you to you and your team for making the experience so much fun and so positive. Looking forward to more cooking adventures on the horizon :-)"

• Picky Eaters No More!

  "My kids absolutely loved Rooks To Cooks and chef Shai!

  If your kids are picky eaters, you should definitely try this class - chef Shai will get them to try anything, and I mean anything! By the end of her class, my child, who would only eat pasta (no sauce), made his own sushi and ate it too!

  The summer camp is also great, the pop-up restaurant at the end of the week is awesome. It's a full scale production and kids have a blast.

  Definitely recommend it!"

• From Rook to Cook

  "My 6 year old daughter just completed a week at Rooks to Cooks and loved it! She developed a real interest in cooking and will definitely be returning next year. Chef Shai is amazing and I would highly recommend this camp!"

• Inspiring

  "My 10yr son just completed a week of Rooks to Cooks and had a fantastic time! He learned so much and really enjoyed every bit of it. This camp was well organized and I am so impressed with the meals they made. Chef Shai and her team did a great job inspiring the kids to want to learn more about cooking and help out with meals at home! I highly recommend this camp. :)"

• Restaurant

  "Great class, the restaurant at the end really helped complete the week and taught us all how a real restaurant operates. All the recipes are amazing. Thanks Chef Shai"

• Pie Birthday Party

  "Rooks for Cooks did a wonderful Pie Making Class for my daughter's birthday party. The girls loved it, as did my husband and I!! Chef Shai and her team are fun, engaging, organized and professional. I would definitely do it again!"

• Pie Class

  "I took a pie making class with Shai and she was incredible. I had cooked and baked my whole life but she taught me specific things about dough that I never knew. Not just for pies but for other baked goods as well. Now that I know, I always use her techniques. And everybody now loves my baking!!"

• Slam-Dunking Doughnuts

  "Shai is an AMAZING teacher! She's funny, welcoming and has an answer for every question. While teaching me to make some killer donuts she even taught me a bit of the chemistry involved, which I really enjoyed (and it's not easy to make chemistry interesting). Gotta give her a 5/5 :)"

• From Prep to Plating

  "In just a couple of hours, I learned so much about cooking. I never thought I'd be able to make better dumplings than the one's I'd get from my favourite restaurants. From prep to plating, you remained patient and thoughtful - you are very passionate about teaching people how to cook. I can't wait to learn more from you!"

• Winning Way With Kids

  "Chef Shai Mandel has a winning way with kids. She is warm, engaging, patient and funny. Above all, she is passionate about teaching kids and youth that eating well and preparing home-cooked food is a life skill. Her lessons are fuss-free, practical and kids love them. Shai knows that the earlier in life that you start learning how to cook simple meals, the better, and her approach builds a young person's independence and encourages their interest in how to eat fresh food well!"

• Where fun meets practical knowledge

  "Shai is an amazing teacher. She manages to be engaging and fun while imparting practical knowledge. Her recipes are wonderful and her food is delicious! My son did some in-home private lessons with Shai. He learned a lot and enjoyed his experience tremendously." 

• Two Amazing Experiences with Chef Shai.

  "I've had two amazing experiences with chef Shai. First was a pie baking class last summer where we made the best apple pie I've ever tasted. Then Chef Shai taught a group of 8 friends how to prepare various fish dishes with amazing sides and dessert. We all had a blast and got to learn from the most wonderful teacher. I would highly recommend Shai to young and not so young wannabe cooks. Her style and expertise are superb."

• Learning to Cook with Rooks to Cooks was so much fun!

  "Learning to cook with Rooks to Cooks was so much fun! Shai is patient, kind, professional and incredibly knowledgeable. She made advanced skills manageable and in two hours I created what felt like a gourmet meal. Learning to cook myself has always been uninspiring. With Shai's knowledge, I feel I will have the tools to cook more on my own. The cost of lessons will pay in health and reduced take out! Thanks Shai."

• My Kids Can't Stop Raving About Shai!!

  "My kids can't stop raving about Shai!!!
  
  We've had two in-home classes now and I have nothing but good things to say. My sons, 6 and 8, love their classes. The classes are fun but they are also actually learning cooking techniques and knife skills. My younger son is a ridiculously picky eater but after just two classes with Shai he's become more willing to try new foods.
  
  Shai is engaging and lots of fun and as a trained teacher, she can maintain order and hold kids attention. I highly recommend Rooks to Cooks."

• Thanks for the Macarons and tips

  "Shai taught me how to make Macarons, and even how to do swirly patterns and stuff on them. You were so thoughtful and attentive in the lesson! Thanks Shai!!!"

• Thanks Chef Shai

  "Thanks to Chef Shai for a wonderfull, delicious and informative sushi cooking class for my daughter's 17th birthday. Her friends and I learned how to make professional grade sushi, tempura, sauces and how to dice and slice like professional chefs. I have highly recommended our experience to other friends and will absolutely do another class very soon."

• Thank you!

  "Thanks for the amazing sushi class, Shai! My friends and I had a blast and the sushi was amazing!"