Carmel Indiana's Sprouts Cooking School

Writer: Jennifer Lear Kids are getting messy and having a blast at the new Sprouts Cooking School in Carmel, Indiana. Owner, Stephanie Drewry is inspiring freedom in the kitchen and a lifetime love of cooking for children ages 3-10 with her creative classes and summer camps. Photos courtesy of ML Photography. Since Sprout’s June 2015 launch, interest from the community has been growing by the day and summer camp spots are filling up quickly for sprouting chefs. Summer camp classes are held in a group setting where all students help. The classes take place over a 2 days period with 2 hour sessions each day. Budding chefs are exposed to basic culinary skills such as reading recipes, measuring, spreading, scooping, chopping, tearing and mixing. All with kitchen tools perfectly sized and safe for little hands. The best part of all is the students get to taste during the classes as well. “Exploring new flavors is always fun. Children are more inclined to try new foods when they have helped in the kitchen. They think the food tastes even better since they were apart of preparing it,” said Drewry. Everyone gets to take home a portion of what’s created in class, along with recipe cards to be able to repeat the fun at home. “My five-year-old twins were so proud to bring home their creations from Stephanie’s recent Frozen Camp and let us have a taste as well. As a mom, I love that her classes carry over to home so well. My kids are excited and engaged about nutrition, healthy habits and cooking as a family. It’s a win-win all around,” local Carmel resident Cheryl Nolan said. Upcoming summer camps include a Frozen Camp, Breakfast of Champions and a YouTube Challenge where students will get to explore candy sushi and Minion cupcakes. Stephanie is currently working on an upcoming fall class schedule. Themes will include afterschool snacks, holiday fun and Mason jar recipes (think perfect teacher gifts). She also is exploring a possible partnership with schools for afterschool enrichment programs. For Stephanie, Sprouts is a dream come true. She’s always loved to cook and she adores working with children. It’s the prefect mesh of her passions with her Purdue elementary education degree. Plus Sprout’s business model allows her to still remain a stay at home mom to her young children. “My biggest joy is getting to have my three children along for the ride. They’re the best co-workers and my biggest fans,” said Drewry. Photos courtesy of ML Photography Sprouts Cooking School thinks food should be fun for everyone! They understand the growing number of food allergies in young children and are a peanut and tree nut free cooking school. Additionally, they do their best to accommodate other allergies with advanced notice at the time of booking. To learn more or book a class email sproutscookingschool@gmail.com or follow on Facebook. *Photos courtesy of ML Photography