The Creative Kitchen

Kids Food Festival

admin — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 20:42:15 +0000

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Cooking with Uncle Ben’s

admin — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 19:54:19 +0000

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Tristin and Tyler’s Kids Food Festival Recap

admin — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 13:37:01 +0000

Tristin & Tyler joined us at the 1st annual Kids Food Festival to learn about making healthy food choices! They also got to cook with me, Cricket Azima, they met Chef Joe Johnson and hung with Reed Alexander from iCarly! SUPER FUN!!

To see what Tristin and Tyler are up to next, click here.

Putting Kids in the Kitchen

admin — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 15:06:18 +0000

Classes at the Downtown Community Center on Cooking For — And By — Children

One of the ways in which Manhattan Youth takes the “community” part of its Downtown Community Center (DCC) literally is by taking inspiration for program ideas from members.

In DCC’s latest program, “The Creative Kitchen,” member and creator Cricket Azima will bring cooking classes on baby food to new parents, and introduce cooking to toddlers, as well as special needs children and their families.

Cricket Azima, founder and big cheese of
The Creative Kitchen

Alex Roche, DCC’s director, said, “when a community member comes to us and asks how they can get involved, we sit down and brainstorm with him or her, and talk about what we see that relationship looking like. Our program with Cricket came out of that conversation.”

Ms. Azima, co-founder of the Kids Food Festival, just finished wrapping up the Festival’s first event last Saturday and Sunday in Bryant Park. As with the Festival, Ms. Azima’s classes at DCC will make healthy eating habits accessible to young children.”We’ve been running cooking classes as part of our after-school program for the last three and a half to four years,” said Mr. Roche. “As our population of pre-school users and their families has grown at the Center, so has the need for a daytime cooking program. This is a natural expansion of our infant and toddler curriculum — ceramics, tumbling, swimming and music. It seemed like a no-brainer to add it to our daytime program.”

The Creative Kitchen’s “Feeding Baby” and “Fun Foods for Toddlers” will begin their first sessions next week. In “Feeding Baby,” Ms. Azima and her team will help new parents make a freezable stockpile of baby food, and learn efficient food preparation strategies, timing for feeding certain foods, and cooking methods with a baby in arms. The first session is on Thursday, February 2 (10 to 11am). The program will run for four weeks at a cost of $150 for members, and $250 for non-members. Two more sessions will run in March, and mid-April to mid-May.

Cricket Azima assists a child at a cooking class

“Fun Foods for Toddlers” is designed to bring age-appropriate recipes to toddlers and their families, with a special focus on themes, colors, numbers and shapes. Parents will learn techniques for getting toddlers to help-out in the kitchen and incorporating new and/or healthy foods into the family’s diet. The first session is Thursday, February 2 (11am to noon). The program runs eight weeks at $180 per session for members, and $295 for non-members. There is also a discount for registering for Session I and Session II together.

A third program, “Everybody Can Cook,” aims to teach special-needs children how to cook while learning independence and developmental skills, as well as creating flavorful food. The class will run from noon to 1:30pm on February 12, March 25, April 22 and May 20, at a cost of $140 for members and $220 for non-members.

For more information about all three programs (or for registration materials), e-mail Morgan Geyer at morgan@manhattanyouth.org. The Creative Kitchen plans to keep class sizes small, from 10 to 12 children, or a size dictated by the needs of the children enrolled. For more information visit manhattanyouth.org.

Dianne Renzulli
top photo by Robert Simko

additional photos by Ghazalle Badiozamani

To view the original article click here.

Cooking with Tristin and Tyler at Kids Food Festival

admin — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 13:42:05 +0000

Tristin and Tyler are twin brothers who love to find ways to save the earth in their series “Tristin and Tyler’s Tales from the City!” They are so excited about the show because they get a chance to share all of their fun adventures with the kids who watch!

Tristin and Tyler joined Cricket Azima at The Creative Kitchen to learn how to make Strawberry Salsa! You can cook with Tristin, Tyler and Cricket at the Kids Food Festival on January 21st at 3:00. Click here to get your tickets now! For more information visit www.kidsfoodfestival.com.

For more information and to see what Tristin and Tyler are up to next, visit www.tristinandtyler.com.

15 Best Kitchen Gadgets Under $50

admin — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 18:05:25 +0000

To compile our list of the best budget-friendly cooking tools we combed through the classics, the brand new, and the new-and-improved. If you don’t already have these kitchen essentials, you’ll wonder how you ever survived without them!

Some kitchen gadgets remain state-of-the-art for decades—there’s no improving on the rice cooker, for instance. Yet others are continually updated with smaller proportions, and so many bells and whistles that they’ll do everything but the dishes. To compile our list of the best budget-friendly cooking tools we combed through the classics, the brand new, and the new-and-improved. If you don’t already have these kitchen essentials, you’ll wonder how you ever survived without them!

Cricket Rings NYSE Bell for the Kids Food Festival

admin — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 17:58:21 +0000

What better way to ring in the new year than with the NYSE!? Kids Food Festival is proud to announce the launch of the Kids Food Festival, LLC and the first annual Kids Food Festival taking place on January 21^st- 22^ndat Citi Pond^SM at Bryant Park. The Kids Food Festival helps in the fight against childhood obesity through fun and flavorful activities about balanced food & lifestyle choices.

With musical performances from Kimmy Schwimmy and Joanie Leeds and food demonstrations and hands-on cooking classes from top-chefs such as Reed Alexander, Sam Talbot and Grayson Schmitz, we are sure the whole family will have a great time! Spaces are limited, so be sure to purchase your tickets in advance.

Make and Eat Menu Options

admin — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 19:18:54 +0000

Make & Eat Menu Options

Rainbow RiceFruit PizzaStrawberry Salsa w/ ChipsVeggie Sushi RollsFruit DumplingsCandy Sushi

Pattern Parfaits

Polka Dot Pudding

Pumpkin Fritters

Fruit SoupBone SoupPlaytime PastaDirt CakeLasagna CupcakesCaribbean Mango Salsa w/ Chips

Mexican Cactus Salad

Stuffed Acorn Squash

Creative Crepes

Party and Play Date Themes

admin — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 19:10:45 +0000

Party and Play Date Themes

Fiesta Fun Party– Roll up your sleeves it’s time for a cooking fiesta! Children will make and decorate cookies in fun shapes using a variety of festive colors and sprinkles. Plus, choose one recipe from our menu for kids to cook.