Young Chefs Academy

Had my sons 8^th bday party here last month. They had a few packages to choose from and I chose the one that included goody bags. Loved the cooking space and everything was super bright, colorful and clean.
This was probably the easiest party to plan and coordinate and I love not having to stress. Kids made pizza and Sundaes for dessert so I didn’t even have to bring a cake. The chefs/​instructors were fun, engaging and really seemed like they wanted the kids to have a good time. I had catering called in for adults to eat from ovo sodo and they gave us a room in the back to set up so adults could eat while kids cooked.
The owner helped us clean up, packed all the presents and when we ran out of plates and towels provided us extra free. Definitely over delivered and had a great time. Everyone was super nice and accommodating and my son had a blast with his friends! Absolutely recommend for a kids party. Thank you!!!

had all the makings of an excellent place it was very clean and in a good location a safe neighborhood. the kids made corn meal bread

I had my daughter’s 9^th Birthday here and it was perfect! Staff is wonderful. Place is immaculate. All of the children had a blast. This is truly a place where children of all ages can enjoy. Thanks Chefs academy for making my daughter’s birthday super. She really loved it!!!

My son came here for almost a year. He loved it, The chef’s where excellent and very friendly. I would highly recommend this place.

It is indeed a fabulous class. Both my son and daughter really enjoyed it and were asking whether they can attend the next class… well, Mommy have to set up the schedule first. Its a drop off class as the whole floor were practically separated into 2 kitchen for the class. Its clean and sleek.
I bought a Groupon deal and they were so sweet and acommodating about it unlike some places that have restrictions for this kind of deals. The lady at the counter were so knowledgeable and friendly and they were not pushy about the classes too. Genuine concern about how the kids learn through cooking and expanding their palate. I am totally impressed. And yes, you have to make an appointment quick as they have limited spaces and different themes each time.
This class they made chicken ginger coconut soup with rice with vegan fish sauce and chewy ginger cookie. Totally love the ginger cookie as it has fresh ginger in it and really blend well with the other spices. My son which is a picky eater were eagerly eating the soup too and saving some for me.
It was an awesome experience and its really an eye opener for kids to learn through cooking.

Loved this place! A group of us bought vouchers on Amazon Local and registered the kids for a Sunday morning class. From the minute we walked in the staff was amazingly friendly and welcoming. There are two big colorful kitchens where they run the classes and a very small lobby. There’s not a lot of space for parents to hang out while the class is going on. This is a drop-​off class so once the kids were kitted out in their aprons we headed around the corner for coffee. When we arrived back we could see through the windows that they were just sitting down to eat what they had made which was pancakes and maple syrup from scratch. The kids really got a kick out of the class.
This location is run by a husband and wife team (super nice people). My only «complaint» is that they were hard to get in touch with to book the kids in. I left several voicemails before my calls were returned. Email seems to be a much more effective way of communicating with them. Other than that everything was great.

I took my 4 yr old son here, and was disappointed. Forest Hills is a progressive location, so I expected better from Young Chef Academy. Kids nowadays have many allergies to nuts, soy, etc. and and sensitivities to chemicals, synthetic colorings and flavors, etc. I did as a child, and still am affected horribly by these toxins as an adult.
Commercial food is filled with industrial toxins that kill adults, not just children. The movement away from junk food, towards health food for kids, is gigantic now, partly for that reason, and partly because the level of quality of regular commercial food is so terrible, that if you are paying attention at all to what you’re eating, you notice that something is wrong.
Many programs for kids, that are progressive/​evolved, have gotten with the program, and adjusted to the fact that commercial food is absolutely horrible, that many kids have allergies, and eating organic is pretty much a necessity, not a luxury, if you want to eat truly healthy. I’ve taken my son to many places for kids that have had a variety of organic options. I was surprised that this place had none at all, like they’ve never even heard of it. Get with the program!
I think the idea of kids learning to cook their own food is great. If its food they’re cooking. The term food refers to that which grew out of the earth, came from an animal, or had a mother. If something was made in a lab with synthetic chemicals, its not food, because it has no nutritional sustenance for the body. Food has probiotics, live enzymes, vitamins, nutrients, antioxidants, etc. Highly processed ‘food’ or synthetic ‘food’ does not have those things, and some don’t classify it as food at all. It has about the same nutritional value as eating plastic or cardboard.
Using dough out of a pre fab container in order to make a cinnamon roll, using margarine for the cream filling, and commercial so called cranberry ‘juice’ (which is not actually juice at all, but rather sugary water, with food coloring to look like cranberry, and synthetic flavoring to mimic the taste of cranberry) for punch is definitely NOT cooking in my view. I have stopped eating that kind of food about 20 years ago, when I learned the basics of nutrition in school. (I have since then moved on to a career in Health.) It looks like the owners and teachers of Young Chef Academy have not studied the basics of nutrition. If they had the basic knowledge of health and nutrition, they would never serve food like that to kids, or to anyone.
Fructose Corn Syrup is not food. Its highly toxic, and is worse than white sugar. Margarine is not food. Its synthetically manufactured in a lab. Gluten is a neurotoxin. Almost all prefab doughs have gluten and typically a huge list of other ingredients which are not food, have never been food, and are basically synthetic compounds created in a lab. Cinnamon and wheat that are not grown organically, have pesticides, herbicides, and are likely GMO. None of those ingredients have nutritional value for the human body, but are highly toxic.
Cooking is when you take fresh organic ingredients, such as vegetables, fruits, eggs, meats, flour and oil and actually make the food yourself, from scratch.
Making a ‘home made’ version of junk food, from pre fab ingredients, is not the kind of cooking I’d want my child to learn.

This place is great! Ive taken my daughter here twice for their cooking classes. I usually use the living social deal. Paid $ 19.95 for a 90minute class. Depending the week or season you go, they have different cooking themes ie: mexican, italian, bbq, asian etc… the times my daughter has gone she made corn dogs, pineapple chicken shish kabobs, cole slaw, homemade bbq sauce, chocolate covered banana.
The place is in a commercial building on the 2^nd floor they have two rooms for the kids to cook in. its a cozy space but the rooms are spacious enough for the kids to move around in.
The staff is friendly and professional. place is very clean. the only two downsides are their contact hours they vary every day so you have to check their website, and the days/​hours for cooking classes, theyre not flexible, they only offer classes early in the morning on weekends or evenings on weekdays.
my daughter is so excited she doesnt care how early it is though. lol. overall nice place to take your kids to!

My 5 yr old daughter has been here twice with living social deals. We have always gone on an early sunday morning, so parking is easy. She loved the classes, was very excited with what she made and brought home, Plus i got to have a coffee around the corner for an hour while she was there… nice!

I loooove this place! I bought two Living Social deals for my kids. I tried contacting the location a few times to redeem it, but could not get through. Eventually after calling and leaving a few messages the owner called back. By then, my deals had expired and I expected him to be a total douche bag about the situation, but he was terrific! Their slots fill up quickly so it took about a month to get an appointment, but he did not charge me extra.
When you first get there, the site is kind of underwhelming. But once you go inside it is a kid chef dream. Bright colors, huge kitchen, very clean and likeable set up. The smells coming from the classroom was so good!
There is really no area for parents to wait for their children because it seems all of the available space is for the classrooms, but the owner was nice enough to allow the parents to sit in the classroom that was not in use. It was comfy, cozy, and there was a very warm feeling throughout the location.
Beware of the helicopter parents who will not let anyone see their kids through the classroom windows, AND who make it impossible to maneuver up and down the hallways. There is no parking… like none… this place is right off of Queens Boulevard and you practically have to sell your first born to find somewhere to park. I can’t wait to go back, but the prices are STEEP… like sell your 2^nd born steep. Once I save up a few sheckles, I will definitely be back. My kids (5 yr old boy and 11 yr old girl) fell in love. Perhaps a birthday party… there are a ton of fun looking options.

Young Chefs Academy is FANTASTIC!!! I celebrated my daughter’s birthday here with a group of 10 kids & they all had so much fun. The age range was big (6 – 17) so I needed a place that would entertain them all & keep them interested… YCA definitely made it happen seamlessly. The staff is super friendly & helpful. All of the kids at the party had so much fun & have become so much more interested in cooking at home. We would not only recommend this place but will be going back for sure!

They have a very poor business practice I called to inquire about a party or my soon to be 7yr old child. The women who answered my call advised she is on her way to a doctor’s appointment but proceeded to asked me what day I was looking to have the party I told her July 21, 2013. She advised me the day was available to visit the website as it would answer my questions. she took my name and number and promise to follow up with me the next day. This has been 3weeks ago and I have yet to receive a phone call