Kitchen is the heart of every home. It is the most aromatic, active and magical area of one's house where mouth-watering, appetizing food is conjured to satisfy one's appetite. From incredible pastas, nourishing salads to delightful desserts, one just can't have enough. When you see your mother cooking in the kitchen – chopping, mixing, pounding, baking – to cook a delectable dish for you to devour, you sometimes wish too if you could cook something that would make people smile and shower you with praises. Well, then Young Chef's Academy (YCA) is the destination where you can learn the fine art of cooking. Amal Fakieh, head chef of YCA, said she always wanted to cook nutritious and healthy food. At the tender age of 18, she was the first Saudi female chef to graduate from Le Cordon Blue, London — the world's leading culinary school. Amal and her sister Dalal Fakeih then worked hard to open an institute, preferably an American franchisee, to groom young, budding chefs. “It is not about having a business or running a fancy restaurant. I just want the young chefs to do healthy cooking for a healthy future,” said Amal. Dr. Rasha Rafie has enrolled her daughter Hala Khayat in YCA as she was interested in becoming a chef. “She practices everything at home which she learns at the academy. It is perfect place that makes learning easy and cooking fun.” Ten-year-old Khayat loves cutting vegetables and playing with the dough of garlic bread. Her favorite recipe is Chocolate chip Biscotti. YCA follows a proper curriculum taught by highly qualified teaching staff who specialize in a lot of cuisines. The kitchen at the academy is equipped with electric ovens, safety knives, among others. The students learn basics of kitchen safety, food preparation, cooking and baking techniques, presentation, table settings, manners and much more. Weekly classes at YCA are a great opportunity to nurture one's cooking skills, or perhaps discover a hidden talent. Students of Jeddah Knowledge School Dana and Joed, both aged 10, love cooking and experimenting with ingredients at the academy. Dana loves to make spaghetti, which she learned at theYCA, and she wants to be a chef when she grows up. Joed made an interesting Italian dish with mozzarella and tomatoes. “We don't just teach the kids how to cut and cook. At YCA, we promise to teach the value and joy of cooking. Each recipe prepared here is a chance to explore many topics of study in an interactive and friendly environment,” said Chef Amna. “We teach them science, mathematics and history. The Fermentation of yeast is science of baking, the amount of ingredient is maths and there is always a history behind a recipe. When, why and how? the answers for the young chefs are here at YCA,” Amna added. Salma, 10, enrolled at YCA because she wanted to learn to cook savory dishes because her elder sister was an expert in baking and desserts. “My dad loves everything that I cook at YCA and I practice it them at home as well.” YCA provides classes for three groups — Kinder Chefs, Junior Chefs and Senior Chefs. If an enrolled student participates in classes and successfully passes monthly tasks then he/she has a chance to win the title of Master Chef in addition to a diploma, a badge and a Master Chef Jacket. Assistant Chefs Noor and Sara enjoy working with kids. Every day is as new as fresh for them. “It is an amazing dream watching the kids cook with great interest.” Fakieh said that kidsww learn quickly. “You tell them once and they do the rest on their own.”
