About
iCook After School is a fun hands-on after-school cooking program where children take part in cooking, recipe reading, and discovering the science behind cooking. During classes, participants also practice math, reading, collaboration, and executive function skills while they work with recipes and dishes that are described as delicious and good for you. The program uses recipes that tend to be easy and colorful, mostly using fresh ingredients, and gives them fun names such as “Super-Power Smoothie” and “Godzilla Veggie Bites.”
• Ages: 5–13 years old
iCook After School began in 2014 as an after-school cooking school for kids to explore culinary adventures. The program’s mission is to encourage young chefs to enjoy the simple goodness of food and cooking through hands-on classes that include nutrition, cultural diversity, and sustainability. It started in one community in Chicago and now runs in hundreds of schools across fourteen states. iCook After School offers both in-person and virtual classes, and classes are described as fun, engaging, and interactive.
The program teaches culinary skills, recipe reading, and nutritional value, and it chooses recipes that teach students about food and cultural diversity. Cultural awareness is described as an important part of the program, with a focus on discovering new flavors from around the world and cultivating an environment where diversity is celebrated through cultural food awareness. The program emphasizes nutrition, cultural diversity, and sustainability, keeps waste to a minimum, and recycles and composts when possible.
iCook After School focuses on “slightly healthier” balanced recipes, with treats included at times, and uses the motto, “Everything in moderation, even moderation.” It is a nut-free establishment and does not use any raw eggs or shellfish in its recipes, and during registration parents are asked to include all important allergy information. The program also provides recipes, cooking tips, and talking points to support recipe sharing and learning at home.
iCook After School was started by two friends, Lesya and Olga, who were passionate about food, cooking, and health and wanted to make a difference by helping children learn to cook and enjoy food that is good for them. A principal from Hannah G. Solomon Elementary School shared that “Our students have enjoyed the opportunity to create in a collaborative environment with this program. I look forward to another good year.”
Last updated August 10, 2026.
• Ages: 5–13 years old
iCook After School began in 2014 as an after-school cooking school for kids to explore culinary adventures. The program’s mission is to encourage young chefs to enjoy the simple goodness of food and cooking through hands-on classes that include nutrition, cultural diversity, and sustainability. It started in one community in Chicago and now runs in hundreds of schools across fourteen states. iCook After School offers both in-person and virtual classes, and classes are described as fun, engaging, and interactive.
The program teaches culinary skills, recipe reading, and nutritional value, and it chooses recipes that teach students about food and cultural diversity. Cultural awareness is described as an important part of the program, with a focus on discovering new flavors from around the world and cultivating an environment where diversity is celebrated through cultural food awareness. The program emphasizes nutrition, cultural diversity, and sustainability, keeps waste to a minimum, and recycles and composts when possible.
iCook After School focuses on “slightly healthier” balanced recipes, with treats included at times, and uses the motto, “Everything in moderation, even moderation.” It is a nut-free establishment and does not use any raw eggs or shellfish in its recipes, and during registration parents are asked to include all important allergy information. The program also provides recipes, cooking tips, and talking points to support recipe sharing and learning at home.
iCook After School was started by two friends, Lesya and Olga, who were passionate about food, cooking, and health and wanted to make a difference by helping children learn to cook and enjoy food that is good for them. A principal from Hannah G. Solomon Elementary School shared that “Our students have enjoyed the opportunity to create in a collaborative environment with this program. I look forward to another good year.”
Last updated August 10, 2026.
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