Kids and Teen Cooking Classes and Camps
The Chopping Block, 4747 N Lincoln, Chicago, IL 60625
About
Kids and Teen Cooking Classes and Camps offers hands-on cooking classes, kids cooking camps, teen cooking camps, baking camp, teen baking camp, and a Teen Boot Camp. The program also offers family cooking classes, including a family cooking experience on Noon Year’s Eve, as well as summer cooking camps where kids and teens prepare a variety of recipes themselves under close supervision. Students make dishes such as homemade pasta, stir-fry, baked treats, global dishes, and sushi in completely hands-on classes and camps.
• Ages: 6–17 years old
Kids’ classes are designed for ages 7–12, while teen classes are for ages 13–17, and family classes are designed for kids ages 6 and up with their grown-ups. All tools and ingredients are provided, so there is no need to send a child with any supplies or food. The program also offers wine and spirits classes, private cooking events, outdoor grilling events, mix and mingle events, and culinary adventures and travel led by professional chefs.
The Chopping Block has been teaching people how to cook since 1997 and describes itself as Chicago’s premier recreational cooking school. It has nearly three decades of culinary education experience and offers immersive boot camps and private events led by professional chefs. The leadership team includes Owner/Executive Chef Lisa Counts, Founder Shelley Young, and Chef Instructors David Wieseneck, Dionna Israel, Drake Mandrell, and Sara Salzinski, along with Chef Instructor and Curriculum Coordinator Sara Salzinski. Team members have formal culinary training from schools such as Kendall College, the California Culinary Academy, Schoolcraft College, Wayne State University, and the Culinary Institute of America, and have cooked professionally in restaurants including 312 Chicago, NAHA, Custom House, Henri, Spiaggia, Ambria, and Blackbird.
The mission of The Chopping Block is to inspire people to cook by offering cooking classes, wine and spirits classes, private cooking events, and curated culinary products. The facility is described as feeling like a home kitchen but with modern ovens, cooktops, appliances, and tools likely to be found in a home kitchen, and includes Eggplant Kitchen, Thyme Kitchen, and an Outdoor Grilling Patio that can be configured for different types of events.
Parents report that kids and teens enjoyed baking camp, teen baking camp, summer cooking camp, teen cooking camp, and Teen Boot Camp, and that they brought home recipes and treats from what they made. Families have also described the family cooking experience on Noon Year’s Eve as a fun way to prepare dishes together, with chefs making sure the food was cooked properly. One testimonial notes that staff members make cooking accessible, fun, and adventurous and are skilled at explaining concepts that can seem difficult for home cooks.
Last updated July 29, 2026.
• Ages: 6–17 years old
Kids’ classes are designed for ages 7–12, while teen classes are for ages 13–17, and family classes are designed for kids ages 6 and up with their grown-ups. All tools and ingredients are provided, so there is no need to send a child with any supplies or food. The program also offers wine and spirits classes, private cooking events, outdoor grilling events, mix and mingle events, and culinary adventures and travel led by professional chefs.
The Chopping Block has been teaching people how to cook since 1997 and describes itself as Chicago’s premier recreational cooking school. It has nearly three decades of culinary education experience and offers immersive boot camps and private events led by professional chefs. The leadership team includes Owner/Executive Chef Lisa Counts, Founder Shelley Young, and Chef Instructors David Wieseneck, Dionna Israel, Drake Mandrell, and Sara Salzinski, along with Chef Instructor and Curriculum Coordinator Sara Salzinski. Team members have formal culinary training from schools such as Kendall College, the California Culinary Academy, Schoolcraft College, Wayne State University, and the Culinary Institute of America, and have cooked professionally in restaurants including 312 Chicago, NAHA, Custom House, Henri, Spiaggia, Ambria, and Blackbird.
The mission of The Chopping Block is to inspire people to cook by offering cooking classes, wine and spirits classes, private cooking events, and curated culinary products. The facility is described as feeling like a home kitchen but with modern ovens, cooktops, appliances, and tools likely to be found in a home kitchen, and includes Eggplant Kitchen, Thyme Kitchen, and an Outdoor Grilling Patio that can be configured for different types of events.
Parents report that kids and teens enjoyed baking camp, teen baking camp, summer cooking camp, teen cooking camp, and Teen Boot Camp, and that they brought home recipes and treats from what they made. Families have also described the family cooking experience on Noon Year’s Eve as a fun way to prepare dishes together, with chefs making sure the food was cooked properly. One testimonial notes that staff members make cooking accessible, fun, and adventurous and are skilled at explaining concepts that can seem difficult for home cooks.
Last updated July 29, 2026.
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