Schoolhouse Kitchen + Studio

Schoolhouse Kitchen + Studio offers camps, weekly classes, parties, and weekend classes that focus on cooking, baking, and crafting. Kids and teens can join camps and a summer cooking camp that include hands-on creative adventures with food. The program is described as Chicagoland's Premiere Cooking School For Kids & Families and as a welcoming community cooking school where participants explore creative recipes, try new foods and flavors, make new friends, and celebrate together.

• Schedule: Weekly classes after school; camps and weekend classes available on days off, school breaks, and over the summer

Schoolhouse Kitchen + Studio has been inspiring people to grow, eat, share, and learn about good food since 2012, and Cheryl Knecht founded Schoolhouse Kitchen in 2017. The program expanded to Portage Park in 2023 and is approaching its 10th anniversary relative to a July 13, 2026 blog date. Schoolhouse Kitchen + Studio was founded by Cheryl Knecht, who co-founded Sugar Beet Food Co-op in Oak Park, IL, in 2015 to support local farmers and provide greater access to organic food. Cheryl’s work in Chicago’s food scene has earned her the Golden Beet Award and a place on New City Chicago’s “Big Heat” list three times. The program’s mission is to offer community cooking classes that spark a lifelong love for cooking and baking, and to provide a unique space for youth and families to learn about food together. Schoolhouse Kitchen + Studio partners with schools and community groups that want to bring fun, hands-on culinary programming to their communities, and the program emphasizes that a kitchen classroom is a fun and relaxing environment to explore.

Last updated July 30, 2026.