Kitchen Table Maplewood Kids Classes and Camps
Kitchen Table Maplewood, 1851 Springfield Avenue, 2nd Floor, Maplewood, NJ 07040
About
Kitchen Table Maplewood Kids Classes and Camps offers cooking classes where kids prepare dishes such as meal staples like pasta and more adventurous options like sushi. The program also includes plant-based cooking classes, New Year, Healthier You classes, Mediterranean Cooking classes, Family Pasta Class, Bento Box class, and themed experiences such as The Bear-inspired cooking nights and Taylor Swift album launch baking sessions. Kids and families can also take part in birthday parties, corporate and team-building style events, and special celebrations such as a Mother’s Day celebration, all centered on creating a meal to enjoy around a large wooden table.
• Ages: 2–17 years old
• Price: Kitchen Table includes a 15% administrative fee for public adult classes.
Kitchen Table Maplewood Kids Classes and Camps specializes in teaching children ages 2 to 17, with kids classes that cater to all ages and skill levels in a hands-on environment, and classes typically consist of 8 to 10 children. Family classes are structured for parents and their children to attend and cook together, and all adult events are BYOB (Bring Your Own Beverage). Kitchen Table is a nut-free kitchen, though some ingredients may come from facilities that process nuts, and it is vegetarian-friendly. For safety, the program recommends closed-toe shoes and comfortable clothing with sleeves that roll up easily, and notes that classes involve working around hot liquids and gas stoves and a lot of standing, so comfortable shoes are recommended. Private events at Kitchen Table are intended to be hands-on cooking experiences rather than catering, and the studio offers gift cards for classes. Kitchen Table does not offer private classes for individuals or culinary degrees, does not offer refunds if a participant cannot attend, and may cancel a class that does not have enough people, in which case participants are refunded in full.
The leadership team includes Chef Lila Lea, Owner and Lead Instructor; Dawn Yoselowitz, Director of Adult & Family Classes and Private Events; Chef Karen Nicholas, Lead Pastry Chef; Tina Mitra, Coordinator for Kids Events; and Chef Lori Bright, Lead Instructor for Classes and Camps. Kitchen Table is staffed by seven chefs, including Chef Lila Lea, a graduate of the French Culinary Institute in Manhattan; Chef Karen Nicholas, who began her baking career at a local Maplewood bakery and runs a cottage bakery business; Chef Lena Barnett, who studied at Johnson & Wales University, trained in France and Italy, and holds degrees in Baking & Pastry Arts, Food Service Management, and an MBA in Hospitality; Chef Brian Bennett, a graduate of the Texas Culinary Academy who specializes in Southern cooking, Texan ranch cuisine, New Orleans-inspired dishes, and classic French techniques; Chef Gilbert (Gill) Boyd, a Certified Executive Chef and Culinary Educator with forty years of experience who studied at Johnson & Wales University and Le Cordon Bleu Paris; Chef Lori Bright, a French Culinary Institute graduate with 15 years of preschool teaching and camp culinary instruction experience; and Chef Melissa Ghelani, who trained as a chef in Seattle, has over 13 years of teaching experience, and blends classical French and Italian training with Tex-Mex, Indian spices, and travel-inspired cooking. Additional instructors and leaders include Tina Mitra, who coordinates kids events and holds a degree in molecular biology and neuroscience from Princeton University; Chef Afi Green, a lifelong vegan and Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts graduate who founded DIY Kitchen Diaries offering plant-based cooking classes for all ages; Chef Tsipi Kaplan, a guest chef and Institute of Culinary Education graduate with 17 years of chef instructor experience and certification as a Functional Nutrition health coach; and Chef Andrew Laracuente, who has over 13 years of culinary expertise and became an Executive Chef at 24 years old. Dawn Yoselowitz, who directs adult and family classes and private events, is a former fashion editor at Seventeen magazine and designed mindfulness rooms at Tuscan Elementary, Maplewood Middle, and Columbia High School.
Kitchen Table’s mission is to gather the ingredients of community and teach people how to share and care for one another while creating good food. Through Chef Afi’s DIY Kitchen Diaries, Kitchen Table offers classes through community gardens, festivals, farmers markets, schools, and private events. Morris & Essex magazine’s Best of 2024 issue featured Kitchen Table and noted that it is staffed by seven great chefs and offers lessons for meal staples such as pasta and more adventurous options like sushi, as well as events where a chef leads a class for up to 20 people. Testimonials from parents and participants describe kids’ classes such as Kinderchef, family experiences like the Family Pasta Class and Bento Box class, and private and corporate events, and they highlight the chefs’ professionalism, organization, and teaching, the hands-on cooking, the shared meals at a communal table, and the studio being described as one of the most spacious venues for cooking classes in New Jersey.
Last updated July 28, 2026.
• Ages: 2–17 years old
• Price: Kitchen Table includes a 15% administrative fee for public adult classes.
Kitchen Table Maplewood Kids Classes and Camps specializes in teaching children ages 2 to 17, with kids classes that cater to all ages and skill levels in a hands-on environment, and classes typically consist of 8 to 10 children. Family classes are structured for parents and their children to attend and cook together, and all adult events are BYOB (Bring Your Own Beverage). Kitchen Table is a nut-free kitchen, though some ingredients may come from facilities that process nuts, and it is vegetarian-friendly. For safety, the program recommends closed-toe shoes and comfortable clothing with sleeves that roll up easily, and notes that classes involve working around hot liquids and gas stoves and a lot of standing, so comfortable shoes are recommended. Private events at Kitchen Table are intended to be hands-on cooking experiences rather than catering, and the studio offers gift cards for classes. Kitchen Table does not offer private classes for individuals or culinary degrees, does not offer refunds if a participant cannot attend, and may cancel a class that does not have enough people, in which case participants are refunded in full.
The leadership team includes Chef Lila Lea, Owner and Lead Instructor; Dawn Yoselowitz, Director of Adult & Family Classes and Private Events; Chef Karen Nicholas, Lead Pastry Chef; Tina Mitra, Coordinator for Kids Events; and Chef Lori Bright, Lead Instructor for Classes and Camps. Kitchen Table is staffed by seven chefs, including Chef Lila Lea, a graduate of the French Culinary Institute in Manhattan; Chef Karen Nicholas, who began her baking career at a local Maplewood bakery and runs a cottage bakery business; Chef Lena Barnett, who studied at Johnson & Wales University, trained in France and Italy, and holds degrees in Baking & Pastry Arts, Food Service Management, and an MBA in Hospitality; Chef Brian Bennett, a graduate of the Texas Culinary Academy who specializes in Southern cooking, Texan ranch cuisine, New Orleans-inspired dishes, and classic French techniques; Chef Gilbert (Gill) Boyd, a Certified Executive Chef and Culinary Educator with forty years of experience who studied at Johnson & Wales University and Le Cordon Bleu Paris; Chef Lori Bright, a French Culinary Institute graduate with 15 years of preschool teaching and camp culinary instruction experience; and Chef Melissa Ghelani, who trained as a chef in Seattle, has over 13 years of teaching experience, and blends classical French and Italian training with Tex-Mex, Indian spices, and travel-inspired cooking. Additional instructors and leaders include Tina Mitra, who coordinates kids events and holds a degree in molecular biology and neuroscience from Princeton University; Chef Afi Green, a lifelong vegan and Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts graduate who founded DIY Kitchen Diaries offering plant-based cooking classes for all ages; Chef Tsipi Kaplan, a guest chef and Institute of Culinary Education graduate with 17 years of chef instructor experience and certification as a Functional Nutrition health coach; and Chef Andrew Laracuente, who has over 13 years of culinary expertise and became an Executive Chef at 24 years old. Dawn Yoselowitz, who directs adult and family classes and private events, is a former fashion editor at Seventeen magazine and designed mindfulness rooms at Tuscan Elementary, Maplewood Middle, and Columbia High School.
Kitchen Table’s mission is to gather the ingredients of community and teach people how to share and care for one another while creating good food. Through Chef Afi’s DIY Kitchen Diaries, Kitchen Table offers classes through community gardens, festivals, farmers markets, schools, and private events. Morris & Essex magazine’s Best of 2024 issue featured Kitchen Table and noted that it is staffed by seven great chefs and offers lessons for meal staples such as pasta and more adventurous options like sushi, as well as events where a chef leads a class for up to 20 people. Testimonials from parents and participants describe kids’ classes such as Kinderchef, family experiences like the Family Pasta Class and Bento Box class, and private and corporate events, and they highlight the chefs’ professionalism, organization, and teaching, the hands-on cooking, the shared meals at a communal table, and the studio being described as one of the most spacious venues for cooking classes in New Jersey.
Last updated July 28, 2026.
Is this your business? There is no cost, but you will be asked to sign up or log in.