About
The Merry Kitchen offers cooking classes, birthday parties, parent/child classes, private lessons, private parties, online classes, and adult cooking classes. Children and teens can take part in themed sessions such as Almost Spring Celebration, Asian Appetizers, Roll your own Sushi, and Chopped Camp, and in some programs they also learn how to grow, maintain, and reap the benefits of an all organic garden while making compost from the scraps of each cooking class. Adult classes include menus such as Roll your own Sushi, Indian Cuisine, Homemade Pasta, Chinese Cuisine, Thai Cuisine, and Italian Cuisine, and menus can be created together based on interests and special dietary needs.
• Ages: 6–18 years old
• Schedule: All children’s classes generally run two hours, except for younger kids and summer camps.
• Price: Certificates for kids' classes are $45 and all children’s classes are $45; 2-hour private classes cost $85 per child or $150 for two children, and private parent/child classes cost $150 for one child and one adult, with price per person going down with additional children.
The Merry Kitchen is led by Julie Merry, who is a Registered Dietitian, a graduate of Western Culinary Institute with honors, and the creator and teacher of the program. Julie has a bachelor’s degree in Nutrition from Georgia State University, completed the Master Gardener program through OSU Extension Services in 2008, and has experience cooking at a local restaurant, leading the catering team for Elephants Deli, and teaching children through Western Culinary’s weekend program. She has also volunteered in the teaching classroom at Sur la Table, where she was later hired to teach children’s cooking classes and Kids’ Cooking Camps, and she was hired by Portland Public Schools to lead the after school cooking program at Fernwood Middle School.
During birthday parties, Julie has provided aprons, hair ties, and copies of recipes for kids to take home, and has guided small groups to cook full menus such as lasagna, garlic bread, and roasted broccoli or to bake, decorate, and enjoy cupcakes within a two-hour window. The Merry Kitchen can host intimate adult classes of 8 or fewer adults, and for children’s events the birthday party minimum at The Merry Kitchen is four participants, with a maximum that ranges between 8–10 depending on the theme and age group. The Merry Kitchen can also travel to a family’s home or another venue for an additional cost, with a minimum of five participants at the chosen location; in that case there can be more than 10 kids, although Julie does not advise more than 12 kids cooking at once, and she can bring all needed equipment for classes such as a sushi class.
Summer camps at The Merry Kitchen include teaching children how to grow, maintain, and reap the benefits of an all organic garden, and compost is made and used from the scraps of each cooking class. The program’s stated mission is “The Merry Kitchen Inspiring Young Chefs: Where Cooking Meets Creativity! Where Kids Discover the Joy of Cooking.” The Merry Kitchen notes that all meals are made from scratch, participants eat at the end, and kids take home recipes.
Parent reviews describe Julie as kind, patient, and organized with energetic groups, and mention that kids have baked and decorated cupcakes, made pot stickers for Chinese New Year, and cooked full meals together. Families report using The Merry Kitchen for birthday parties, two-day camps, ongoing classes over about two years, and specialty camps like Chopped Camp, and some note that Julie is “constantly adding new and fun things for the kids to learn.” Multiple reviews state that children enjoyed the classes, parties, and camps and wanted to return for more sessions.
Last updated April 14, 2026.
• Ages: 6–18 years old
• Schedule: All children’s classes generally run two hours, except for younger kids and summer camps.
• Price: Certificates for kids' classes are $45 and all children’s classes are $45; 2-hour private classes cost $85 per child or $150 for two children, and private parent/child classes cost $150 for one child and one adult, with price per person going down with additional children.
The Merry Kitchen is led by Julie Merry, who is a Registered Dietitian, a graduate of Western Culinary Institute with honors, and the creator and teacher of the program. Julie has a bachelor’s degree in Nutrition from Georgia State University, completed the Master Gardener program through OSU Extension Services in 2008, and has experience cooking at a local restaurant, leading the catering team for Elephants Deli, and teaching children through Western Culinary’s weekend program. She has also volunteered in the teaching classroom at Sur la Table, where she was later hired to teach children’s cooking classes and Kids’ Cooking Camps, and she was hired by Portland Public Schools to lead the after school cooking program at Fernwood Middle School.
During birthday parties, Julie has provided aprons, hair ties, and copies of recipes for kids to take home, and has guided small groups to cook full menus such as lasagna, garlic bread, and roasted broccoli or to bake, decorate, and enjoy cupcakes within a two-hour window. The Merry Kitchen can host intimate adult classes of 8 or fewer adults, and for children’s events the birthday party minimum at The Merry Kitchen is four participants, with a maximum that ranges between 8–10 depending on the theme and age group. The Merry Kitchen can also travel to a family’s home or another venue for an additional cost, with a minimum of five participants at the chosen location; in that case there can be more than 10 kids, although Julie does not advise more than 12 kids cooking at once, and she can bring all needed equipment for classes such as a sushi class.
Summer camps at The Merry Kitchen include teaching children how to grow, maintain, and reap the benefits of an all organic garden, and compost is made and used from the scraps of each cooking class. The program’s stated mission is “The Merry Kitchen Inspiring Young Chefs: Where Cooking Meets Creativity! Where Kids Discover the Joy of Cooking.” The Merry Kitchen notes that all meals are made from scratch, participants eat at the end, and kids take home recipes.
Parent reviews describe Julie as kind, patient, and organized with energetic groups, and mention that kids have baked and decorated cupcakes, made pot stickers for Chinese New Year, and cooked full meals together. Families report using The Merry Kitchen for birthday parties, two-day camps, ongoing classes over about two years, and specialty camps like Chopped Camp, and some note that Julie is “constantly adding new and fun things for the kids to learn.” Multiple reviews state that children enjoyed the classes, parties, and camps and wanted to return for more sessions.
Last updated April 14, 2026.
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