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Cooking with Chef Lily

Chef Lily's students juice oranges for one of her recipes during cooking class
Chef Lily laughs with a student while she teaches her cooking class

The Kids Chef

Chef Lily, AKA, “The Kids Chef” is a cooking instructor and freelance chef with a culinary degree from Madison College and a background in Early Childhood Education. Her goal as an instructor is to expose children to the many benefits of cooking through hands-on experiences that develop skills to be used for life. It is also to teach children about healthy foods and cooking at a young age so that they can carry these values into adulthood.

Quesadillas made during Chef Lily's cooking classes with kids at Madison Public Library

Her classes for kids aged 5-12 have always been popular at Meadowridge and Lakeview Libraries. Now, Chef Lily has created a series of online cooking videos so people can make her recipes at home. Kids and families will learn about different foods, where they come from, how to follow recipes and how to use a variety of tools over the course of the 12-video series.

Recipes include some healthy options like gazpacho and zucchini fritters with tzatziki, as well as comfort food options like Mac n Cheese, or quesadillas. The Willy Street Co-op provides all of the ingredients that Chef Lily uses in her recipes.

Watch the Videos

Class 1

Quesadillas, Guacamole and Pineapple Agua Fresca

Class 2

Mac n Cheese, BBQ Pizza and Lemonade

Class 3

Gazpacho, Zucchini Fritters, and Tzatziki

Class 4

Strawberry-Orange Breakfast

Class 5

Turkey Wrap, Green Bean Fries and Tropical Chia Smoothie

Class 6

Shrimp and Avocado Spring Rolls, Coconut Curry Soup and Chai Iced Tea

Class 7

Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins, Banana Waffles, and Banana & Peanut Butter Smoothies

Class 8

Tomato Soup, Tomato Cream Cheese Toasts, and Tomato Salad

Class 9

Tasty Toasted Tuna Melts, "Dinosaur" Kale Chips, and Orangeade

Class 10

Blackberry Oatmeal Pancakes, Strawberry-Vanilla Syrup, and Berry-Cherry Sunshine Smoothie

Class 11

Instant Pot Red Lentil Soup, Toasted Pita Points, and Flavors of the Mediterranean Salad

Class 12

Pepperoni Pizza Zucchini Bites, Zucchini Parmesan Quesadillas and Rainbow Bread

Food Literacy at Madison Public Library

You can learn more about the collaboration between Madison Public Library, Willy Street Coop, CUNA Mutual Foundation and Chef Lily in the Impact Story, "Food Literacy at the Library." You'll hear how Chef Lily's work at Meadowridge and Lakeview Library's has taught foundational cooking skills, engaged the local community and gotten kids and teens to try (and maybe even like?) healthy new foods! 

READ MORE

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Sponsor(s)

This program was made possible in part by generous support from: