For her daughter Miel's 5th birthday, Chef Pixie hosted a Baking Party for some of Miel's friends. The venue was at Forget Me Not Teaching Kitchen, where Chef Pixie normally holds baking and cooking lessons for kids and adults.
Each guest was given a personalized goody bag which contained a chef's hat and an apron with little pockets which held various kitchen tools such as a mini rolling pin, a spatula, a tong, a pizza cutter, a peeler, a pastry brush and a dish towel. Donning the chef's hat and apron immediately put the kids, aged 4-6, in the mood for some serious baking.
The first activity was pizza making. Each kid was given a pizza crust on which they spread tomato sauce and a generous layer of Anchor Mozzarella cheese. Then the kids were instructed to make faces on their pizza using toppings including ham, corn, mushrooms and olives. This was a certified hit among the kids as they all excitedly made their pizza faces.
When the pizzas were already in the oven, the kids were given pizza boxes that they needed to fold in order to bring their very own pizzas home. Even this simple activity was engaging for the kids as they learned how to properly fold along the die-cut creases and hook the corners so that a flat sheet of cardboard was magically transformed into a box.
Next, the kids were given about a cup of cookie dough each, with various cookie fillings such as chocolate chips, sprinkles, Oreo bits, marshmallows and gummy bears set in the middle of the table for the kids to share. They were taught how to fold whatever filling they wanted into the cookie dough and they could put as much as they wanted.
After taking the cookies out of the oven, the kids were given different colored frosting so they could decorate their own cookies. One kid did a spiderman themed cookie, another did a Ninja-go. A younger kid was content to just make splatters of different colored frosting. How very Pollock!
Needless to say, the kids had LOTS of fun. They were very engaged in the various activities, and expressed their creativity and individuality even at such a tender age. This novel experience also taught them some basic kitchen skills which would probably come in handy later on. Most of all they had a great first experience in the kitchen which could possibly encourage a lifelong love for baking.
It was very refreshing to attend something that is a departure from the catered food + decor + party host formula that we have grown accustomed to through the years. Several of us immediately started asking Chef Pixie if she would consider hosting Baking Parties for other families, either in her teaching kitchen or in their own homes. I think with her creativity, passion for teaching and boundless energy, it's definitely a possibility.
The bright side is knowing who to call for the next party! =)
