A team of two are teaching Merseyside children the valuable skills they need to be the next top chef.
Glen Stavers, 35, and Georgia Riley, 25, set up their own cooking classes, Mother Dough Culinary in Walton, after being made redundant during the pandemic.
Glen worked part-time in the restaurant where Georgia was head of the kitchen but with financial hardships brought on by covid, the company closed down.
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He told the ECHO : “Georgia was just about due her first baby, so going straight into a new job wasn’t really an option for her. I myself was in the restaurant part time as I already had a successful business.
“I had been considering a second business for a while and being passionate about young people learning life skills, I saw an opportunity knowing Georgia had lots of potential for success.”
Now, the two host weekly classes which help children to become independent young adults by building their confidence in the kitchen.
Each week, the different age groups get to taste, smell and feel new produce all whilst learning about food hygiene, handling of raw meat products safely, thorough hand washing and knife skills.
Georgia’s passion for catering stemmed from her obsession with making and decorating cakes.
The 25-year-old who lives in Bootle said: “I even started to sell them in school to my friends and teachers, and back then I have to admit I didn't really know what I was doing, just that I loved doing it.
“Later, when it came to going to college I started training as a chef in order to get onto the patisserie course, but instead of training in pastry I found myself really enjoying creating classical dishes with savoury foods instead of just sweet, and from there I guess I never looked back.”
The chefs both wished they had cooking classes available to them when they were growing up.
Georgia only had a one-off after school club for four weeks whereas when Glen initially advertised the classes on his social media, locals from his previous home in Essex, said they wished they lived closer.
Glen, who is also a dance teacher, said: “So many adults don’t understand food or lack the confidence to approach even the most basic of dishes. I think that when you don’t know your way around the kitchen, or know you rely heavily on cooking frozen foods and microwave meals, it comes with a mild kind of shame.
“We all think cooking is something that we should be able to do but can’t and I think parents don’t want their children to grow up and feel the same way.”
With the outdated belief that men shouldn’t need to learn to cook, Glen wants to also show youngsters that “cooking isn’t a girl's subject or an inherently feminine one.”
He plans to do so by highlighting how skills such as multitasking, patience and time management can be transferred into other aspects of life.
So far the children have cooked everything from American pancakes and fresh pasta, to chicken Kiev's, steaks and jam.
Mother Dough Culinary runs classes every Saturday at Our House Community Hub, Walton. The classes are priced at £9 per student with all the equipment and ingredients being supplied.
To book your space, email motherdoughculinary@outlook.com
