The Brightside: Little Whisks Culinary School
VIENNA, Md. – If you’re from the Eastern Shore, you’re probably familiar with a pretty iconic bakery in Vienna. and most recently Berlin, Mandala pies. Bringing back home economics is one of the main goals of the bakery’s new “Little Whisks Culinary School” for kids. “I think there’s a huge need for really calm and peaceful things to be offered for kids in our community and I’d love to do what I can to make that more of a reality for our families.”
Mandala Pies, a bakery in the little town of Vienna has been cooking up sweet and savory pies since 2017. While they’ve become a staple on the Eastern Shore, recently opened a location in Berlin. Owner Caitlin LaComb tells us, she thought it was time to expand in an educational capacity. “My two kids are always in the bakery with us and I just really started to notice how empowered they feel after they have cooked with us or prepared some food or even just like whisked up a box of pancake mix,” says LaComb.
Just like that, Little Whisks Culinary School was born, or baked in this case! “I was able to brainstorm and create a little program where it’s a lower price point and it’s more of a collaborative effort.” LaComb, I really believe they’re being empowered to potentially go home and make food for themselves leaves them more empowered in all areas of their life.”
The program provides a way to get kids as little as two years old in the kitchen, learning crucial life skills, cooking in this case. Between preparation, cutting, cracking an egg, mixing, grating, and even safety skills in the kitchen. Which in the long run, isn’t just beneficial for kids, but parents too. “So our kids are not only learning new culinary skills but they’re also getting social-emotional growth opportunities, they’re getting leadership opportunities because it’s a multiage peer group,” says LaComb. “I want to be able to provide an opportunity for our moms to be able to get their kids to be able to learn those skills, if it’s not possible at home, without having to worry about the mess themselves.”
LaComb says as a wife and mom of two, life can be, hectic. However, through providing this opportunity, she says she’s learning patience, and most importantly, seeing the direct impact it’s having on the kids. LaComb tells us, “I’m like inspired by them, I’m inspired by how much the little kids want to learn and how much information they retain, even just doing a couple of classes with us. I’m inspired by how respectful they are to their friends and how much they want to teach people because they’re proud.”
While LaComb says including kids in daily chores as simple as putting away the dishes, or as daunting as cooking dinner, the positive outcomes far outweigh the mess. “I do think it does help strengthen the family bond, I do think that kids feel that they’re contributing to their family or household and have potentially more respect for their chores and their responsibilities even if not in the immediate moment.”
While the summer session has ended, LaComb says they had such amazing turnout parents are already asking to extend into the school year, which she says she is open to eventually expanding. However, in the meantime, she’d like to hold it yearly and provide resources online like their class recipes.
To learn more about the culinary school, visit their blog or website.
