Before turning 18, Amber Kelley had already won Food Network Star Kids , written her own cookbook , launched a successful YouTube show , and been ...

There’s a good chance, though, that COVID-19 has changed all that. During the pandemic, cooking with kids was routinely suggested in the media as both a learning aid and a distraction.

Kids learn by reading and following a step-by-step recipe. It takes concentration and other executive functioning skills. They also learn how to be safe in a kitchen, requiring self-control.

Cook-Up is a non-profit based in Windsor that is holding weekly summer classes to teach kids ages seven to 14 how to cook dishes like quiche, hamburgers and ice cream.

Cooking With Kids: Mom and Me High Tea instructor Alexandra Fink works with the students in the Feb. 24 class at the Loretta Paganini School of Cooking in Chester Township.