Local kids, moms and dads will gather from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 6 at Young Chefs Academy of Forest Hills, 108-10 72nd Ave., to try their hands at creating family-friendly recipes.

Armed with a smile and a spatula, families will learn about the value of a home-cooked meal and the importance of caring for their community this holiday season.
The program officially kicked off on Nov. 1 with a month-long food drive. YCA franchises nationwide paired with local food banks, food pantries and food assistance programs to collect non-perishable items for donation. Items were collected in the lobby of each individual YCA through Dec. 8.
Parenting magazine and Young Chefs Academy also will team up to host the free Holiday Cook and Care Event nationwide this holiday season.
This special event, which will be held at more than 100 Young Chefs Academy franchises across the country, provides young chefs (and a parent) the opportunity to participate in a hands-on open house, teaching family-friendly recipes and valuable kitchen skills.
The 3-hour event will consist of five stations, each offering instruction on a different recipe or activity – from rolling dough, to making gingerbread cookies, to safely chopping apples and juicing oranges. The end result is a brand-new, delicious recipe or two and the kitchen know-how to bring it to life.
Parenting magazine is the nation’s premier magazine for moms. It provides the emotional support and affirmation they want and the mom-tested information and ideas they can really use. Parenting is the flagship magazine of The Parenting Group, which includes the monthly Babytalk magazine and its siblings Babytalk First Months and Babytalk Mom-to-Be and Web portal Parenting.com. The Parenting Group is a division of Bonnier Corporation.
Young Chefs Academy offers cooking classes to children in a safe environment that encourages discovery and creativity. While learning food preparation skills is the main ingredient at YCA, each class adds a heap of kitchen safety, a scoop of etiquette, a handful of table setting, a pinch of menu planning, and laughter to taste.
For more information call (718) 268-0343, e-mail foresthillsny@youngchefsacademy.com or visit www.youngchefsacademy.com/foresthills.