Children covered in flour and wearing kid-sized aprons and chef hats learned to cook in a new ministry at First United Methodist Church in Kerrville, Texas. 

“God’s Growing Gourmets,” a cooking school for 4- to 12-year-olds, is the project of food ministry coordinator Darrell Young. He said if children start cooking at a young age, they will continue to cook as they get older.

Young enjoys cooking at home with his wife and his two sons, who were part of the three-session cooking school.  

During each class, Young helped the children make an appetizer, main course and dessert.    In between each course, there were activities combining food and devotional prayers. “This is a ministry. It’s not just about cooking,” Young said.

The children also learned kitchen basics and safety, said Patti Hutte, director of children’s ministry.

Cooking school participants received a cookbook with the recipes they made, as well as 15 or 20 of Young’s personal recipes.

Parents were encouraged to cook kid-friendly recipes — such as chili-dog pizza, baked chicken quesadilla and a red, white and blue “firecracker” dessert — with their children. Hutte said, “It’s real nice family fun.”

For more information, contact Hutte at (830) 257-0800.

—Adapted from a story by Ashley Bachelor in The Daily Times of Kerrville, Texas.