Raising Confident Eaters: A Q&A with Niki Cordell of Junior Chefs Kitchen
In today’s Q&A series, we chat with Niki Cordell, founder of Junior Chefs Kitchen, about her hands-on cooking classes for children from 4 months to 18 years. Learn how Niki combines nutrition education, playful learning, and family-friendly mealtime strategies to make cooking fun and confidence-building for kids.
Tell us about yourself and Junior Chefs Kitchen
Hi! My name is Niki Cordell and I am the founder of Junior Chefs Kitchen, we provide hands-on cooking classes infused with nutrition education.
What inspired you to create Junior Chefs Kitchen?
As a mom of 3, my inspiration for JCK came from my own family’s journey navigating my toddler son’s slow weight gain and low muscle tone. Through working with occupational and speech therapists and learning the Ellyn Satter Division of Responsibility method, I saw how trust and play can transform mealtime struggles into moments of connection. These philosophies shape JCK’s approach to food exploration — inclusive, pressure-free, and joyful.
We also collaborate with registered dietitians and culinary experts to ensure every program is developmentally appropriate and nutritionally balanced. Combining my corporate experience with a deep personal mission, I’m building a movement that celebrates nourishing oneself, family mealtime and developing kids’ lifelong confidence in and out of the kitchen.
What can parents expect at a JCK class?
Warmth, smiles, fun and yummy food! We have a commercial kitchen, complimentary coffee and our restroom wallpaper is a conversation starter! Parents can expect our staff to engage with the kids, have fun with them and food in a low-pressure environment. Sometimes a dance party will ensue, or kids will pick fresh herbs from our indoor garden. We also have carpets for our baby friends to roll and cross; high chairs for our starting solids friends. I have intentionally designed the space to be inclusive and allow for it feel like home.
What is the ideal age for children to try JCK?
We teach cooking for ages 2-18, broken up into various age groups (under 5, Kindergarten - 3rd Grade, 4th - 8th, High School). We focus our curriculum with a hands-on, Learn by Doing philosophy, meaning kids as young as 2 are taking turns at the stove, trying the ingredients as we go, chopping, measuring, etc. Our learning is meant to be fun, playful and exploratory. We focus on teaching culinary skills, cultural knowledge and nutritional information with each of our weekly recipes.
We also offer a Baby Bites class which is all about introducing babies to the world of starting solids. So for our littles ones, we start off with understanding where the baby is in their food journey. Have they tried solids/pureed foods? Can they sit up in a high chair? How are their pinchers grabbing food and making it into their mouths? Have they tried mixtures of food - meaning a meal with 3-4 ingredients? Do they have any allergies? So much growth happens in the first year, we are excited to create a space where parents and caregivers can come, get a break from preparing and cleaning up after their little ones, that likely have more fun throwing food all over the place than what ends up in their mouths!
What is one tip you would offer parents of picky eaters?
Don’t give up!! Consistency is key. It can take up to 20 times of an exposure of a food - meaning putting that piece of broccoli on their plate - before they might even try it! And then 20 additional times of trying it before they start to tolerate or enjoy it. And if I can offer up another piece of advice, it’s follow the same meal times with small snacks in between - no grazing! They won’t be hungry enough to try new things.
What are the benefits of nutrition education and cooking classes at a young age?
Taking the pressure off of the parents and really allowing the child to explore and build confidence in a fun, safe, clean environment. It also teaches kids what is in their dish, where it comes from and how it fuels their bodies, which creates awareness that naturally shapes healthful habits. Plus, when kids measure, mix, pour, spill, taste and problem solve, they are learning patience, creativity and self-confidence. And for our babies, it gives the parents a break of meal prep & clean up, while walking away with a few additional meals, laughs and friendships.
How do you envision JCK evolving in the coming years? What is next? (I saw on social media a North Shore location?)
We have a lease signed for 1061 W. Van Buren in Chicago’s West Loop neighborhood that should open January / February 2026 (we have had some delays with the city), but the design is done and we are swinging hammers!
I hope to open a North Shore location by Fall 2026.
From there, eventually we’ll begin the exciting (and yes, sometimes arduous) journey of franchising. My goal is to make everything we’ve built at Junior Chefs Kitchen accessible to people across the country who share the same passion and purpose.
Maybe it’s the entrepreneur in me, but I’m genuinely enjoying the process—challenges and all—of building something that others can one day grow even further, without having to experience all the same growing pains. The best part? They’ll be doing deeply rewarding work and building a sustainable business at the same time.
Is there anything else you would like to share about JCK to our community of new moms?
As I am a new business owner and you are a new mom, if there is something you want to see or experience that we are currently not offering, please let me know! That could be offering a class at a different time or with a different focus. I appreciate honest and friendly feedback. You can reach me directly at ncordell@juniorchefskitchen.com
We hope you enjoyed learning more about Junior Chefs Kitchen and Niki’s mission to empower kids in the kitchen! For more information, class schedules, or to share your feedback, reach out to Niki at ncordell@juniorchefskitchen.com