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in si de ha lto n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, F eb ru ar y 24 ,2 02 2 | 40 MEETINGBURLINGTON'SNEEDS THROUGHCOVID-19 We've been hard at work throughout the pandemic. You can count on us to deliver continuity of service and provide Burlington with safe, reliable electricity. We understand the ongoing hardship that many businesses, individuals and families in our community are experiencing. Burlington Hydro is working with customers to offer flexible payment options and provide information about existing COVID-19 programs to help ease the financial strain. Find out more at: www.burlingtonhydro.com or speak with one of Burlington Hydro's Customer Service Representatives at (905) 332-1851. SERVICE CONTINUITY SAFE RELIABLE POWER HELPFUL PROGRAMS For anyone who's ever wished their child could lend a hand with meal preparation, the Little Kitchen Academy is here to help. LKA teaches youth practical life skills like in- dependence, math and where their food comes from through cooking classes. "It's great and fun for recreational purposes," said Felicia Sia, the owner and director of LKA's Oak- ville location. "But our vi- sion is really to empower the students to make their own choices. We want them to learn all aspects of cooking so they know 'Oh, I have fresh produce, we need to wash it before we use it and then we need to clean after ourselves,' which parents honestly appreciate so much." To encourage indepen- dent thinking and problem solving, LKA classes are a parent-free zone super- vised by instructors. "When the parents are not here, they suddenly get their own indepen- dence or they feel like they want to do something more by themselves," Sia said. Immediately upon en- tering the classroom kitchen, the stunning cleanliness of the teaching space becomes apparent. In the middle of the room is a metal table that acts as the work stations for the kids. Underneath the ta- bles are hot plates and mixers. Along the edges of the room are ovens, cabinets and sinks for the students to use. On the far end of the room from the door are what are essentially mini greenhouses, where cer- tain ingredients -- like to- matoes -- are grown. These are a teaching tool for the instructors, who can ask the kids ques- tions, spurring them to think about how their food is cultivated. "(We can ask them) 'let's see the tomatoes. Some of them are yellow. Some of them are green. Which one do you think is sweeter?'" Sia said as an example. "There's nothing inter- esting (about that) for (adults) anymore, but for a three or five year old it's like, 'Oh, I never thought about it that way.'" Wooden knives are pro- vided so that the children can cut their ingredients safely. The students have a choice of locally sourced ingredients from the pan- try. They are given a chance to choose what sort of spices they want to in- clude as well. "Sometimes we ask them' what spices you want to use.' They're like, 'well, I don't know.' (It tell them) 'Well, then go and smell and see which one you like'," said Sia. Ingredients are sourced from local business in- cluding Cristan Farms. BUSINESS A RECIPE FOR A COOKING-SAVVY CHILD LITTLE KITCHEN ACADEMY HELPS YOUTH GAIN CULINARY SKILLS AND INDEPENDENCE LITTLE KITCHEN ACADEMY LOCATION: 511 Maple Grove Dr. CONTACT: 905-845-5335 littlekitchenacademy.com Felicia Sia is the owner and operator of Little Kitchen Academy's Oakville location. Mansoor Tanweer/Metroland MANSOOR TANWEER