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Cooking Classes For Kids + Teens

Sep 27, 2023
Chef Lily teaching a cooking class

Chef Lily, AKA, “The Kids Chef” is a cooking instructor and freelance chef with a culinary degree from Madison College and a background in Early Childhood Education. Her goal as an instructor is to expose children to the many benefits of cooking through hands-on experiences that develop skills to be used for life. Chef Lily has been bringing yummy joy to the Madison Public Library for many years. This fall, she will host a variety of cooking classes at Lakeview Library for different age groups: 

Teen Cooking Club

At Lakeview Library

For teens and tweens, this is a bi-weekly cooking club taking place on Friday evenings, where participants prepare and enjoy a wide variety of recipes, while learning about meal planning, following recipes, and using kitchen gadgets and tools. 

Registration is not required, but participation will be limited to the first 25 attendees.

At Hawthorne Library

Young people, ages 10-17 years old, are invited to cook with Chef Lily at Hawthorne Library! Participants will prepare and enjoy a wide variety of recipes, while learning about meal planning, following recipes, and using kitchen gadgets and tools. Takes place the first and third Thursday of February and March. 

Registration is not required, but participation will be limited to the first 25 attendees.

Cooking with Chef Lily

For school-age kids, we have Cooking With Chef Lily, which occurs most Saturdays of each month at 1:30PM and some Tuesdays at 4:30PM, as well. 

Registration is not required, but participation will be limited to the first 25 attendees.

Preschool Storytime Chefs

We also now have a special experience for the youngest chefs out there! Chef Lily and Lakeview Youth Services Librarian, Madeline K., are teaming up every other Thursday to teach little ones and their families about food. We start with a storytime, and then little ones can participate in a simple cooking project on select Tuesdays at 10:30AM. Recipes will be nut free and vegetarian.

Registration is not required, but participation will be limited to the first 25 attendees.

An extra special thank you to Willy St. Co-op North for generously providing all the food used in cooking videos and for our cooking classes.


Good news! Chef Lily has created a series of online cooking videos so people can make her recipes at home. Kids and families will learn about different foods, where they come from, how to follow recipes and how to use a variety of tools over the course of the 12-video series. To watch and cook along with Chef Lily, visit madpl.org/cookwithlily.