The seeds of chefhood blossom from the very first dashes of salt and cinnamon that grace a child's suppertime lima beans. Today's Groupon encourages the culinary spirit in the youth of today, who are the former children of tomorrow: for $12, kids ages 3 to 18 get a 90-minute cooking class or a one-hour KinderCooks class at Young Chefs Academy in the West End (a $25 value).

Classes educate a variety of age groups, with specially catered 60 minute classes for the preschool elite (ages 3-6) and 90 minute classes for junior line cooks (ages 6-10), combining nutritional meals with basic food-prep skills that teach how to correctly follow a recipe to edible fruition. Senior flambéists (age 11 and up) are offered advanced 90 minute classes that dig deeper into kitchen secrets and hone specific skills and techniques that expand the parameters of cooking creativity. The lessons learned from early cuisine classes spark a valuable communion between a child and a stove. Imaginations stretch as they contemplate the infinite possibilities that exist among ingredients, spices, and food presentations so astute they beg to be stapled to the refrigerator door.

Children will explore the flavor profiles inspired by their inner chef through interactive kitchen education that bypasses 80-watt-light-bulb baking. Young Chefs Academy provides a fun, safe, and motivating environment for kids to become acquainted with the art of food and food presentation. Engaging chef instructors instill lessons of kitchen etiquette and safety in youngsters growing up in a world full of laser can-openers and sharp pasta rakes, giving children a capable handle on their surroundings as they journey into the land of food.