Annalee Dunn, founder of the Tiny Onion Cooking School in Bellingham, fell in love with cooking while working at a vegetarian restaurant in Ithaca, New York. There, she learned to value fresh—not frozen—food, local ingredients, and home-cooking techniques. Ten years after moving to Bellingham, she was asked to teach an introductory cooking class to a small group of teenagers. The experience was pivotal. Dunn realized the Bellingham community lacked a way for young people to learn about nutritious cooking.
Today, Tiny Onion Cooking School offers classes at various locations throughout Bellingham, including high-end commercial kitchens and Dunn’s own home. The classes aim to introduce food and nutrition to children in a fun, engaging way. Dunn hopes that each student will take what they learn in class and carry it with them as they grow and enter adulthood, thereby impacting their nutrition for life.
“I thought it was a lot of fun for the kiddos,” says Dean Davidson, whose 5-year-old son participated in a class in June. “It was very hands-on. They were able to get messy and mushy, which they liked. We picked herbs from [Dunn’s] garden. I liked that she used local products. We made strawberry rhubarb scones, so the kids were very excited about the eating aspect. They liked using the knives because it made them feel very grown-up.”
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