Guys, I love Bright Young Chefs. Emily and I have created a bit of a tradition looking for cool stuff to do on weekends. I don’t imagine this is unique to our family, so as I’m sure you’ve also discovered, once you get into it, there are real gems. As with most experiences, some are free, some are well priced, some are far and some change.
Wonder-jols like the Kloofendal Nature Reserve, which is free and 15 minutes from where we live, remain a permanent fixture on our list of things to do. The views are insane, the wildlife, on a lucky day, is a treat and of course it’s where Emily taught me, a 34 year old adult, that Pluto is in fact not a planet.
As a lover of the film, I made Emily go to the cinema from a young age. Whether she loved going to the movies or getting popcorn and a slush puppy or she enjoyed it just because I enjoyed it, I’m not entirely certain. Unfortunately we’ve not gone to the movies for a while because it’s just getting past the price point that I find reasonable. When I explain to Em what her options are that we could afford to do for the same amount she rarely opts for it.
ANYWAY!!! My mom calls me, tells me about this place called “Bright Young Chefs”. “They have an Easter cupcakes workshop on a Saturday morning” is the watsapp message she sends me with a link to their Facebook page. It’s a 2hour workshop and it costs R150. Em is totally stoked but I have little idea of what to expect.
Saturday morning arrives and we drive through to one of the quiet streets in Fairlands, which as some of you know, is one of my favourite suburbs in JHB. And let’s start with my tick list. Payment ease? Quicket – what a breeze. Ample parking? Yes, tons of it. Warm welcome? Absolutely. Everyone is welcomed and the party begins.
What a set up! Every ingredient, every step of the recipe, every possible tool you could think of, perfectly set up and explained to the kids. I honestly don’t know how I haven’t heard about this yet, was all I kept thinking. It’s so perfect for the littles. The hats and aprons, getting your hands dirty, making a mess but following careful steps to create a little baked masterpiece. what a jol. What a carefully thought out and equipped experience. I am in love. And Emily is soaking it up.
Emily LOVES going to Bright Young Chefs. LIKE LOVES. This is brilliant. Please check it out.
That said I have a minor gripe for some parents.
I know we all have our own styles of parenting and I’m certainly not here to tell anyone how to raise their own littles, but want to remind people to make cognitive decisions about their instinct to “help”.
Despite there being a seated, viewing area with fruit juice, tea and coffee 5 metres from the work stations there were 15 parents INSIDE the kid’s working space at any time. Crammed. With all the parents hovering over their kids, they couldn’t help themselves at each child’s first moment of doubt, to take over and get things done properly before handing back over to the kiddo.
“Don’t mess” and “That’s too much flour” from every direction. That’s also when the phones come out. 15 photographers capturing every little move. But guys, to the point of “SMILE! YOU’RE NOT SMILING FOR THE CAMERA!”.
This wonderful experience for the children is jeopardised by the adults. I promise you, the experience for the littles if the parents weren’t in there would be so much more enjoyable for them. But the real principle for me is that we need to be less precious about letting a 6 year old mess up baking a cupcake. You know why your kid can’t brush their own teeth? Because you haven’t stopped brushing them for him/her.
Anyway, rant done, this is really up top when it comes to value-for-money experiences for kids in Johannesburg. We’re going back tomorrow morning to learn how to make butter chicken… Yes, it’s because I love butter chicken so damn much. But also because Emily keeps asking when we’re going back 🙂
See you there 🙂
Rad Dad Things 