Lynn Elliott

Who: Lynn Elliott, founder of Way-Cool Cooking School, has been in the food industry all her life—most of that time, she has been trying to get away from it. However, on a culinary journey that began in her grandmother’s restaurant and includes stops as a career as a food-service-company marketing executive and owning a cooking school, she continues to be pulled back into the kitchen.

Tasty Idea: After evaluating the local foodie scene, Elliott was drawn to the idea of a different type of cooking school—one that would also appeal to children. Her school is serious about food, but in what Elliott believes is a “less stuffy, more relaxed, less intimidating” environment. She introduces children as young as four to the culinary basics, including kitchen safety, nutrition fundamentals, and creating family meals. The idea is so hot, Food Network’s Rachel Ray’s staff contacted her looking for kid chefs.

Seasoning Imaginations: “A lot of kids are very intrigued by cooking,” says Elliott. She encourages students to experiment with tastes and textures,  yet she knows there’s a fine line between teaching and preaching. “We make it about fun facts, not boring chemical compositions and preach rants,” she says.

Home Ec: With cuts in school funding and the subsequent loss of home economics classes in high schools, Elliott sees her focus as especially important for twelve- to fourteen-year-olds. The hands-on class teaches them basics of cooking, pointers on nutrition, and even creative presentation before they leave for college.

Lessons for Life: The school’s back-to-basics approach isn’t just for kids. Recognizing that both family and workplace dynamics have changed drastically in the past thirty years, Elliott has taken the concept that has worked so well with kids and transitioned it to work for families, adults, and co-workers. By bringing together a group of people all working toward a common goal in a nonthreatening environment, she’s helping to build professional, personal, and familial relationships.

Way-Cool Cooking School, 16544 W. 78th St., Eden Prairie, 952-949-6799