A Dash of Manners, a Dollop of Cooking

Teaching children the ways of the kitchen is much more than just cooking, according to Beli Deli owner Gin Nikoloff.

It's teaching them manners, self-sufficiency and friendship. That's how she came up with the name of her new children's cooking class, M.E.N.u – which stands for manners, etiquette and nutrition.

"I tell children you don't have to be rich to have class, it's something you're taught," Nikoloff said. "It's something you want to have within yourself."

Nikoloff began teaching the children's cooking classes, designed for children between 7 and 12, in July. Each class is two hours a day for a week, for a total of 10 hours. On the last day, the parents are invited to a meal that the children prepare and serve themselves.

"They set the table, they seat the parents, they serve the parents, they have cooked for the parents, they take away their dishes when they watch the parents properly set the utensils down [at the end of the meal]," Nikoloff said.

Not only do the children learn manners and cooking skills, the parents benefit from watching what their children have learned, according to Nikoloff.

"One parent said, 'I just watched my son grow up years,'" Nikoloff said with a smile, adding that watching the families at the end of the class is just as satisfying as witnessing what the children have learned.

In each class, the children learn how to make a breakfast item, an appetizer, lunch and pasta—similar to the deli-style food served at the Beli Deli.

"I touch on different foods," Nikoloff said.           

Her first two classes were both booked solid, with about two dozen kids in each class.

Through today, Nikoloff has diverted her teaching to teenagers by offering the class Dinner Dates for Teens, which includes how to make lunches, dinners and desserts, as well as the proper way to serve one's date and how to host a dinner party with friends.

"I really want to instill in the kids how to be a friend and be polite," Nikoloff said.

Her next endeavor, she said, is to teach adults how to cook at the Beli Deli.

To sign up for a cooking class, go to the Parks and Recreation Department on the Belmont website or call (650) 593-7311. The fee is $100 for residents and $140 for non-residents per children's cooking class, as well as a $20 lab fee payable at the first class. The next children's classes are scheduled for Oct. 18 – Oct. 22, followed by Nov. 15 – Nov. 19 and Dec. 13 – Dec. 17.