What is Skill Kitchen?
Skill Kitchen is a free, community-based culinary education program developed in response to persistent gaps in food knowledge, confidence, and everyday cooking skills among young people in Louisville.
While many families can access food through schools, pantries, and community programs, local data indicates that families need not only access to food but also the knowledge and skills to prepare meals that support long-term health and stability.
Skill Kitchen operates directly within youth organizations and community spaces in Louisville neighborhoods where partners identified limited access to hands-on life skills education. Teaching onsite reduces barriers related to transportation, cost, and kitchen access, while allowing instruction to reflect the cultures, schedules, and realities of each community. This approach reflects The LEE Initiative’s evolution toward place-based work shaped by long-term relationships and shared responsibility.
Why Does Youth Culinary Education Matter?
Youth thrive in inclusive spaces where culinary learning is connected to food justice, life skills, and sustainability.
"Skill Kitchen is more than a cooking class. It serves as a pathway to food literacy, workforce readiness, and community empowerment.”
-Bri Hlava, POCO
Local community food leaders have emphasized the need for stronger community kitchens, more food systems education, and expanded opportunities for residents to engage with local food production and preparation (Dare to Care, 2025; Food in Neighborhoods 2024; Watkins 2024). Skill Kitchen addresses this gap by treating food education as an essential part of food security, not a secondary support.
Photo Courtesy of Neighborhood House
Who Does Skill Kitchen Serve?
Skill Kitchen serves youth ages 8 to 24 from a wide range of Louisville communities. Instruction focuses on practical, transferable skills that support daily life and independence, such as knife safety, food handling, meal planning, nutrition basics, and cooking with pantry staples and affordable ingredients. Students also participate in cultural food exploration and group cooking, reinforcing that food knowledge is shaped by family, identity, and community.
Our Program Partners
Skill Kitchen operates within trusted local youth-serving spaces, with Poco Pop Ups serving as its primary community partner and collaborator, using a flexible mix of onsite instruction and access to cooking spaces based on the needs of each partner organization. Teaching onsite allows classes to adapt to each group’s context while reducing barriers related to transportation, cost, and access. Local chefs, educators, and food leaders serve as instructors and guest contributors, bringing lived experience and cultural knowledge into the classroom.
