The Evolution of Sprouts

In my first blog post, I hope you learned a little bit about me and my family.  But how did all of that turn into Sprouts?  Well, as obsessed as my kids are with cooking, one thing I didn’t previously talk about is how much they love soccer.  You see, my kids are a bit like border collies — they always have to be busy!!  And what is our best way to burn all that energy of theirs?  Soccer!!

My little all-stars

If I’m not doing work for Sprouts, you are guaranteed to find me on the soccer field! With our two older playing competitive travel soccer, we typically have anywhere from 4 to 8 soccer games per weekend and have practice 4 nights a week (we get Tuesdays off – Hooray!). Our kids love it and, if I may add, they need that much activity during the week. The energy level of these 3 is exhausting!

Needless to say, we have a crazy busy life and just like so many other mamas, I am trying to juggle kids, work, soccer, getting food on the table, finishing homework, and doing house work. Did I mention sleep? Yeah, do any of us really have time for that anymore?! That’s what they made really good coffee for, am I right?

So, leading up to this past summer, I began looking for activities to keep my crew busy and entertained.  Of course, we did our fair share of soccer camps, but that only fills so much of their time during the summer (though, admittedly, it filled a lot of time).  My girls also really wanted to take cooking classes, so I scoured the internet for all types of local classes and camps.  When I couldn’t find any options, the light bulb went off and I started thinking about starting my own company that could offer cooking classes to kids.  I decided to put my elementary education degree and my passion for cooking to a new use, and Sprouts officially opened in June of 2015.

Sprouts Cooking School

My kids have obviously loved cooking and they’ve practically grown up on the counter beside me in the kitchen while I cook dinners.  So, I decided that if I can’t send them to a camp, why not create my own classes for them and just add more kids to the mix?  I modeled all of my classes after the interests of my three kids and designed the Sprouts studio with age-appropriate furniture and cooking utensils.  At that point, Sprouts was officially up and running!

Let me just tell you that everything since then has been an absolute whirlwind! I am beyond grateful for all of my adorable students, their amazing parents, and the success I’ve had thus far.  We have the best time cooking and trying new recipes together!

Cooking fun with my Sprouting Chefs!

And that’s how it all began!  If you follow me on Facebook or Instagram you probably see pictures of Sprouts in action, with all of the adorable children and the yummy food they are making. But, there’s a lot more that goes into everything, and behind the scenes of my company, Sprouts looks a little different.

The Sprouts Tech Team

I’m often found at my computer writing recipes or responding to all sorts of inquiries about Sprouts!  That is a huge part of my job!  After being a stay-at-home-mom for years and not touching a computer, let me tell you this learning curve has not been easy! Goodness! Could someone please tell my Mommy brain it needs to learn technology at a faster rate? For a while there, I was worried I had given all of my good brain cells to the kids!

Recipe testing!  I actually really enjoy this part of my job although it takes a LOT of trial and error.  Before Sprouts, I guess I was already doing this anyway — I remember a time I made 10 batches of BBQ sauce for no good reason and made the kids and my hubby do blind taste tests. 😳 I think I may have found my calling!  

When I’m not teaching or doing my office work, I test new recipes.  In fact, I think I currently have caramel sauce running through my veins since I made that recipe about 6 times last week trying to get it just right. As my friends can attest, I have some of the hungriest kiddos so they happily eat all of the rejects. My poor husband often leaves home when the kitchen is clean and when he returns it looks like a bomb has gone off…sorry honey, we’re recipe testing here. Hehe! He is such a trooper…and is a great dishwasher!

That’s Sprouts in a nutshell! I hope you learned a little bit about me, my family, and how Sprouts has evolved. It really has been an amazing experience!  I get to do all of the cooking that I love and then share it with so many wonderful children.  And, I get to take my own family along for the ride!

I have so many exciting things planned for this blog and for Sprouts Cooking School! Food is fun and I know mamas and kiddos alike are passionate about their food as well, so I hope you join me, my sweet kiddos, and my school on this crazy ride! I’ll be sharing recipes, tips, and stories from the Sprouts Kitchen to yours!