- April 22, 2026
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It was the same treat, baked on that same day, April 7, as one year ago.
However, this time, the cooking process was different, said Dennis O’Sullivan, owner of Young Chefs Academy.
He said the girls at Girls Inc. were making the coffee cakes by themselves, confident they could follow the instructions.
The treats honored not only National Coffee Cake Day, but also the girls’ completion of the one-year program for which they had received a total of $23,000 in scholarships from the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation.
The five graduates in attendance, out of a total of 10, left with copies of a children’s book, “Virginia G. Goes to the Symphony,” jackets from the foundation, “Culinary Scholar” commemorative pins, and some new knowledge for the future.
The event was also attended by other Girls Inc. members who were invited based on their interest in cooking.
Ryker, a fifth grader, said when she started the course, she had learned a lot from watching her mom cook, although her experience was mainly watching cooking shows like “Nailed It!”
She said she thought she could do better than “the bad cakes on the show,” which features bakers with a poor track record trying to replicate complicated confectionary items.
Ryker said when she found out about the scholarship opportunity, she thought it was perfect.
“I always loved cooking,” she said. “I always wanted to do cooking, but I didn't know there was a place that could teach you how to cook… then I came and I get to eat it too, because I thought I'd just make it.”
O’Sullivan said one of the most important skills kids learn is “mise en place,” which is French for “putting in place.” He said the scholarship recipients could learn how to get their ingredients out ahead of time and be prepared, and can take their knowledge back to their friends and families.
Jamie Kattrein, director of community relations and advocacy with Girls Inc., said the partnership was a chance for the girls to learn something they otherwise wouldn’t.
“We know what we're good at and we know when we need to partner with someone, so to be able to brainstorm a new program with the Toulmin Foundation and see it being implemented through Young Chefs Academy, it just means a lot,” she said. “Our girls have the best experience when it's a collaboration, and that's what we're here to do, is introduce them to all of the things.”
Ryker said her favorite foods to make were Monterey chicken, M&M cookies and shrimp scampi. She said she cooked them for her father’s friends at his work, and for her family, with her father’s friends praising her cooking to him.
“I feel confident, and I feel like I know what I'm doing, and I can do it myself, by myself, and that I'm safe, because I know how to use all the tools and things,” she said.
Meadow, a seventh grader, said she will enjoy cooking for people around her and helping her family in the kitchen.
“I thought it was pretty simple because they tell us what to do step by step, and if you do mess up for whatever reason, they have you correct it almost immediately, not in a mean way, but in a, ‘Hey you messed up,’ kind of way,” she said.
She says she makes her parents eggs almost every Sunday, usually scrambled, but they have been improving since attending the academy.
“I feel pretty good about it,” she said of graduating. “I think it's nice that I can talk to people, and I'm like, ‘Oh yeah, I graduated from a chef academy, and I know a lot of cooking skills.'”
