From Pit to Plate: How Mangos Are Teaching a New Generation to Cook

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Young Chefs Academy is partnering with the National Mango Board to introduce a hands-on culinary initiative that uses mango as a central teaching tool for young learners. The collaboration places mangos at the heart of a broader effort to build real kitchen skills, expand global food awareness, and make cooking both accessible and engaging for children.

Cooking is a fundamental stepping stone to learning how to live independently. While studies have shown that the development of cooking skills may lead to better dietary behaviors, which may also have long-term benefits for nutritional well-being, it ultimately increases confidence in childhood and beyond.

Rachel Solano, who is the director of curriculum at Young Chefs Academy, understands that learning to cook when one is young ultimately opens a pathway to later success in adult nutrition. For children interested in learning the art of cooking, the Young Chefs Academy offers a dedicated place to build real culinary skills, confidence, and a lasting appreciation for food through hands-on classes, camps, and workshops.

“Teaching kids to cook with mangos goes beyond nutrition; it builds foundational kitchen skills like produce selection, safe cutting techniques, and an understanding of how fruit functions in both sweet and savory cooking,” Solano explains.

Courtesy of Young Chefs Academy

As part of the partnership, mango is intentionally positioned as more than just an ingredient. It serves as a versatile entry point into cooking. Its texture, flavor profile, and adaptability across cuisines make it especially effective for introducing both basic and more advanced techniques.

Lavanya Setia of the National Mango Board notes, “A mango is a fantastic choice for a kids’ cooking series because it hits a sweet spot, both literally and educationally, that makes it especially effective for younger chefs.”

At its various locations, Young Chefs Academy doesn’t focus solely on simple activities, as one might expect in a children’s curriculum. Rather, it focuses on developing real kitchen skills, which help with self-esteem and independence later in life.

“Cooking can help kids become more confident, more curious, and more open to trying new foods,” Solano shares. “The goal has always been to create an environment where healthy eating feels engaging rather than restrictive, and where learning to cook becomes a way for children to develop life skills that extend far beyond the kitchen.”

Through the mango-focused curriculum, students engage in hands-on preparation, from safely cutting and handling fresh produce to incorporating mango into both sweet and savory dishes inspired by global cuisines. This approach reinforces practical skills while broadening cultural awareness through food.

One aspect of culinary education involves helping students become more familiar with ingredients and how they are used in food preparation. Through hands-on cooking experiences, children can learn to identify different ingredients, understand their characteristics, and observe how preparation methods can influence flavor, texture, and presentation.

Working with fresh produce also provides opportunities for students to practice practical kitchen skills, including ingredient selection, preparation, and safe food handling. These experiences can help young cooks become more comfortable navigating recipes and experimenting with different foods.

Within this framework, mango also helps illustrate how fresh, whole ingredients behave in cooking, offering students a clear, tangible way to understand flavor balance, ripeness, and preparation techniques.

Courtesy of Young Chefs Academy

Solano has made it clear that one of the biggest challenges in children’s culinary education is overcoming the perception that healthy food is uninteresting or even intimidating, especially among picky eaters.

“Young Chefs Academy addresses this by making cooking interactive, creative, and sensory-driven,” she shares. “Children are invited to work directly with ingredients, practice real techniques, and prepare dishes they can feel proud of.”

In practice, kids who are involved from start to finish are often more willing to taste, explore, and enjoy foods they may not have tried otherwise.

For Solano, the Young Chefs Academy stands out by treating culinary education as a real skill-building experience rather than just a simplified activity. By introducing students to practical techniques, ingredient awareness, and creative expression through food, the program emphasizes that cooking can teach more than just recipes alone.

“It can build independence, encourage curiosity, introduce children to different cultures, and help them form a stronger connection to what they eat,” Solano says.

Leigh Feldman, CEO of Youth Franchise Brands, the parent company of Young Chefs Academy and Flour Power Cooking Studios adds, “At Young Chefs Academy and Flour Power Cooking Studios, we’re always looking for partners who believe what we believe: that kids deserve real food experiences.”

By centering the program around mango, the partnership highlights how a single, versatile ingredient can unlock a wide range of learning opportunities—from knife skills and flavor pairings to global culinary exploration—while keeping the experience engaging and approachable for young chefs.

If your child has expressed an interest in cooking and wants to learn how to prepare food themselves, consider allowing them to explore their curiosity through kids’ cooking classes at the Young Chefs Academy, where their classes inspire young minds to learn, grow, and thrive through the art of cooking. You can also learn more about mangos, including education, recipes, and nutrition information at mango.org.