Ignite Kids’ Passion for Cooking at CookInn Cooking School

The convergence of culinary influences from Japan, China and indigenous tribes has made Taiwan’s big city night markets the stuff of legend and one of the country’s biggest international draws for family travelers. Din Tai Fung restaurants have a worldwide following with its famous soup dumplings and other bite-sized delights.

For this reason and others, founders of Taipei’s CookInn Cooking School have intuited visitors embracing the local food scene often leave Taiwan wishing they could reproduce their favorite street food classics back home.

© Elyse Glickman

The foundational class focuses on the preparation of Xiao Long Bao, the ever-popular soup dumpling served everywhere from night markets to mom-and-pop eateries to white tablecloth restaurants. The comprehensive Taiwanese Xiao Long Bao & Noodles Class, however, is a multicourse delight where families and friend groups can bond over crafting dishes that are the cornerstones of Taiwanese homes and night markets alike. This three-hour class includes step-by-step preparations for soup dumplings, hearty braised beef noodle soup, a refreshing smashed cucumber salad and bubble milk tea. After a lunch where they savor their creations, participants go home with a personalized recipe book and photo of themselves in action.

What makes this class even more special are the instructors, who offer helpful hints on kitchen tools and ingredients participants can buy to recreate the recipes at home. From there, they also share personal experiences of their mastery of recipes with their parents or grandparents, and the cultural significance of each dish. The owners note that while the class is suitable for kids ages 12 and above, kids aged 7–11 may accompany at half price, and one child under the age of 6 may accompany free of charge. There is also a vegetarian variation of the class which includes Xiao Long Bao with luffa and mushrooms, tomato noodle soup, seasonal greens, and bubble milk tea.

© Elyse Glickman

Once you have done this class, you can check out CookInn’s myriad classes dedicated to traditional Taiwanese pastries, savory snacks, soups, seasonal specialties (such as mooncakes and ZongZi by request), and gift boxes with edibles. Beyond classes inside classrooms at CookInn’s two Taipei locations, the founders also offers a variety of customizable packages like Corporate Team Building, Taiwanese Street Food Truck Challenge, Social Gatherings, Birthday Parties, Family Day, Parent-Child Workshops and other immersions into Taiwanese culinary culture.

CookInn Cooking School
Zhongshan
2F., No. 66, Sec. 1, Chengde Rd.,
Datong Dist., Taipei City 103

Ximen
4F, No. 105 Bo’ai Road
Zhongzheng Dist., Taipei City 100