The CookWELL Kitchen is a unique teaching space designed to encourage healthy food choices, preferences, and attitudes by teaching skills to create nutritious and delicious dishes.

Programs focus on basic kitchen safety, nutrition, and making simple healthy snacks and meals. Programs are led by ServSafe-trained professionals.

The CookWELL Kitchen can comfortably accommodate up to 16 people and has four workstations.

Select programs may be offered in Spanish. Please inquire directly about availability.

Programs are available at the Poe Center’s CookWELL Kitchen, virtually, and under some circumstances at offsite locations with proper space and equipment. Please contact Lauren McCallum for details, rates, and availability. You may also call (919) 231-4006.

As a proud recipient of the SNAP-Ed grant, the Poe Center is able to provide intensive nutrition and physical activity programming to many low-income populations in North Carolina.

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  • Snack Smart for Parent and Child

    Schedule this program for: 3rd Grade4th Grade5th Grade6th Grade7th Grade8th Grade9th Grade10th Grade11th Grade12th GradeAdults

    Families follow a recipe to create a healthy snack while learning about MyPlate, healthy snacking, and proper kitchen safety.

    Participants: Ages 8 years and up, paired with an adult caregiver
    Program Length: 2 hours

  • Poe’s Cooking with MyPlate Challenge

    Schedule this program for: 4th Grade5th Grade6th Grade7th Grade8th Grade9th Grade10th Grade11th Grade12th GradeAdults

    Participants work together in the kitchen to compete in a food-preparation challenge. Healthy cooking strategies are introduced, as well as reviewing MyPlate, reading a nutrition facts label, and practicing basic kitchen safety. Recipe choices include stir fry, turkey tacos, pizza with whole grain crust, and frittatas.

    Participants: Ages 10 – Adult
    Program Length: 2 hours

  • Muffin Mystery

    Schedule this program for: 6th Grade7th Grade8th Grade9th Grade10th Grade11th Grade12th Grade

    Students will lead a tasty STEM experiment as they use the scientific method to prepare and experiment with making blueberry muffins. They will develop a hypothesis on how substitutions impact the food, prepare the food, and evaluate and analyze the results in this hands-on cooking class.

    Participants: Ages 11 – 18
    Program Length: 2 hours