About Kathleen

Welcome to Culinary Kids!

My name is Kathleen Benson and I am a mom of two very busy girls with an appetite for fun and healthy food.  My culinary adventure began growing up in Sonoma California.  As I worked in various restaurants while going to school, I found that I had a passion to gain more knowledge of what was happening “behind the kitchen door”.

While attending the San Francisco City College Culinary School, I gained hands on experience working various stations in restaurants and wore many hats.  I craved to know how the restaurant operation ran from the kitchen to table service.  Upon my completion of Culinary School I ventured to New York City to work operations in the Food and Beverage department of the acclaimed Palace Hotel.  In wishing to further my education, I relocated to Las Vegas and enrolled in the William F. Harrah College of Hospitality at UNLV and received a Bachelors Degree in Hospitality Management.  During this time I was fortunate to be on the opening Food and Beverage team at the Bellagio hotel where I worked for nearly 9 years.

In 2020 our family relocated to Fairfield, CT and we couldn’t be more excited to explore and visit local farms and markets.  Our intent is to bring these experiences of freshness to the table with our students.

Today my passion is teaching young children the joy of healthy food and the success they have in preparing it themselves.  Culinary Kids LLC is a program of classes and parties for kids that teaches a“Farm to Table” cooking experience.  I simply want children to learn where their food comes from and how to make good decisions in what they eat.  My pledge is that I will pass on the knowledge and experiences I have learned onto them so they may enjoy cooking in the kitchen.