While parents aim to instill a love of fruits and veggies in their little ones, most kids still hide peas beneath their plates. For picky tots, their exasperated parents and anyone else who could use a refresher course on the fun of carrots, local mom, entrepreneur and foodie Elena Marre built The Kids' Table, a cooking school bent on moving little fingers beyond Easy Mac and Wonder Bread.

Marre draws on the principles of experiential learning to craft her curriculum, which not only enlightens kids to their own abilities, but also helps cautious moms and dads learn that Junior is way more capable in the kitchen than they thought. In cooking courses, which change weekly, kids of different ages learn appropriate lessons about where food comes from, how to prepare it and what it can do for their bodies. They then take their new knowledge to a kid-sized kitchen lab, where they create meals they're stoked to feast on. Classes, like Dynamite Dips and Mexican Munchies, are geared toward groups of two- to three-year-olds, four- to six-year-olds or seven- to 10-year-olds (parental attendance is mandatory for the youngest set and optional for the middle group, but older kids can come on their own). An earth-lover's bonus: All ingredients used at The Kids' Table are natural, and also organic and locally-grown whenever possible.

At the front of the bright, lofty storefront space is The Kids' Table store, where shoppers can find cookbooks for both kids and adults. They can also stock up on child-size cooking equipment, aprons, lunch boxes and other goodies for budding Trotters and Baylesses.

Centerstage Reviewer: Julia Steinberger