About Barbara

The kitchen has always been where my heart is. As a mother and grandmother, I’ve introduced children to cooking for most of my life. My own started on my hip as I worked, eventually learning simple tasks until they grew old enough to master the arena. After years of professional cooking, pairing with talented connoisseurs across the country and creating Beyond Wonderful, it only made sense to share my love of all things cooking with the community. Alas, Beyond Wonderful Kids Cook was born.

I know my area and the people in it. Kids here don’t want to whip up chicken fingers and boxed mixes because they’ve had the good fortune to develop much more sophisticated palates. My classes feature international dishes like sushi, channa masala with basmati rice, truffles, vegetarian tacos with homemade guacamole and pico de gallo, croque monsieurs, mother sauces…  You get the picture.

Exquisite, easy-to-follow recipes and how to’s are my forte, and teaching children is my passion. When I’m not in the kitchen, you’ll find me working in Willow Creek Academy’s Sunflower Sentry schoolyard garden, tending the plants, taking care of the chickens and gathering fresh eggs and produce for my classes. To me, there is no greater joy than cooking with fresh, local ingredients and sharing the beautiful products with my students. So have a look around, check out some of my recipes and work in the kids’s garden.