Today we’d like to introduce you to Olga Davis.
Olga, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
iCook After School is a product of passion. My friend Lesya and I have always been passionate about food, health, and nutrition. For us healthy food wasn’t boring or blunt. But while volunteering in the schools, I saw that kids were not always excited to add veggies or fruits to their meal. Chicken nuggets, French fries and processed snacks were always more popular among kids, than real whole foods. We wanted to change that! Getting kids excited about not only eating, but also about making healthy dishes became our obsession. Bringing our program right to schools was an ideal way to make it accessible and easy for parents and kids. Kids get to do something really fun after a long day of classes and parents don’t have to put extra effort to transport kids to us. This is how iCook After School was born.
The craziest part is that at the time when we decided to start iCook After School, both Lesya and I were working in the financial industry. We started with one school in the city, where Lesya and I would take turns missing work to teach the class. After that we were hooked, and the business has been growing ever since! Eventually, we left our jobs and dedicated all our time to our program. One of the most rewarding things about iCook has to be how organic the growth has been. We love seeing that so many other people share our passion for health and food, and so many understand how important it is to teach kids about food at an early age. Now we are in over 60 schools in Chicago land area and it is only the beginning.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
There are many obstacles that come along with running a small business. With iCook, our mission is to teach kids that food can be nutritious and delicious. In today’s world, we understand that health often takes a back seat to convenience and gratification. So, when introducing kids to healthy foods, sometimes we are met with opposition. In the end, the goal is moderation and to show kids that they can still eat their favorite foods, as long as they are pairing them with fresh and healthy options.
When starting iCook, I never imagined how many roles I would take on as the owner. There are many days when I juggle managing finances, hiring and training and being in the classroom with kids. To me, it is challenging but also fun. However, as we have grown I realized I can no longer do it all. I had to learn to step away and trust others to take on the responsibilities that I have managed for so long on my own. I love seeing our team growing and each member taking more and more responsibilities every day. I can truly say our team makes me feel proud every day!
We’d love to hear more about your business.
iCook provides fun hands-on after-school cooking classes for children grades K-4. Our mission is simple: to help teach children to love everything about food – cooking, eating delicious and healthy dishes and learning about different cultures, or the stories behind the food. We make every experience fun because we start with great recipes and fresh ingredients, colorful cooking stations and engaging activities. We encourage our little chefs to try new techniques and cuisines because we understand the importance of mastering life skills at a young age.
Culinary skills are at the core of our program. We teach students how to chop, dice, peel, slice, wash, strain, core, bake, toast, whisk, fold and mix. We also teach students how to read recipes and how to measure ingredients. We make it so that recipe preparation (and clean-up) is easy and fun!
Delicious and healthy recipes are a key ingredient of every cooking class. Our instructors discuss nutrition in a really fun way so that students get excited about nutrition and healthy food overall. The goal is also to encourage students to talk it up at home and share key nutrition facts and food nuggets they learned in class.
Cultural awareness is an important part of our program. Our schools are ethnically diverse so we carefully select recipes that expose students to the foods and dishes of other countries. Our instructors share interesting facts about world cuisine and encourage students to share their own cultural food experiences with classmates
What were you like growing up?
Both Lesya and I grew up outside of US. All the food we used to eat as kids was home-made and often came from our own gardens. When I moved to the states at the age of 18, I was surprised how different fruits and veggies tasted, smelled and looked. Fruits and veggies were available year round, but they did not have the same flavors and aromas as produce I was used to. I definitely had to adapt, but overtime, I found lots of healthy food options. I was also very excited to try many international cuisines and different flavors, something that was not easily available growing up.
Another thing I remember from my childhood, I was always independent and would always accept the blame, if I was wrong. I think these two qualities really helped me with running the business, because as a business owner, you always have to make decisions quickly and often you don’t have anybody to check with. And if things go wrong, you always have to take responsibility for it, there is nobody else to blame, but yourself. Just learn from your mistakes and do better next time.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.iCookAfterSchool.com
- Phone: 773-283-7037
- Email: info@iCookAfterSchool.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/icookafterschool/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/icookafterschool/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/icook-chicago
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