Belly Up The Petite Chefs program might finally get your kids to help with the cooking

Kids love to cook, even if they don’t know it yet. At home, it’s stressful to let them handle razor-sharp Japanese knives and searing hot saucepans full of sizzling butter and serrano peppers. But parents can get the little ones to practice cracking some eggs into a pan for a Western scramble, balling melons, or discovering how much salt and pepper makes food taste just right at the Petite Chefs program. Parents who are inclined to teach kids how to cook should show up at Whole Foods Jan. 15 (2-3:30 p.m.) for a class designed to show pint-sized aspiring cooks how to prepare winter harvest meals. Mom chef Tara Verma will lead the tykes and their parents through some tasty-sounding winter recipes: “We will be making rosemary pumpkin hummus, caramelized carrots and winter smoothies, as well as a treat for the children to take home and share with their families,” Verma says. The hands-on class is targeted for kids aged 5-12, and parent involvement with the experience is encouraged—get in there and get cooking with the little scamps. $15.

FATSOMETER: 2. Attendees will depart with a kid-friendly packet of ideas, recipes, a treat to share with their families, and a hugely swollen sense of self-satisfaction ... but probably not fat bellies.