
How we got started
Registered Dietitian and Owner, Leah Smith, developed Kids Kitchen in 2011 to educate, encourage, and excite families about getting their kids into the kitchen to create a love of cooking nutritious foods. We believe that teaching kids about how foods fuel our bodies and enabling them to create recipes on their own will have a positive impact on their life-long healthy eating habits. Start right, stay right! Your child will be excited about foods you never thought they would try! If we empower them to choose healthy foods at a very young age, then, as they become independent, they will make better food choices for fueling their bodies.
Opening the doors of Kitchen House in September 2016, was a dream come true! A place to continue to offer cooking classes for kids, but expansion to provide nutrition services, teach adult cooking classes, host craft nights, celebrate all of life’s special occasions and more! We are truly passionate about designing all of the details for classes and celebrations to create fun, nutritious, tasty, and memorable experiences. We hope to celebrate with you soon!
Meet the Kitchen House Team!
Here are some of the amazing and talented team members who keep Kitchen House and Kids Kitchen cooking!

Leah Smith
Registered Dietitian & Culinary Nutritionist, Owner/Founder
I am a native Texan, and have lived all my life in the Greater Austin area. I earned my Bachelor of Science degree and then completed my dietetic internship at the University of Houston. Professionally, my career as a registered dietitian, did not begin by teaching cooking classes, but it has always been kid-nutrition focused. I first began by educating parents of infants and preschoolers about the importance of nutrition in even the youngest. Through my work, I fostered good nutrition awareness in various communities in central Texas. My focus shifted to children of all ages, as my own children grew. I have 2 children, who now make their own lunches for school, and sometimes even breakfast and dinner for our family!
I developed Kids Kitchen in 2011 to encourage kids and their families to incorporate a variety of nutritious foods into their meals. Opening the doors of Kitchen House in 2016 allowed me to express my creativity in a different way by designing all of the details that go into our recipes, menus for events, tablescapes, crafts and decor!
I look forward to sharing our cooking class stories and recipes with you, as well as the recipes we try at home. Read our Recipe Blog.

Samantha DeLaTorre
Professional Chef, Instructor
I spent some wonderful years working in the organized chaos of kitchens around town before returning to my original love of working with kids. As a nanny, I was introduced to three families who were open and warm and made me feel like I was a part of their family. It was actually the first family I worked for who turned me on to the idea of combining my two career loves: working with kids…in a cooking setting. Kitchen House is such a wonderful place to make my career dream come true.
My favorite recipes to make and enjoy is anything pasta. With cheese. The more cheese the better!

Natasha Daya
Cooking Instructor & Nutritionist
I am thrilled to work at Kitchen House, which allows me to combine my love for teaching with my passion for health and nutrition. I see cooking as a fun and effective way to teach children to make healthy food and lifestyle choices, which in turn has a positive impact on their long-term health. My favorite part about being an Instructor is seeing the excitement on my students’ faces when I tell them what recipe we are making each week, and I enjoy it even more when a student discovers a healthy dish that they love to eat!
My favorite recipes to prepare are zucchini bread and dahl, an Indian lentil curry.

Denisse Morales
Cooking Instructor
In my family the kitchen is the heart of the house. At a very young age, I began helping my mom prepare meals for the family. Starting with simple tasks such as flipping tortillas and then with time, slowly graduating to making multiplexed recipes like tamales from scratch. My culinary school was life and my instructors were my parents, grandmother and other family members and friends. With the help of a cousin, a nutritionist, I learned the nutritional side of food and how to make healthy eating delicious.
As I worked as a nanny, my love for child care grew. I learned how to talk to children and not at them, as well as how to cultivate a practice-of- patience when teaching children something new.
When my nephew had his birthday at Kitchen House, I found an opportunity to combine my culinary knowledge with my affection of children. I am so grateful to be a part of the Kitchen House family! In my spare time I like to indulge in going to the movies, getting lost in a book, listening to live music, discovering new places to eat and sharing it all with loved ones.
My one favorite food to prepare is eggs, because of the many dishes they can become; to Migas and Deviled Eggs to Quiches and Eggs Benedict.

Ellyn Freiborg
Cooking Instructor
I will graduate from Texas State University with a bachelor’s degree in Nutrition and Foods in May 2020. After graduation, I plan to pursue a master’s degree in Human Nutrition and a complete a dietetic internship to become a Registered Dietitian. I am a huge foodie and love to play and experiment with new recipes which is what brought me to Kids Kitchen! I love to teach kids how to make healthy recipes and most importantly have fun with cooking! I love being outside and spending time with my horses and my goal is to hike in every state park in Texas. I am also an avid artist. I love to draw and paint in my free time and of course, cook.
My favorite recipe to make with my classes is pasta. You just can’t beat fresh pasta and marinara sauce!
Merrick Bradford
Cooking Instructor
At my kindergarten graduation ceremony, all the children were expected to announce what they want to be when they grow up and when it was my turn, I proudly stated that I wanted to be a “cooker”.
Ever since I watched Food Network as a young child, I have always been in love with cooking. I still feel guilty for the havoc I wreaked on my family’s kitchen all those years as a young budding chef trying to imitate Food Network stars’ recipes. I didn’t start by any means as a gifted baker but through many deflated souffles, dense loaves of bread, and burnt cakes, I gained more knowledge as a baker.
By the time I was in high school, I was selling my pastries and cakes around my small hometown. During college, I worked as a cook and I continued to hone my skills as a chef. In December 2018, I graduated from Texas A&M with a degree in English and I moved to Austin. I’ve worked in a wide variety of kitchens from a 5-star restaurant to a small chocolate shop. What I love about cooking is that no matter how much I improve, there is always more to learn. The art of cooking has taught me skills that are equally relevant in everyday life as well as the kitchen. I’ve learned that patience is crucial, practice is essential, and sometimes you can follow a recipe exactly and it still won’t turn out but you just have to try again.
I am so ecstatic to be a part of the Kitchen House team, and I look forward to continuing to grow as a chef as I get to share my knowledge and passion for food with others.

Gayla Stuart
Cooking Instructor, High School Culinary Teacher
I have always loved kids of all ages and so enjoy teaching classes, parties and events at Kitchen House. It is so wonderful that such a place exists and allows me to bring my love for cooking, creativity and kids all together in a festive warm environment! In my spare time, I like to run, read, shop, cook, or dine out and spend time with kids and grandkids.
Hear what people are saying …
“My daughter loved the class and came home and made dinner for the family! That’s never happened before! Following written directions is one of her challenges in school so we are thrilled she’s interested in cooking and therefore reading/following the directions on the recipe or box. Not to mention its fabulous to have dinner or anything else made by someone other than me! Thank you so much for your class!”
– Lisa from Georgetown

Upcoming classes & events
Tick-tock. You had better register soon, as these classes and events are filling up quickly. Don’t forget that we can customize a fantastic special event just for you!
Got an event in mind? Let's make it memorable!
