---
title: "Greater Chicago has a New Go-To for Children’s Cooking Classes: Little Kitchen Academy"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/b45ce90c-c7b8-4737-8ad7-e2af74437ef1
source: "Franchising.com"
original_url: https://www.franchising.com/news/20220720_greater_chicago_has_a_new_goto_for_childrens_cooking_classes_little_kitchen.html
category: "Education & Childcare"
industry: "Education & Childcare"
published: 2022-07-20T12:00:00.000Z
modified: 2026-11-01T02:07:07.394Z
image: https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1507679799987-c73779587ccf?w=1600&q=80&auto=format&fit=crop
---

# Greater Chicago has a New Go-To for Children’s Cooking Classes: Little Kitchen Academy

**TL;DR:** Randall Barba and Phable Meyerhoff have opened three locations of Little Kitchen Academy in the Greater Chicago area. The company currently has seven locations open throughout North America with more to come.

*originally published in Franchising.com on 2022-07-20. [Read the original](https://www.franchising.com/news/20220720_greater_chicago_has_a_new_goto_for_childrens_cooking_classes_little_kitchen.html).*

## Story

Barba, the former CEO and President of Antique Reflections, a design, manufacturing, and import company, owns and operates six Goldfish Swim Schools in Illinois, New Jersey, and New York, employing more than 100 people. Meyerhoff, in addition to being a proud mother, has led multiple Goldfish Swim School locations to success as operations director. The group’s first location in Illinois, LKA Naperville, will open in Fall 2022.

“I am so excited to bring the gift of Little Kitchen Academy to Illinois,” said Randall Barba, franchise partner for LKA Chicago, LKA Naperville, and LKA Plainfield. “Teaching children practical life skills is not just good business, it’s an important part of creating a better future for them. I know that by sharing the gift of Little Kitchen Academy with families in Illinois, we will help children in our community develop their independence, both inside and outside of the kitchen.”

“We are delighted to have such passionate and like-minded partners to share Little Kitchen Academy with the communities throughout Illinois,” said Brian Curin, co-founder/co-CEO and president of Little Kitchen Academy. “Not only is Chicago an important place to me, having grown up in the area, but it is also an important market that continues our expansion throughout the Midwest. With Randall and his team’s incredible experience, we know they are the right people to bring LKA to families throughout the Greater Chicago Area!”

This new deal for the highly impactful concept comes on the heels of the recent announcement of a multi-unit deal in Michigan. The company currently has seven locations open throughout North America with more to come, including LKA Bridgeport Village, the company’s second location in the U.S., which will open in Portland this summer.

## Entities

- Franchising.com (publication)
- unit expansion (topic)
- Education & Childcare (sector)
- franchise partnership (topic)
- Goldfish Swim School (company)
- children's education (topic)
- Greater Chicago (location)

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Originally reported by Franchising.com (https://www.franchising.com/news/20220720_greater_chicago_has_a_new_goto_for_childrens_cooking_classes_little_kitchen.html). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/b45ce90c-c7b8-4737-8ad7-e2af74437ef1).