The moment our clients open their doors for the first time is full of emotion. The anticipation, the excitement, that final push – it’s a thrill! We had those same feelings and more as we handed over the keys to the owners of Little Kitchen Academy. Two days early, too. With a proud mission statement of “Changing Lives From Scratch”, the first ever Montessori-inspired cooking school for kids opened in late June. We still have all of the warm and fuzzy feelings that come with that first opening day!

Pacific x Little Kitchen Academy

We were introduced to the LKA concept and team in September 2018 by our partners at Evoke International Design. The concept was exciting (a deep dive on that here), innovative, and creative – three elements that are important to us in every project that we take on. We were honoured to be the chosen firm to lead construction on this project.

Our partnership began early on. We worked with the design team and owners to build a beautiful and functional space for the Little Kitchen Academy students to thrive in. The space is small, so one of the challenges we were presented with was building it in a way so it would feel larger than it is. In addition to maximizing every square inch, we also repurposed the old skylight and gave it a makeover to suit the fresh space. Natural sunlight now streams in from above and opens up the entire room.

Value Engineering At Its Finest

Although designed for kids to use, it was important to the LKA owners that the space be beautiful, sleek, and appeal to the parents’ eyes and style. You can read more on the interior design inspiration here. Value engineering is something that we do on every project we take on. This is where we diligently and thoroughly review all items, processes, and finishes being used and find creative solutions to reduce costs where we can. This project had the added challenge that everything in the space was going to be used (heavily) by kids. Our team of Project Coordinators worked hard to source beautiful elements that would withstand the test of time and the kids’ usage, but would be something that their parents would love to work on themselves – all within a budget that lined up with what we were aiming for.

A Little Kitchen with Big Plans

Only a month in and the Little Kitchen Academy team is already changing lives from scratch. With a steady stream of “graduates” (check out this adorable post by Alicia Waters) and a full season’s worth of booked sessions, this little kitchen has BIG plans for growth. We can’t wait to see what happens next!