My daughter, Rebecca, likes to play in the kitchen. She always enjoys helping me bake a cake or assisting her Dad with Saturday morning pancake duty. She is a creative child, so I started seeking venues to host birthday parties for her that incorporate this passion.
We hosted her 5th birthday party at Scooped Ice Cream. Owner John Reese welcomes the children into his quaint Chester Springs shop for a fun and tasty day. Prior to the party, the birthday girl got to pick her own flavor to create. The most popular choice among kids, according to John, is Birthday Cake ice cream and, not surprisingly, that was her choice. On party day, all of Rebecca’s guests were invited down into the basement of the shop to make their own ice cream. John explained the process and allowed the kids to participate in mixing and pouring the ingredients into the ice cream machine. After the lesson and ice cream making, we returned upstairs and each child chose his or her own flavor for tasting. Each kid received a scoop of Scooped homemade ice cream to enjoy. At the end of the party, every child was given a pint of the ice cream that they made to take home as a party favor. Rebecca and her friends enjoyed this party so much that we also held her 7th birthday party there.
This year, we branched out and discovered Toot Sweet! This adorable store, located in Marchwood Shopping Center, makes delicious cakes, cookies and chocolate. Owner Diane helped me plan a party that was perfect. Rebecca got to select cupcake flavors; cookies and cream, vanilla and chocolate were her choices. For icing colors, Rebecca chose yellow, pink, purple and green. When we arrived, Diane took the girls back into the kitchen. There, each guest was given four pre-baked cupcakes and a palette containing all four icing colors plus sprinkles of various colors and shapes. Additionally, each girl was outfitted with her very own apron and baker’s hat. Diane expertly guided the party goers through a series of decorating ideas for each cupcake (garden theme, sports theme, food theme and use whatever is left in the palette). The kids all had a blast coming up with creative ways to use each idea to decorate their own cupcakes. Then, Diane provided a beautiful and delicious cake to eat so that each girl could take home her decorated cupcake creations for later.
I’m already looking ahead to future culinary parties for Rebecca. A fun venue for older kids, aged 11 and up, is Cooking Spotlight. This popular demonstration kitchen hosts hands-on parties that really allow the participants to learn kitchen skills. From make your own pizzas and tacos to baking a cake, Cooking Spotlight will help you design a perfect party for your kid who likes to cook.
Find Scooped Ice Cream at 130 Pottstown Pike in Eagle, Toot Sweet! at 20 Marchwood Road in Exton and Cooking Spotlight at 609 Village at Eland in Phoenixville.
Photo credits: Ronna Dewey.
