About Miriam.

I didn't set out to open a cooking school for kids. I set out to be a lawyer.

After studying political economy, labor history and law in college, I spent a few years working in dependency law alongside families fighting to stay together. It was some of the hardest work I've ever done, and cooking is what got me through the roughest days. When COVID hit and upended the way all of us were living, I saw an opportunity to ask what an alternative life could look like. I enrolled in the culinary arts program at South Puget Sound Community College, and food stopped being something I did to cope and started being the thing I built a life around.

Since then I've cooked in kitchens across Olympia — Gardner's, The Reef, SPSCC tasting room, Mi Luna Cuban Cafe (among others) — and I currently work at Field Bar + Bottle kitchen in Tacoma. Every one of those kitchens taught me something different about leadership and about the kind of kitchen I wanted to help build: one that is organized, respectful, and led with compassion instead of fear. But it was teaching kids to cook, first as a program director and then on my own, that taught me the most.

Le Petit didn't start with one big idea. It started with a mixer. Early on, I noticed that when a whole class shared one piece of equipment, kids got bored — and I often wouldn't see them again. So I started bringing my own tools to class, one at a time, until every kid had their hands on their own equipment. That's the whole philosophy around Le Petit, really — kids learning by doing, not by watching.

I'm the daughter of immigrant parents and I grew up on simple and humble food, not the food you see on cooking shows. I don't think you can separate food from where it comes from, or from how it makes you feel, and I try to teach that way: real ingredients, real technique, with enough room to get frustrated, burn an omelet, and come back the next class and try again.

What I want parents to know is we’re not just teaching your kid a recipe at Le Petit. We’re teaching them that trying matters more than getting it right, that it's okay to ask for help and okay to fail in front of others, and that understanding where food comes from — who grows it, who harvests it, who's standing in the kitchen — is one of the most grounding things a kid can learn early in life. You don't have to love cooking to take our classes. You just have to be willing to try.

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With years of experience leading high-pressure professional kitchens, I have learned that the most important ingredient is often the one that inspires the next generation. Off the line, I am dedicated to empowering kids through cooking—transforming the kitchen into a classroom where they build confidence, curiosity, and life skills one recipe at a time. I believe in connecting children to nature and agriculture by having them grow, cook, and share food, to foster healthier habits and values. I’m on a mission to make great food accessible to everyone, regardless of age. 

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Media: 

South Puget Sound Community College’s Culinary Arts and Baking & Pastry Arts Programs Add Flavor to Local Community​
Nourishing Positive Changes in the Community

SPSCC Graduate Develops Culinary Arts Rooted in Community-Focused Culture

'Lines out the door.' - The Olympian ​
​South Sound Magazine