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  In Anjali Vohra (in red) and Bhavna Kishan's classes, the boys tend to gravitate towards savoury items.Pic by Rupinder Sharma

So what are the kids planning for these summer holidays? Are they planning to learn ballet or origami or how to paint and swim? Nah! All that's pass. This summer, a veritable army of youngsters are making a beeline to the nearest cooking classes.

Check out Aadya Bhagat, who is all of 10 years old, as she expertly flips over a chicken sausage so that it browns evenly. She's assisting celebrity chef Aditya Bal who's showing 40 children the right way to turn out perfect hot dogs and marshmallows at an event at Godrej Nature's Basket store in Delhi. Godrej Nature's Basket is a gourmet food retailing chain of the Godrej group.

Aadya doesn't stop cooking when she gets out of class. On the contrary, she reckons it's one of her favourite leisure activities. Drop in on her at home and she'll ply you with sandwiches, cakes and salads that she has put together herself.

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  The girls queue up for baking classes; Payal Bhatia (centre) teaches very young kids to make salads or sandwiches, while older children learn to make dishes like pasta.Pic by Rashbehari Das

On another day at Godrej Nature's Basket it's celebrity chef Vikas Khanna at the stove. This time the mothers are jostling with the children to get a glimpse of the Michelin star celebrity chef in action and they're hoping to pick up a tip or two.

Across the country — especially in the cities —the legions of children who want to show off their skills in the kitchen are growing faster than you can say Master Chef. But if you think they're about to whip up rajma chawal or dhoklas you're way off the mark. It's mainly Western food that's on the must-learn-to-cook list. Take 12-year-old Shivin Uppal, a student at Delhi Public School, for instance, who can whip up meringues and all kinds of fancy desserts that most people haven't even heard about.

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  Saloni Uppal's little chefs-in-the-making lay out a scrumptious dessert spread

Call it the MasterChef Effect. Suddenly, kids are heading in droves to the kitchen — and even showing their mothers how to turn out gourmet dishes and desserts. And, as the craze catches on, a slew of children's cooking workshops and classes has been popping up in recent months.

Let's get one thing straight first. One thing all these children have in common is their absolute adoration for George Calombaris and Gary Mehigan of MasterChef Australia fame. India's celebrity chefs can't match them for sheer star power.

Some lucky kids even got to meet the Aussie duo at an event in Delhi called Kids in the Kitchen with Gary, George and Ritu, organised by the Australian High Commission. Ritu Dalmia, who later held a master class at Fisher & Paykel's Social Kitchen with the winners of the event says: 'I was really tempted to put up some of the smoothies that the really creative ones made at the competition. They used all kinds of herbs, fruits, nuts and yoghurt.' Dalmia, who says she usually dislikes holding cooking classes, says it's a pleasure to work with children because they are a lot more receptive to ideas and are fun to work with.

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  Desserts are a popular choice with Rushina Minshaw Ghildiyal's students. Pic by Jagan Negi

And these cooking classes aren't hole-in-the-wall operations. Kingdom of Dreams, Gurgaon, an entertainment and leisure destination, has summer workshops for kids aged between eight and 16. The 10-day courses are priced at Rs 5,999 and about 100 children have enrolled for it this season.

Or hop over to Club Fledge, the children's club at Iskate, Ambience Mall Gurgaon, which has cooking workshops for kids during summers with a hefty price tag of Rs 999 per class. Says Karan Rai, operations head, Iskate: 'The chefs plan to teach them dishes that they love and can be easily replicated at home.' The Oberoi, New Delhi, bolstered by the success of a kids cooking competition last year has followed it up with another one this year.

Manju Sethia, who has been running popular cooking classes for adults for over 15 years in Calcutta, has for the first time, been getting scores of applications from children. Says Sethia: 'Recently when I refused to take a 15-year-old for a class as she was too young, she started crying. When I finally relented, I realised that she was one of the best students in a class of 25 people. She was very knowledgeable and an exceptionally good cook.'

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  Godrej Nature's Basket holds cooking workshops for kids with celebrity chefs like Aditya Bal (in the picture) and Vikas Khanna

It's a bit too early to make predictions, but there are even indications that quite a few children are very serious about cooking. At a cooking workshop for children at the Upper Crust restaurant in Mumbai, organised by food curator Rushina Minshaw Ghildiyal, the response was overwhelming. Over 60 per cent of the children raised their hands when asked if they wanted to pursue cooking as a career. This summer, Ghildiyal — who has a highly sophisticated kitchen where several students can work at the same time — will teach children Italian dishes and baking at two separate classes.

Or look at Little Cheflings in an upmarket South Delhi residential area that holds cooking classes for children every Friday and Saturday. It was started last September by two friends Anjali Vohra and Bhavna Kishan, who shared a common passion for cooking and who have done several advanced cooking courses. Little Cheflings teaches the young ones not just to bake and cook but also organises birthday parties around the MasterChef theme.

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  It was a dream come true for the kids who recently got to meet MasterChef Australia hosts George Calombaris (far left) and Gary Mehigan (second from left) at an event called Kids in the Kitchen with Gary, George and Ritu

Don't think for a moment that it's only girls who want to become queens of the kitchen. At most places, almost one-third to half the students in the class are young boys. But there's an unusual gender divide that nobody can explain. Says Vohra: 'The boys usually want to learn savoury stuff like pastas and lasagna, while girls queue up for baking classes.'

Anika Somaiya, for instance, was all of six when she baked her first cake and then began going for regular cooking classes. She's now a precocious eight-year-old and regularly makes cookies, cakes and brownies for her friends and family. She is adept at measuring and beating and only summons her mother and grandmother for help when she has to put the batter in the oven.

What's being taught in the class also often depends on the age group of the students. Calcutta-based Payal Bhatia runs Food Kraft, which teaches children and adults to cook, and says it's important to be careful with very young children. 'For younger kids who are only about five it's more about an assembly that does not involve the use of fire. Tossing a salad, a sandwich or layering a dessert is what most of them learn at the classes,' she says. Older children learn to put together dishes like lasagna or pasta.

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  Eight-year-old Anika Somaiya is an expert at making cookies, cakes and brownies. Pic by Rupinder Sharma

Rashmi Patwal, Gourmet Affaires, Delhi, which specialises in teaching desserts says: 'Younger children are usually taught cream-based desserts which they also like to eat. Older children prefer to learn things that appear a bit more sophisticated, like a cheesecake.' A one-day class, where adults and children can learn four desserts at Gourmet Affaires, Delhi, costs Rs 2,500.

Of course, there are some basic rules to be followed when teaching children how to cook. 'I use induction cooking rather than a flame which can be dangerous when children are cooking. And in summer we work in the dining area where it's air-conditioned rather than the kitchen,' says Saloni Uppal, who runs Saloni's Kitchen, a catering service, and also organises cooking classes exclusively for children.

For the summer vacations this year, she plans to have two batches — one for seven to 13-year-old children and the other for a mix of older children and grown-ups between 14 and 24. The older group will be taught a bit of everything from baking, starters, Italian cuisine and mocktails.

Inevitably, for younger children cutting, chopping and using sharp objects must be kept minimal. Putting a cake in the oven to bake too is usually left to an adult. Class strengths vary between 10 and 15 students for children. 'Any more than that would make it unmanageable,' says Ghildiyal. And yes, more often than not, the classes take place during vacations or on weekends.

There are other allowances that must be made for budding young chefs. Many children tend to lose interest with dishes that take too long to prepare. 'Anything which entails long marination is a sure-shot way to lose the interest of a child,' says Uppal. Also the classes don't stretch on for too long. Most teachers say that two hours — during which you can whip up two to three dishes — is just about right.

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The children may be hooked on to pizzas and pasta but most chefs try to feed them the message that it's important to incorporate some elements of healthy cooking. Uppal cooks in olive oil and Bhatia points out the nutrition value of each ingredient she puts into the food at her five-day workshops for children. And Ghildiyal puts together pizzas with wholegrain crackers as a base, hung curd as a spread and a lot of vegetables as topping.

Nowadays, some older children are also learning how to cook out of necessity. Says Uppal: 'Children who are going abroad to study often sign up for cooking classes as they know they will have to fend for themselves.' Bhatia often teaches them one-dish meals that are easy to cook, and are also healthy.

Anyone who has dealt with children knows that the child is likely to resurface from inside the chef at times. Often, the area where the class takes place looks like a war zone. Says Vohra, who charges around Rs 650 for a class: 'After one class we had to call in professional cleaners.' Uppal, who charges between Rs 600 and Rs 1,000, for a five-day course, has to pay her maids extra for the cleaning.

But cooking with children has very definite rewards. Says Uppal: 'Children are more accepting of new ideas and dishes. They are innovative, which makes it a delight to teach them.' And there are other bonuses too. Uppal says she was recently treated to chocolate-filled momos by one of her students.

So, pack up those tennis racquets, swimsuits and ballet tutus. Let the young 'uns play around with ladles, woks and measuring cups this summer.

FAST FACTS

• MasterChef Australia hosts George Calombaris and Gary Mehigan are mega-culinary heroes for India’s young aspiring chefs.