Itty Bitty Bakers Brings The Joy Of Cooking To Kids

HOOVER, AL — Anyone will tell you that kids need hobbies, and while sports, dancing, art or other activities are pretty common among kids, cooking is not only rising in popularity as a children's hobby, but is also a hobby kids can take into their adult lives.

This is where Hoover-based Itty Bitty Bakers steps in. Itty Bitty Bakers founder Jessica Hamby started the business in 2018 when she was looking for things to do to entertain her young son during days at home.

"We would make brownies or cupcakes from box mixes, and I realized how much he was learning from these simple activities," Hamby said. "I decided to put on a small summer camp focused on baking with kids. Some of our neighbors and friends came, and the kids loved it. After much consideration, I decided to get a business license and added classes for older kids, and the rest is history."

Before she became a stay at home mom, Hamby was a clinical dietitian with a specialty in oncology, and was a wellness analyst for Blue Cross.

"I have a love of baking that dates from my youngest days — when I was 12, I started recording my favorite recipes into a cookbook journal."

Patch caught up with Hamby to discuss how her business works, how kids can get involved and her personal favorite recipe:

How does Itty Bitty Bakers work?

Well, interested parents visit our website at www.ittybittybakers.com to check out what classes and camps we have available for their kids. They can search by age range and book the classes through the website. We also do birthday parties, and parents can request a party date and time through the website as well. If they have any questions, they can always email us at ittybittybkrs@gmail.com.

What has been the response to Itty Bitty Bakers?

The community response has been fantastic! We constantly get parents who say, "I’ve been looking for something like this!" With the success of kids’ baking shows on TV, there was real interest in the community, and it was the perfect time to start this kind of business.

How do you feel like the craft of cooking affects other aspects of a child's life?

It is impossible to overstate the benefits of baking classes. Our baking classes help reinforce concepts that children learn in school through real life applications — math, chemistry, science, problem solving, reading comprehension, following directions. The list goes on! Baking is also therapeutic, creative and builds confidence. Watching children learn to focus on a specific recipe, see it through to completion and rejoice in their handiwork is incredibly fulfilling.

What is your favorite aspect of your job?

My favorite part of this business is coming up with class ideas that the kids will enjoy, and then watching their excitement over creating that vision.

What is your favorite dish that you personally like to make?

My favorite dish to make is scones. I made up a recipe for white chocolate cherry scones that can be found on the Itty Bitty Bakers blog.