Austin, TX
About Us
At Young Chefs® Academy, our mission is to make a positive lasting impact on children and families through teaching the joy and value of cooking in a welcoming environment that encourages discovery and creativity.
Rated 4.7 on Google (1,359 Reviews)
Franchise Owner
Sarah Gagliardi has B.A. in psychology and sociology from UNC-Greensboro and an M.B.A. from St. Thomas University Minnesota. During and after college she assisted in children’s therapy, served as summer camp counselor and was a pre-k teacher. After a career in the insurance industry, she took time off to focus on raising their kiddos and now is set to launch Young Chefs Academy in the southwest Austin area. Jim Gagliardi has a degree in communications and a Masters in Strategy and Executive Leadership from the University of St. Thomas Minnesota. He has spent 20 plus years in leadership positions, most recently working as Chief Product Officer for a company providing technology school districts. Jim has a life-long love of movies and even boasts holding a Guinness Book World record for continuous movie watching! Sarah notes that she inherited her love of cooking from her dad, a life-long cattle rancher who enjoyed cooking from scratch over a hot cast iron skillet. After living in Minnesota the Gagliardi’s moved to Austin in 2013 where they are excited to combine their love for cooking, children, leadership development and community involvement and bring the world’s leading culinary program for youth to South Austin.
Founder & CEO
Founder and CEO, Julie Burleson, established Young Chefs® Academy in 2003 with the vision of cultivating/serving children’s strong interest in the culinary arts. It has grown with locations throughout the US to be a welcoming environment that provides a “real” setting so that the students can take what they learn at YCA™ to their own homes.
“The kitchen is the pulse of the home… where we learn about life and each other,” says Burleson. “Young Chefs Academy nourishes those values and gives kids an innovative environment to learn and thrive. In this busy world, what could be better?”
Over the years our franchisees have been showcased across some of the largest networks, which is a testament to our values and community activities.