COOPERATION AND COOKING: “With the program, I can dedicate my efforts to focusing on community, cooperation, acceptance and kindness for and with children.” Chris Johnson, owner of the Sticky Fingers Cooking franchise in Princeton, is enthusiastic about this new after school cooking program for children.
Teen Iron Chef participants prepare their second-round dishes during the Golden Library's annual competition. This year’s event featured 15 total participants, ranging from ages 11-17, competing as eight teams or individuals. A.J. Bruno, an instructor at Denver-based Sticky Fingers Cooking, was one of the three judges who graded the competitors’ dishes. “I wish something like this was around when I was a kid,” he said of an opportunity to compete and learn as a teen chef. “ … It was fun to see the younger generation geeking out about (cooking).”
Erin Fletter, Founder & CEO of Sticky Fingers Cooking, this week on The Franchise Woman podcast: Where Passion & Purpose Collide.
Learn about how and why Sticky Fingers Cooking brings cooking classes to the kids and the impact we are making in the communities we serve. Article is located on page 55.
Host Frank Fiume sits down with Erin Fletter, the dynamic founder and CEO of Sticky Fingers Cooking. Erin’s story is one of passion, innovation, and a relentless drive to make a difference in the lives of children and aspiring business owners. Erin’s story is one of passion, innovation, and a relentless drive to make a difference in the lives of children and aspiring business owners.
Sticky Fingers Cooking stands out not only for its engaging curriculum but also for its flexible and scalable business model. The franchise operates without the burden of a brick-and-mortar establishment, allowing franchisees to conduct classes in existing community spaces. This approach keeps overhead low and accessibility high, ensuring stable margins and broad reach.
Hear the full story on Season 2, Episode 60.
Erin Fletter and her team created a tech company alongside a children's cooking school. This custom software helps manage their complicated operations, from enrolling students, coordinating instructors, and building relationships with schools to handling payments and payroll. The software grew slowly initially but eventually became a powerful system that helped them scale their business and run efficiently.
Founded by Erin Fletter in 2011, Sticky Fingers Cooking® has grown from a kitchen table idea into a national franchise that has taught over 150,000 students through 3,000 unique recipes. This after-school program combines education with fun, covering subjects like language, geography, and science. Utilizing their tech platform, Sticky Fingers Cooking Dash®, the company operates efficiently with low overhead and high community engagement. Partnering with SMB Franchise Advisors, they expanded from zero to eight units in their first year, aiming to be in every major city by 2030. Their mission enhances children’s culinary education and empowers female entrepreneurs across the USA.
This week I welcome Erin Fletter, the passionate founder and CEO of Sticky Fingers Cooking. Discover how Erin's humble beginnings at her kitchen table led to the creation of a thriving children's cooking school franchise. Learn about her inspiring journey, the challenges she faced, and the innovative systems she implemented to begin successfully scaling her business across the United States.
Transforming Sticky Fingers Cooking into a Franchise Success Story
Erin Fletter, founder of Sticky Fingers Cooking, has taken her business from a small startup to a successful franchise operation. Her journey into franchising began unexpectedly in the summer of 2021 due to a bet with her Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) forum.
Meet Erin Fletter | CEO, Founder & Food-Geek-in-Chief at Sticky Fingers Cooking®
Discover the perfect Mother’s Day gift: let your kids take over the kitchen with top-notch recipes from Sticky Fingers Cooking! From Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Muffins to Holy Guacamole Huevos Rancheros, enjoy a stress-free meal prepared by your little chefs. Treat yourself this Mother’s Day and savor delicious homemade food made with love!
Sticky Fingers Cooking®, was born at a kitchen table in Denver in 2011, has grown into a leading emerging national franchise brand. We merge culinary arts with subjects like nutrition, global cultures, food history, math and science through our engaging curriculum. With over 3,000 unique recipes and 125,000+ students taught, Sticky Fingers Cooking® enriches lives in schools and community centers, equipping children with essential kitchen skills and confidence in a fun and delicious way. This innovative social enterprise business model leverages our proprietary technology and community engagement to offer fruitful financial opportunities for women looking to become business leaders coast to coast.
Today: part two of our conversations at Franchise Expo West in LA with MFV Expositions and The International Franchise Association. Our guests today include some amazing emerging franchise brand pros including:
Give the joy of cooking to your kids! Sticky Fingers Cooking has taught over 125,000 students in more than 1,000 schools across the U.S. And, no kitchen necessary! They’ll bring cooking classes to your school. Erin Fletter, Founder and CEO, stopped by GDC and talked with Spencer Thomas and Chris Tomer. Check out her newest cookbook, “Kid Smoothies”.
In this episode, Zack Fishman chats with the Co-Founder & CEO of Sticky Fingers Cooking, Erin Fletter. We discuss how Sticky Fingers Cooking came up with the idea to franchise, how they differentiate from others in the children's cooking arena, and what their ideal candidate profile is shaping up to look like.
Are picky eaters a challenge in your household? You’ll find solace knowing that cooking can be a powerful tool to overcome this hurdle. Be ready to revolutionize your kids’ perspective on food as renowned food enthusiast and co-creator of Sticky Fingers Cooking, Erin Fletter, joins us in this enticing discussion that talks about not just cooking, but also life-lessons that a kitchen can impart. We embark on an intriguing journey, exploring the origins and scientific principles behind popular American recipes, while also exposing how diverse global cuisines have influenced our very own. Erin highlights the significance of involving children in cooking, clearly illustrating how this simple act can broaden their horizons and play a critical role in their overall development.
Fletter shares the details of how Sticky Fingers Cooking grew from her kitchen table to becoming a national franchise opportunity. Fletter’s story highlights how both vision and quality control help in building a brand.
Discover how Erin Fletter, a mom of three, defied the traditional 9-to-5 to co-found Sticky Fingers Cooking, offering culinary classes for kids.
Sticky Fingers Cooking Owner + CEO had the honor to join Jack Monson's podcast, the Social Geek, to discuss his Recommended Fall Reading List, where Erin got to highlight the TWO newest Sticky Fingers Cooking cookbook "Mug-Nificent Meals" and "Kid Smoothies!" Join at the 44 minute marker to hear Erin discuss all about the newest cookbook to the Sticky Fingers Cooking cookbook collection
Listen HERE on Spotify
Franchise Times chatted with representatives from 10 unique, up-and-coming brands, including Sticky Fingers Cooking, at the International Franchise Expo in New York City.
This special edition of Jack Monson's Social Geek podcast was recorded LIVE in the Podcast Zone at The International Franchise Expo 2023 in New York.
On today’s part 1 of this series, International Franchise Association CEO Matt Haller shares the latest on the FTC’s request for information, Joint Employer in California, and the nominee for Secretary of Labor.
Then Jack Monson interviews Ali Kraus of Benetrends Financial, and her panelists recap their standing-room-only IFE presentation on “How Women Can Be Successful in Today’s Franchise Marketplace.” Hear from Kayla Ryan of Home Run Franchises, Stephanie Schon of The Bar Method, and Erin Fletter of Sticky Fingers Cooking.
Sticky Fingers Cooking will host dozens of themed summer camps along the Front Range for Denver and Boulder kids. From fundamental techniques and the art of plating to emulsification, classes are designed for beginners and experts alike, and recipes are carried out in groups, as a team.
In addition to cooking 10 meals, kids who enroll in a week-long session also participate in crafts and activities during the three-hour camp day. All camps are allergen friendly and nut-free, and 10 online classes are also available. Only one registration is needed per household, making it easy for siblings to join.
As Sticky Fingers Cooking founder and CEO Erin Fletter put it, “It’s about so much more than cooking. The kids are truly immersed in every aspect of learning to make delicious food from scratch as they read stories that inform recipes, taste new flavors, hear new languages based on recipe origins, and engage in crafts related to each dish.”
Cooking can also provide lessons in science, math, geography and nutrition — not to mention persuade picky eaters to try new things. In a Sticky Fingers classroom, kids get a chance to develop soft skills such as teamwork and sharing; plus, they’ll learn to clean up after themselves.
If you’ve ever struggled with the dreaded summer slide – i.e., that learning setback that can happen when children forget academic material after extended school breaks – following recipes is a sneaky way to get kids to read while following directions in recipes. All Sticky Fingers cookbooks (available on Amazon) are designed to bring in-class learning to families.
Sticky Fingers isn’t the only spot for kids to learn cooking skills: Cook Street School of Culinary Arts, which typically specializes in adult cooking classes, is hosting four week-long camps this summer: two for kids ages 8 to 12 and two for teens. Classes, which explore the fundamentals of either cooking or baking, begin at 9 a.m., with students making their own breakfast, and end at 2 p.m. as they enjoy a chef-prepared lunch.
Cook Street owner Lindsey Reese wanted to make it a priority to get kids into her kitchen because cooking is “a self-reliance skill,” she said, and also a lost art. “If you start from a young age, the intimidation factor with the kitchen is never a problem,” she added. Classes, she said, are all about “creating comfort in the kitchen that will last their entire lives.”
Erin Fletter finds inspirations for Sticky Fingers Cooking sitting at her family's kitchen table
Sticky Fingers Cooking Introduces New Franchise Opportunities Nationwide With a Proven Recipe for Success and a Work-From-Home Business Model!
Chris Tomer discusses the positive impact that Sticky Fingers Cooking has made in the after school enrichment realm as well as the newly announced growth of the company with in a franchise model with our Food Geek-in-Chief, Erin Fletter.
Watch as Chef Erin, Chef Jacqui, and our amazing young chefs Althea & Vivian cook-up cool Colorado Melon Peach Poke Bowls + Steamed Rice on 7News in Denver.
Rachel Cernansky discusses making food a positive experience for children with Sticky Finger's Chloe Sundberg.
Watch Chef Dylan and our amazing young chefs Harper and Milo cook-up delicious fun on FOX31's Good Day Colorado.
Colleen Smith discusses the positive outcomes of getting kids hooked on cooking and healthy eating habits with our Food Geek-in-Chief, Erin Fletter.
Give the kids in your community the opportunity to learn how to make and enjoy tasty, healthy, fun food! Contact us today to bring Sticky Fingers Cooking to your library, camp, church, or troop.
Please provide contact information for your organization’s enrichment coordinator. We look forward to cooking with you!
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