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.
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Franchise Owner
Angela Koch was born in Taiwan, grew up in Japan, and moved to the USA at age 9. She ended up in Northwest Arkansas 8 years ago with her husband, Kurt and her two kids, Emma and Ben. Prior to owning Young Chefs Academy, Angela spent 17 years of her career in the field of retail and financial services marketing. Angela loves food from different countries, and she especially loves her mom’s authentic Chinese cooking. Ironically however, she was so used to her mom cooking that she didn’t know how to boil pasta until she was in college. Angela began teaching herself how to cook and fell in love with everything about it. She now loves to cook for her family and friends, and is inspired to make sure that she teaches her kids how to cook as well, making Young Chefs Academy the perfect fit for her. In her spare time, Angela loves to run, draw, and spend time with her two dogs, Stu and Zoee. She also volunteers at her kids’ schools. She looks forward to teaching kids the joy of cooking at Young Chefs Academy!
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 has been showcased across some of the largest networks, which is a testament to our values and community activities.