Our Recipe ~ About Us


As a toddler Samantha helped her mom, owner of
specialty cookware store, The Complacent Cook in
Bridgehampton, NY, measure and mix with
confidence and ease. Born into the culinary world,
her first word was “olive”, and some of her favorite
foods as a child were sushi, caviar, and smoked
salmon!

Throughout her education at Deerfield Academy
and Bowdoin College, Samantha had the pleasure
of eating at some of the top-rated dining halls in the
country. A passion for Italian food and culture took
root during a semester abroad in Florence, Italy,
and she later received her Professional Chef
Diploma. Samantha taught middle school outside of
Boston, MA for several years before moving to Los
Angeles, where she continued to teach.
Kitchen Kid, LLC  l  info@kitchenkid.com l  www.KitchenKid.com  l  310.450.3462

Kitchen Kid Founder and Culinary Coach, Samantha
Saffir Barnes is a creative cook and former middle
school educator. Fascinated by her students' love of
TV cooking shows and celebrity chefs, yet
discouraged by their unhealthy lunch choices in the
cafeteria, Samantha was determined to merge her
two passions -- teaching and cooking -- and teach
kids to cook. Samantha launched Kitchen Kid in 2006
with the hope of empowering young people to jump
into the kitchen and get cooking! Realizing that the
kitchen classroom is the best place to learn,
Samantha made Kitchen Kid her full-time venture in
the summer of 2007.  
Samantha shares genuine enthusiasm,
imagination, and patience while inspiring
kids of all ages to bake, boil, and braise
in the kitchen.  She enjoys writing about
her experiences on her blog, Growing Up
Gourmet, and in a bi-weekly column for
the Santa Monica Daily Press.  Through
Kitchen Kid, Samantha finds joy in
teaching kids and their families to
prepare healthy and delicious meals. She
believes learning to cook as a child
inspires a lifelong pursuit of healthful
eating, and that meals made together
always taste better! As Kitchen
Kid’s Executive Culinary Coach,
Samantha encourages children to bite
beyond typical 'kid food' and cook-up
sophisticated family-friendly fare.