Sticky Fingers Cooking® was founded to help kids build confidence, curiosity, and lifelong skills through hands-on cooking in an inclusive and engaging environment after school. The concept was to come to the kids so their day seamlessly flows from school to after-school enrichment, rather than ask families to come to us.

Over time, we built a robust allergen-friendly curriculum, created thousands of original globally-inspired recipes, and added summer camps and birthday parties that take place in schools, libraries, recreation centers, and other venues. 

Now, we are taking this business model to another population: older adults in senior living communities. It’s called the Silver Spatulas™ Program and it brings people together as they might learn new skills and share old memories.

“When I started Sticky Fingers Cooking, I was inspired by the challenges my oldest daughter was facing after a Type 2 diabetes diagnosis and eating safely at and after school,” explains Erin Fletter, founder and CEO of Sticky Fingers Cooking®. “As my Dad was approaching 80, I began to learn more about people of this age and their needs and interests and saw how what we do with children could benefit those at this stage of life too.”

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From Young Learners to Lifelong Learners

Sticky Fingers Cooking® began in 2011 inspired by Erin’s three young daughters and a simple belief: cooking is one of life's most important skills. We wanted to bring hands-on cooking directly to children where they already learn, play, and grow while creating an inclusive program where every child could participate.

Over the past 15 years, we've taught more than one million students, developed thousands of globally inspired recipes, and built a proven model centered on food, connection, curiosity, and lifelong learning.

Silver Spatulas™ was inspired by another generation.

Erin witnessed her beloved Uncle Bob—a former Chicago Bears football player—and Aunt Katie transition into assisted living after Bob's CTE diagnosis. They received wonderful care, but Katie often talked about how much she missed cooking. She missed the creativity of the kitchen, discovering new flavors, and sharing meals that sparked conversation and memories.

Katie and Bob had owned and operated restaurants in Texas. Food had always been central to their lives. She once joked that every meal in assisted living eventually started tasting like "a bland cruise ship." More than anything, she wanted opportunities to cook again, explore exciting cuisines, share stories from her travels, and connect with others around the table.

That's when it clicked.

The same things that make Sticky Fingers Cooking® so successful with children—hands-on participation, curiosity, creativity, conversation, and community—don't become less important as we age. In many ways, they become even more meaningful.

Silver Spatulas™ extends the Sticky Fingers Cooking® mission to another generation.

Different generations.

Same mission.

From young learners to lifelong learners.

Expanding the Sticky Fingers Cooking® Franchise Opportunity

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, “by 2030, all Baby Boomers will be age 65 or older,” creating what many experts call the Silver Tsunami. There are over 40,000 assisted and other residential care communities in the U.S. and what they each offer in terms of meaningful programs varies.

The Silver Spatulas™ Program (see video here) was created to meet that need while sparking joy and creativity in shared new experiences for older adults in their communities. 

“Since 2011, we’ve seen how Sticky Fingers Cooking can ‘cultivate cool’inary curiosity’ in kids with our approach to teaching about where food comes from, how to make simple recipes and try new foods, and possibly make friends and expand experiences,” says Erin. “As people age, the need to connect and to continue learning doesn’t go away. With Silver Spatulas, we can engage with people where they are in life.”

Just like our original after-school enrichment cooking classes for kids starting at age four, the Silver Spatulas™ Program is also:

• Inclusive
• Accessible
• Interactive with hands-on learning 
• Adaptive
• Allergen-friendly

There is no kitchen required, and no previous cooking experience needed. 

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Education Franchise That Creates Job Opportunities

Each Sticky Fingers Cooking® franchise location offers flexible, part-time jobs to people who enjoy teaching as chef instructors. With Silver Spatulas™, each chef instructor will have more opportunities to teach classes.

“When we piloted these classes, our most tenured chef instructors led the first classes in the senior living communities and they absolutely loved working with the older adults!,” shares Erin. “The same skills apply, regardless of the age of the students.”

The ability to provide people with more opportunities is a game changer for franchise owners who are looking for dependable people when hiring. 

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The Sticky Fingers Cooking® Silver Spatulas™ Program

Each franchise owner has the option to incorporate the Silver Spatulas™ Program into their business once their after-school enrichment service line is thriving. We offer the same training and support for this program as we do for our children’s cooking classes and summer camps. 

With Silver Spatulas™, our Sticky Fingers Cooking® franchisees can expand their businesses locally using the same proven recipe for success. 

If you’re interested in learning more about the Sticky Fingers Cooking franchise opportunity for your community, reach out today!