Young Chefs Academy: Year in Review 2024

The start of a new year is the perfect time to reflect on the previous year, and what an incredible year 2024 was for Young Chefs® Academy! We welcomed valuable new partnerships, incredible new franchisees, and new key staff members. We also launched several new locations, exciting new program offerings, and new branding. Overall, 2024 was a year of transformation and growth for YCA™! 

New Look, Same Mission

We started 2024 with a bang by introducing a fresh new look for Young Chefs Academy. We bid farewell to our tried and true pastel color scheme and original logo and said hello to bold new colors and a clean, simple, yet distinctive logo that better represents our position as a market leader in children’s culinary education.

Rest assured, despite the new look, our Mission remains the same as it has been since opening our doors in 2004: 

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.

New Partnerships

Along with our rebranding initiative, we announced a new partnership with ABACO, an experienced private equity firm led by well-known franchise investor, Michael Abdy. The goal of this partnership is to expand the reach of YCA’s franchise network and to enable us to provide best-in-class franchisor services to our owners.

Another exciting partnership emerged when YCA was approached by Random House Publishing to offer a series of open house events in conjunction with the release of the official Minecraft cookbook, “The Crafter’s Kitchen”. 

The resulting events were held at each Young Chef Academy location in late summer and early fall. At these interactive open houses, participants were invited to step into the shoes of a Minecraft crafter-turned-chef to bring recipes from the game to life. By giving participants a chance to experience engaging, hands-on culinary “crafting”, while providing our owners with an opportunity to introduce YCA to a new audience, the Random House Minecraft partnership aligned perfectly with YCA’s mission!

New Owners, New Locations

Continuing on our growth trajectory, in 2024 YCA welcomed many new franchise owners and launched several new locations:

• Laree & Brian Rolley – Pittsburgh North, PA*
• David & Danielle Mokrauer – Havertown, PA*
• Chris & Elizabeth McKelvey – Tomball, TX*
• Rochelle Mayo-Barrett & TaRey Hall – Gahanna, OH
• Audriane Williams – Baton Rouge, LA
• Angela Koch – Rogers, AR
• Sarah & Jim Gagliardi – San Antonio, TX
• Lamar Tatum – Allen, TX

    *New location

In addition to these new faces, many of our existing owners are now opening a second or even a third location, and we are so excited that they continue to grow with us! We have always recognized that our most valuable feedback comes directly from our owners, who work with students and their families directly in their communities. Each one brings their unique skills and style to help the Young Chefs system be the best it can be!

2024 Franchise Conference

One of the highlights of 2024 was our annual Franchise Conference, which brought together our owners, corporate support team, and vendors in beautiful Charleston, South Carolina.

Based around the theme, “Setting the Table for a Bright YCA Future”, we shared valuable ideas and experience, gleaned insights from our top performing owners. We also launched some exciting programs that will further elevate our customers’ experience and celebrated our system’s many “wins” over the past year. Of course, we celebrated our 2024 franchise award winners and their laudable achievements!

We wrapped up our time together doing what we (foodies) enjoy the most: gathering around the table for fellowship, lots of laughter, and enjoying an over-the-top four course meal prepared by a local celebrity chef!

New Member Certification Program

As part of our ongoing commitment to innovation, YCA continuously evolves our curriculum to include a variety of engaging culinary opportunities for our young chefs and their families. 2024 was no different, with the introduction of a new program for Young Chefs members who are interested in achieving elite status through YCA Certifications in specific skill-based modules. This invitation-only program provides an opportunity for our most serious members to shine and be recognized for their hard work and skills!

The first module in this new series is our “Sharp Chefs™ ~ Knife Skills Certification Program”, which enables participants to safely hone their knife skills as they chop, dice, slice, chiffonade, mince and julienne their way to perfection. Upon successful completion of the series, participants earn a special badge of achievement to display on their Chefs jacket!

New Corporate Support Staff

In addition to our new franchise owners, we also welcomed a new Marketing Director, Haley Hughes, to our corporate support team. With more than 20 years of marketing experience, Haley is focused on helping our owners increase profitability through targeted and innovative marketing initiatives.

Says Julie Burleson, YCA founder and CEO, “I’m thrilled to welcome Haley to the YCA family! She’s hit the ground running and has already made a positive impact with her upbeat, ‘can do’ energy.”

New Year, New Experiences

As we reflect on 2024’s milestones and highlights, we sincerely thank our owners for coming together in support of a common goal — teaching the joy and value of cooking and inspiring the next generation! To our students and their families, you are the reason we do what we do and we are so happy that you choose to join us! As we welcome the new year, we’re excited to look forward to all that 2025 may hold.

If you haven’t yet joined us for one of our unique, educational and fun culinary experiences, we invite you to learn more at https://youngchefsacademy.com/ or by contacting your local Young Chefs Academy.