Meet Michela! | Stamford Moms

How many kids do you have and what are their ages?
I have one little girl and she is 2 years old

What do you love about living in Stamford?
I love everything about living in Stamford because I grew up here. But if I have to just pick one thing it would be that I can be in a city full of restaurants and go on a hike in the country all in the same day.

What’s your favorite restaurant and/or place to shop in Stamford?
Eek so hard to choose. I have two. My family’s deli, The All Italian American Gourmet Deli and Navaratna Indian Restaurant. Yumm!

Tell us about your career.
Right now I am a full time mom, meditation and yoga teacher at CT Power Yoga in Stamford and for preschoolers, and lastly I create fun cooking classes for children.

I went to pastry school in 2008 after growing up in the restaurant business with my family.  I guess you could say I got the itch for cooking. I worked as a pastry chef creating special occasion cakes and worked in a fast paced restaurant kitchen. I’ve also been working with children since I was 16 years old, in their home, in preschools, and in after school programs teaching in person cooking classes.

Tell us about the parent, toddler cooking classes you’re launching!
I am so excited about the parent toddler cooking classes I am kicking off  Monday March 1. There are 6 classes total every Monday at 10:30 a.m. live. The great this is if you can’t join live, you can view the recording and do it on your own time. The classes are recommended for 2 – 5 year olds but all ages are welcome. These are easy recipes for young children and parents to start having some fun in the kitchen! Cooking lessons include a story related to the lesson, kitchen trivia, and children will be encouraged to clean up their cooking area and their hands throughout. As a bonus I will be including cooking and food related sensory activities, games or art ideas to do on your own. All of this costs $80 as a special price for being my very first Zoom cooking class!

Where did you get the idea for the classes?
I was already doing these fun yoga videos for preschoolers and it just hit me. Why not share some of the fun things my daughter and I do in the kitchen everyday with other families. And that’s where it all began.

What do you love about cooking with your children?
Cooking with my daughter reminds me to have fun with it and I love that. She is touching and tasting everything as we cook a recipe. It’s all play for her and now it can be all play for me too sometimes. I also love watching her skills develop in the kitchen. I’m always surprised at how much she can do at only two years old.

What are your favorite thing to cook with your children?
My favorite things to cook with my daughter are easily pizza and chocolate chip cookies. We make everything from scratch most of the time so there’s always a fun project to do when we are stuck indoors.

How can families sign up for your classes?
Families can easily sign up for my classes. They can message me on Instagram @michela_swartz.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve gotten from another mom?
Hard to choose. I’ve gotten lots of advice but I have two pieces of advice that stand out. Don’t rush it. Enjoy this time with your children. They won’t be this age forever. And take time for yourself to do the things you love. You’ll be a better mom because of it.

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