Lil Chefs Cook Up Fun with Food at Smith Haven Mall

     Aspiring  young chefs and little foodies are invited to get a taste of just how fun fare can be at Simon Kidgits Club Lil Chefs, an annual Simon® malls event designed to get kids learning about the craft of cooking and all things food.  
     Smith Haven Mall’s Lil Chefs event will take place on Saturday, May 18, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. in Center Court, as part of a series of children’s culinary programs being hosted at approximately 100 Simon malls across the country.  
     The hands-on atmosphere of Lil Chefs will engage both parents and children in exploring the endless imaginative possibilities of pairing creativity with cuisine.  
     At the event, families will have the chance to participate in a variety of food-focused festivities ranging from cooking demonstrations to etiquette lessons and craft-making with meal items. Other activities include creating fun food with Play-Doh, designing macaroni necklaces and transforming cupcake paper-holders into flowers. Cohen’s Children’s Medical Center of New York also will present its Healthy Plates demonstration, educating children about making healthy food choices.  
     There will be giveaways galore, and refreshments will be provided by Mosaic Turkish Grill, Auntie Anne’s Pretzels, California Pizza Kitchen and Holy Guacamole. 
     Also as part of the event, kids are encouraged to help those in need by bringing a non-perishable food item to Smith Haven Mall to be donated to a local food bank.  
     The presenting sponsor for the 2013 Simon Kidgits Club Lil Chefs event is Qubo, a children’s network that is a safe destination for kids of all ages, airing quality programs that entertain and celebrate the fun of learning! 
     “Simon Kidgits Club continuously brings families unique, in-person opportunities to learn and use their imaginations. Simon malls’ Lil Chefs events deliver just that, a platform for kids and the community to interact with one another, learn and be entertained together by something we’re all familiar with: food,” said Jayne Stilson, assistant vice president of business development for Simon Brand Ventures, the business-to-consumer division of Simon Property Group. 
     The Simon Kidgits Club is a fun and informative program that focuses on health, wellness, education, safety and entertainment for children ages 3 to 8. This year marks Simon Kidgits Club’s 10th anniversary of serving as a community event staple for kids and parents by rewarding young members for good behavior; offering reading hours featuring favorite children’s authors; and celebrating holidays like Halloween, Christmas and Easter. Simon Kidgits’ Club programs have engaged more than 1.8 million parents and kids since its inception.  
     For more information about the Simon Kidgits Club and Lil Chefs events, visit www.simon.com/kidgits, or check out Smith Haven Mall’s pages on Facebook, www.facebook.com/SmithHavenMall, and Twitter, @SmithHavenMall. 

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