Culinary Literacy Center
About
Free Library's Commercial Teaching Kitchen
The Culinary Literacy Center is a commercial-grade teaching kitchen on the 4th floor of Parkway Central Library, run by the Free Library of Philadelphia since June 2014. The center offers food education programming for children, teens, adults, and families inside a real working kitchen built into a public library.
Programs for Kids & Teens
Free and low-cost classes cover cooking fundamentals, nutrition, knife skills, and food culture. Programs include:
- Nourishing Literacy (K-12 hands-on food learning)
- Monthly youth program for ages 10-18
- Family cooking workshops
- Chef demonstrations
- Healthy cooking on a budget sessions
What's Included
- All ingredients and tools provided
- Free or low-cost registration
- Library card not required for most programs
- Commercial kitchen workstations
Experience
Hands-on instruction inside a real teaching kitchen at one of the country's flagship public libraries. Programs run at Parkway Central plus Northeast Regional and Lillian Marrero neighborhood branches. Free Library mission focus on food literacy and access.