🍳 GiGi’s Kitchen for Teens & Adults is Coming to Portland!

Launching January 2026
🗓 2nd and 4th Tuesdays, 6–7:30 PM
📅 January 27 – June 9, 2026

We’re so excited to announce GiGi’s Kitchen for Teens & Adults at GiGi’s Playhouse Portland, a hands-on cooking program designed for individuals with Down syndrome to learn kitchen skills, explore healthy eating, and share meals together in a fun, social environment.

👩‍🍳 What Happens in GiGi’s Kitchen?

Each session includes…

• Simple, healthy cooking lessons with gluten-free and dairy-free recipes
• Kitchen safety and nutrition lessons
• Time to cook and eat together
• Encouragement to try new skills and celebrate “Best of All” moments

Our focus is on accessible, gluten-free and dairy-free recipes that teach lifelong healthy habits — meals that anyone can recreate at home with a few ingredients and a lot of confidence.

💚 Volunteer Opportunities

We’re building our Kitchen Crew and would love your help! Professional chefs, home cooks, and people who love eating food are perfect fits for this program.

🍴 Co-Leads

Choose a healthy, gluten-free recipe, highlight one or two skills, and guide the group.
Commitment: 1–2 sessions

🥄 Program Assistants

Support our participants as they practice kitchen safety and cooking skills. Notice and celebrate “Best of All” moments — those little milestones that mean so much.
Commitment: 1 session per month

👋 Greeters

Welcome families, help with sign-in, and make everyone feel at home.
Commitment: 3 sessions or more

🏡 Host Families

Join as a family, set a great example, and make sure every participant feels included.

Commitment: 3 sessions or more

🥕 Why Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free?

Eating gluten-free and dairy-free may sound complicated — but it doesn’t have to be! GiGi’s Kitchen at the Portland Playhouse focuses on naturally gluten-free ingredients like rice, beans, eggs, and vegetables — simple, affordable foods that work for most dietary needs. Look forward to easy preparation steps and healthy meals that you can make at home.

Many people find that eating gluten-free or dairy-free supports digestion and overall well-being:

• 65% of people with inflammatory bowel conditions who tried a gluten-free diet reported symptom relief (PubMed, 2014).
• About 75% of adults worldwide have some degree of lactose intolerance (NIH Consensus Panel).
• People who value gluten-free foods tend to eat more fruits and vegetables overall (PubMed, 2018).

Of course, eliminating gluten and dairy is not a cure-all, and not everyone needs to be GF or DF. Dairy especially offers many important nutrients that we must consciously provide through other foods.

We’ll keep recipes simple and teach nutrient-rich swaps that replace dairy benefits:

Gluten-free and dairy substitutes will be kept to a minimum; they can be expensive, and are often highly processed.

🍽 The GiGi’s Kitchen Approach

Our cooking philosophy centers on simplicity and independence:

1. Naturally gluten-free whole foods — rice, quinoa, beans, veggies, eggs, meat
2. Three-part meals — Base + Protein + Flavor (for easy mixing and matching)
3. Accessible adaptations — seated prep, pre-chopped produce, fewest steps, one pan or pot when possible

Examples:

• Sheet-pan roasted veggies with tofu or chicken
• Customizable rice bowls
• Savory and sweet skewers

🙌 Join the Kitchen Crew!

If you love food, fun, and community, GiGi’s Kitchen for Teens & Adults is the perfect place to volunteer or participate.

✨ Interested in volunteering? Use our volunteer interest form if you haven’t yet! You can also email Rae (rhofstedt@gigisplayhouse.org) or Kara (kgirod@gigisplayhouse.org) to update your interest.

🥘 Help us buy groceries and kitchen equipment from the GiGi’s Kitchen category on our wishlist!