Jan Pinnington
Jan Pinnington has a vision. And it all started with teaching her daughter about healthy cooking in 2011. Her daughter loved it so much that she got her friends involved, which led Jan to holding classes locally, where one of her first fee-based students was astounded that mashed potatoes came from potatoes…he thought they only came from a box!
“That’s when I knew that if I could teach just 10 kids a month, I could give these children a life skill of simple cooking, confidence, and most importantly, healthier eating habits,” she says. And that’s when the big picture appeared. Having 15 years’ experience in corporate communication programs, sales, and a love of cooking, wellness, and entrepreneurialism, Jan set out to create a system where others could start their own local, healthy cooking businesses. “If I can impact hundreds of kids locally and feel the joy of having a successful community-based business where others become healthier, why not help others do the same?”
So Jan created Healthy Hands Cooking, a unique online, certified cooking instructor business training program, teaching entrepreneurially minded home cooks to start their own businesses, teaching kids cooking classes. Joining HHC’s membership provides these independent business owners with a website, student registration portal, payment gateway, and many more resources. To date, Jan has trained over 600 instructors across the U.S.—fully supported in their mission, and positively impacting tens of thousands of kids.
Alongside cooking skills and healthy eating habits, lessons can integrate STEM elements, like growing gardens and building portable solar ovens. Jan and Healthy Hands Cooking have been featured in local and national magazines and TV networks including Taste of Home’s Healthy Cooking Magazine and Forbes Living, and Wells Fargo ranked her among their Top 25 New Business Concepts. She landed a two-year partnership with the Nick Jr. series, Butterbean’s Cafe.
“My greatest joy is making a difference in the lives of my instructors, their families, and the children whose lives they touch,” she says. “There are many hurdles, but I know we are making a difference.”
Jan Pinnington
CEO & Founder — Healthy Hands Cooking
Website: https://www.healthyhandscooking.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/healthy-hands-cooking/; https://www.linkedin.com/in/jan-walker-pinnington-283885b/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/HealthyHandsCooking; www.facebook.com/groups/healthyhandscooking
Instagram: @healthyhandscooking/