For Adam Maleh, the kitchen has always been a place of joy, but it took years of whisking and sautéing to realize that the magic wasn’t just in the recipes.

“I discovered that I love cooking a long time ago,” says Maleh, the owner of Wellesley’s newest culinary destination. “But what I’ve realized is that more than the joy of cooking itself, what I really love is sharing cooking and sharing food with people that I love. That was ultimately what made me want to open Taste Buds Kitchen.”

Located at 161 Linden St., the 2,000-square-foot custom-designed kitchen studio is more than just a place to follow a recipe; it’s a happy place where the mess stays behind, but the memories travel home.

By day, Taste Buds is a Kids Kitchen, hosting baking workshops, summer camps, and birthday parties for aspiring chefs as young as two. By night, the space transforms into an grown-ups only BYOB kitchen, perfect for sophisticated date nights and  corporate team-building events.

The philosophy is simple: aspiring chefs of all ages are there to learn, laugh, and cook. Every session is designed to be hands-on and entertaining, ensuring that everyone creates a culinary masterpiece without the soul-sapping downer of clean-up.

Safety and inclusivity at the table

In true welcoming fashion Taste Buds understands the complexities of modern dietary needs. The studio does not cook with peanuts or tree nuts, nor are these ingredients part of their recipes. While they cannot guarantee that third-party ingredients were produced in nut-free facilities, they take rigorous steps to ensure no whole nuts, nut butters, oils, or flours enter their kitchen.

Taste Buds menus can be tailored for:

• vegetarian preferences
• gluten-free diets
• dairy-free and egg-free requirements
• vegan requirements

What’s cooking?

The upcoming schedule offers an array of crowd pleasers. Adults can try out “Rustic Italian” nights featuring chicken parmesan with wild mushroom and truffle oil risotto, or “Tasty Thai” sessions that offer gluten-free and dairy-free Pad Thai and pineapple chicken satay with nut-free Thai sauce.

Kids and families can have fun with “Under the Sea” cupcakes and “unicorn pizza” for ages 2-8; while the Family Cooking Class (ages 6+) menu features Italian favorites like handmade pasta dough and lasagna cupcakes.

Events are offered seven days a week. As Maleh notes, the goal is always the same: sharing the love of food with the people who matter most.

Taste Buds Kitchen
161 Linden St., Wellesley
Open seven days a week

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A convenience store called Liliko is readying to bring Asian snacks, drinks, plus beauty products and everyday essentials to Wellesley Hills at 268 Washington St., the former Subway location.

Liliko (they use a lowercase “l” at the start) touts a variety of noodle offerings, bubble teas, and even Pokemon wafers. Brands include Jayone, Meigi, and Kasugai.

Liliko hopes to open in May or June, depending upon how permitting goes. It is already seeking signage approval from the town and going through the Health Department process.

Owner Ying Chen has a background in the grocery, retail, and technology fields. Chen’s daughter attends Babson, which is one of the reasons Wellesley made sense for the store location. “We hope Liliko becomes a convenient and fun stop for families, students, and neighbors in Wellesley,” Chen says.

The name “Liliko” is inspired by Chen’s daughter Sophia’s nickname. “It felt meaningful and personal, and reflects the warmth and family spirit we hope to bring into the store,” Chen says.

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Taste Buds Kitchen, a chain of shops that offer cooking classes, parties, and corporate events for ages 2-and-up, is planning to open a franchise in Wellesley’s Linden Square.

The business would fill the space at 161 Linden St., which has been home to everything from a bank to a safe maker to a tie-dye apparel outfit. It’s next door to Beacon Hill Athletic Clubs.

Taste Buds has nearly 20 locations open or opening across the country, including in Beverly and North Andover, Mass.

Taste Buds announced on social media almost a year ago that a Wellesley franchise had been awarded and that the kitchen would be “coming soon.” Well, it wasn’t really soon, but the business is now seeking signage approval, so that’s a good sign…

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