Seasoned visionary brand and business builder Brian Curin.

Our visionary Co-Founder.

As Co-Founder & CEO of Little Kitchen Academy I am at the forefront of revolutionizing Montessori-inspired culinary education for children and teens focused on developing independence, confidence, and healthy eating habits empowering them to change their lives and those around them.

For more than two decades, Brian Curin has built, scaled, and transformed category-defining consumer brands across food, retail, franchising, hospitality, apparel, education, and e-commerce. He is known for assembling high-performance teams, creating transformative strategic partnerships, and unlocking growth in highly competitive markets.

Throughout his career, Brian has operated with a simple belief: exceptional companies are built at the intersection of brand, culture, operations, and disciplined execution. Whether scaling emerging concepts, revitalizing established brands, or leading organizations through periods of rapid growth, he focuses on creating long-term enterprise value while protecting what makes a brand unique.

Brian has led and helped scale globally recognized brands including Cold Stone Creamery, Moe’s Southwest Grill, Flip Flop Shops, Cherokee Inc., OfficeZilla.com, JOE’S Jeans, and Little Kitchen Academy. From helping take a cigar company public in his 20s to leading high-growth businesses across North America and internationally, he has built a reputation for identifying opportunities others miss, forging strategic partnerships, and turning ambitious visions into scalable realities.

His experience spans founder-led businesses, franchised systems, multi-unit operations, retail, hospitality, consumer products, licensing, education, and mission-driven organizations. He is often at his best helping companies navigate inflection points, accelerate growth, strengthen culture, enter new markets, and position themselves for their next stage of growth.

Strategic partnerships have been a defining theme throughout Brian’s career. His network spans business, entertainment, sports, education, philanthropy, media, and consumer industries, enabling him to connect people, ideas, and opportunities that create meaningful value for brands, investors, customers, and communities alike.

Beyond business, Brian believes leadership carries a responsibility to create meaningful impact. Throughout his career, he has helped develop partnerships and initiatives supporting organizations including the Russell Westbrook WHY NOT? Foundation, The Global FoodBanking Network, Kids Help Phone, Crisis Text Line, One Tree Planted, Chefs for Humanity, Make-A-Wish Foundation, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, and Soles4Souls.

His commitment to service and innovation has also extended to corporate, academic, nonprofit, and advisory board leadership across consumer products, sustainability, food systems, education, healthcare, and life sciences. Brian has served with the UBC Faculty of Land & Food Systems, ChopValue, Incisive Genetics, the American Heart Association, UBC’s Centre for Molecular Medicine & Therapeutics (CMMT), and the Heart & Stroke Foundation, where he served as Chair. These experiences have broadened his perspective on governance, innovation, stakeholder engagement, sustainability, and long-term value creation.

Today, Brian serves as Co-Founder & CEO of Little Kitchen Academy, which he founded alongside his wife, Felicity Curin, Founder, President & Chief Learning & Curriculum Officer. Together, they have built a globally unique Montessori-inspired culinary school for children and teens that empowers students to develop independence, confidence, responsibility, and healthy eating habits through hands-on experiences using real tools, quality ingredients, and practical life skills.

What began as a bold vision has evolved into a category-defining brand and growing movement focused on changing lives from scratch. By combining Felicity’s expertise in Montessori education and curriculum development with Brian’s experience building and scaling consumer brands, they have created one of the most distinctive educational concepts in North America and assembled an exceptional ecosystem of strategic partners, advisors, investors, and supporters who share their belief that children are capable of far more than most adults realize.

Brian is energized by opportunities to build iconic brands, develop exceptional leaders, create transformative partnerships, and help organizations realize their full potential. His career reflects a consistent ability to connect vision with execution, bringing together people, brands, and ideas to drive growth, create meaningful impact, and build enduring enterprise value.