With the overwhelming growth of the program, the Test Kitchen Education Foundation expanded the program to 803 Avenue G in Fort Madison, Iowa.  Barker Capital, the owner of the Old Lee County Bank Building expressed their enthusiasm with the foundation opening a second location to serve area youth.

The Test Kitchen STEM Lounge is dedicated to STEM studies and was a natural addition since the demands for Math, Science, and Robotics programs have increased substantially at the Elliott Test Kitchen. This expansion allows the Test Kitchen to offer more culinary programs to a larger number of students. Many local industries have come forward to support the Elliott Test Kitchen in their vision of bringing more awareness to STEM activities overall. 

The Test Kitchen STEM Lounge is the very first place in southeast Iowa to provide a dedicated location for area students to engage in STEM-related activities in a relaxing, comfortable and safe environment.  The Test Kitchen Education Foundation believes that food plays a major role in incentivizing any educational conversation and builds a desire for students to return. Involvement in creating tasty, healthy food while engaging in academic sessions resulted in increased attendance and improved success of those programs.  With this philosophy in mind, the Test Kitchen STEM Lounge is equipped with a kitchen that truly brings the feel of a home to students who enjoy our programming.

The Test Kitchen STEM Lounge is equipped with a grand piano which allows the foundation to offer piano and music lessons to area students also. Our innovative piano and music program includes culinary activities, fun music theory games, and dedicated practice times for each student.  On Friday nights during the summer months, music enthusiasts gather at the Test Kitchen STEM Lounge to showcase their talents for the community while enjoying great food prepared by Elliott Test Kitchen youth chefs.