Kids Cuisine

Educating children really hits home when you start having children of your own. I rarely thought of my nephews or nieces schooling, but now that I have a 19-month-old and another one due in November I’m constantly thinking about education.

I mention to my wife about our daughter, Ava, being a chef; it is a reputable profession that can be rewarding both personally and financially (depending on where you work). While I won’t force Ava (or the next one) into working in the foodservice industry, I would encourage them to attend a summer culinary camp. That’s right. Culinary camps are the new summer camps of the new millennium. No longer do kids want to go to camp to canoe, fish, hike, or participate in other outdoor activities. Instead, they want to don little chef white jackets, put on a toque, head to the kitchen and fiddle with spices and herbs, cook with meat and potatoes, and play with pans and spatulas—as well as learn about nutrition and other food topics.

There are culinary camps spread all over the country. One in the Chicago suburb of Forest Park is the Flavour Cooking School (www.flavourcookingschool.com). The school initially offered classes for adults, but now offer classes for kids in three age groups.

First, there’s Kitchen Helpers, which is for kids 4-6 years of age. Densie Norton, who’s the chef and owner of Flavour Cooking School, explains the young chefs will explore the ABC’s of the kitchen. Classes are designed to be 60 minutes and lay the basics of cooking and kitchen etiquette in a fun and ingenious way. The class cost $35 per student, with 10 students per class.

Next, is Young Chefs, which is for kids ages 7-11 years. Norton describes the class as real cooking for real kids. These young chefs will explore cooking in a fun and interesting way as they create real dishes that can be made at home with your help! These classes are 90-minutes long and are hands-on—focusing on ingredients, basic techniques, safety skills, and cleaning. The class cost $40 per student, with 10 students per class.

Finally, there’s Sous Chefs, which is for kids 12 years and older. Norton says let your young adult prepare real dishes at home. In her 12-plus series, she opens up the world of cuisine and gets in-depth about ingredients, nutrition, equipment selection, and culinary techniques. These classes are approximately 2 hours long and incorporate both hands-on and lecture instruction. Through these classes, youngsters will be able to master basic dishes and important techniques that will keep them cooking for life. The class is $45 per student, with a max of 12 kids per class.

As I mentioned before, there are culinary camps all over the country. Just go to Google and do a search. I did one and the first one that came up with the Kid’s Culinary Academy of Vermont. This camp is a 7-day (or longer) learning experience, at which, in addition to learning the world of culinary arts, campers experience gardening in the farm’s on-site culinary garden, gather eggs from the hen house, and tend to chickens, duck, geese, pigs, sheep, and calves. Plus, there’s swimming, boating, hiking, and much, much more! This school is a bit pricey, but you do get a lot more—experiences start as low as $700 for a 1-week session, to as high as $6,500 for a 4-week session.

If you’re looking for something different for your kids to do this summer—or, more importantly, if your kids are looking for something new to try out—try a culinary camp. The classes still give kids enough time to get outside and play!

Let me know if you find a culinary camp in your area, and send me an e-mail about your child’s experience.