About the Young Chef Series: Seattle Hands-On Kids Summer Camp Cooking Classes

	My 15-year-old was up baking until midnight last night so that we had fresh cinnamon rolls when I woke up this morning! What did you DO to him?!? I love it!
—a 2003 Kids' Kitchen parent

HOME \| CALENDAR \| ABOUT US \| TRAVEL \| COMMUNITY \| GIFT CERTIFICATES

Series Classes Individual Classes Wine Education Class Photos Calendar

Young Chef Home \| About \| Ages 7-11 \| Ages 12-17 \| Photos \| Apply

	General Info About the Young Chef Series This week-long "day camp"-style cooking course will give kids the tools they need to cook and enjoy food. Exactly as in our classes for adults, we'll focus on kitchen confidence instead of just learning specific recipes (although we'll do that too) so that kids feel comfortable with cooking, not just with making a few dishes. We offer sessions in two age groups: 7 to 11 and 12 to 17. Each group will have a maximum of 12 students and two of our core staff as instructors, so a 6:1 student:teacher ratio. Specific daily lessons and learning goals are TBA; each will include a broad menu and great food. All of the sessions will thoroughly cover these concepts: Knife Skills for safety, precision, and technique. Product ID. We'll spend hours tasting, smelling, and cooking with a huge variety ingredients so that kids understand the basic ingredients they're working with, from various vegetables to cuts of meat and fish; spices and herbs; cheeses; styles of pasta, rice, and potatoes; and much more. We'll include a field trip to Pike Place Market (in the July sessions) or Uwajimaya (in the August sessions) to see the huge variety of foods available. Flavor Analysis. What happens to flavor when we add salt? Lemon juice? Vinegar? Kids will learn how to perk up flavors and really taste food. Cooking Techniques: What's the difference between sauté and fry? roast and braise? Fun Stuff. Last but not least, we'll incorporate plenty of fun stuff like making ice cream and conducting food science experiments. Each of the five days will include a lecture period and then real cooking most of the morning. Sometimes we'll break into teams and create multiple versions of the same recipe to try; sometimes we'll all work on a dish together. We'll make a big gourmet lunch each day and then sit down to enjoy it together while we talk about how the recipes were carried out and analyze what could've been done differently. Friday, the last day of our session, we'll have a longer day in which we not only make ourselves lunch but then also work together on our elaborate Dinner Service which parents or guests can attend—a maximum of 16 plus kids and instructors. Dinner Service begins at 5 pm, with kids rotating through hospitality and cooking stations, creating and serving food to their parents. Notes: Each session is designed for a specific age group; however, we reserve the right to include one or two children one year younger than the minimum age, in special cases. Parents are strongly encouraged to attend the Dinner Service on Fridays and to be involved in other ways throughout the session(s). Students are expected to assist with cleanup after each class. Go to: Sessions for Ages 7 to 11 Sessions for Ages 12 to 17 Photos of Previous Sessions Apply