Published Jun 29, 2023 Culinary Boot Camp is a summer program at UAA’s Community & Technical College for kids ages 11 to 17. They learn foundational cooking skills at the week-long camp, starting with kitchen safety and sanitation practices. The camp is split into two sections, cooking and baking. The instructors are professors from UAA’s culinary arts program. They stick to easy baked goods and simple meals so the kids can focus on learning the process and tools of the kitchen. Brown said working with younger kids is a nice change of pace.
“We want them to be professional in what they do, so that’s why we use simple recipes, but they are using adult equipment,” she said. “And it’s really cute because there’s little tiny 11 year olds with gigantic bowls and spatulas.”
In the other room, 18 kids in the cooking section were learning how to cut and marinate meat for their steak and chicken fajitas. Every day, the cooking group makes lunch for everybody, and the baking group makes dessert. Any leftovers get sent home with the campers, which the instructors said is always a hit with the parents.
The culinary college is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Every year, graduates head off to work as line cooks and head chefs. The summer camp started two decades ago to raise awareness for the college program. The dean, Raymond Weber, said it’s also a way to teach members of the community important life skills. He said the kids are learning more than just how to cook.
|