Who can bake the best pie? Who can grill the perfect steak? Who has the best barbeque? Who can shut up Paula Deen? Other than the star of Driving Miss Crazy, the culinary world is abuzz about the reality shows that populate every cable network and have now found their way onto the major television channels. The Food Network leads the charge with shows like Barefoot Contessa, Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, Cupcake Wars, Sandwich King and Food Network Star. You have Top Chef, Gordon Ramsey, Giada, Bobby Flay, Rachel Ray and Ina Garten. We are so fascinated by the kitchen we have forgotten there are actually other rooms in the house. The oven has replaced the stereo as the more popular appliance in the average home in New Jersey. We are concerned more than ever with what we put in our bodies. It’s not just about health; it also encompasses taste and presentation. As a family activity, cooking has replaced Monopoly and lawn darts. And it’s not just for grown-ups anymore.
Chef Central in Paramus is offering Teen Summer Cooking Camps with a hands-on series of week-long cooking classes for teens ages 11-17. Weekly camp sessions run from 9am-1pm Mon-Fri all summer long. Choose from basic or advanced cooking, baking and Italian camp programs. Campers will prepare and eat a family-style meal each day, and the last day will include a graduation ceremony with a buffet prepared by the students for friends and family. Yes, believe it or not, the next generation of top chefs are here and are more interested in American Cuisine than American Idol.
Here are some of the courses that Chef Central is cooking up:
Cooking Camp I topics include: sanitation, kitchen safety, knife skills, stocks, classic sauces and cooking techniques, with an intro to Italian cooking.
Cooking Camp II takes students further into the world of cooking by covering cook’s ingredients, seafood, Pan American and Regional American cuisines. Campers will prepare and serve an hors d’oeuvres buffet for parents, family and friends at Friday’s graduation ceremony.
Masters Camp I is an advanced curriculum for true students of the culinary arts. The program reinforces the skills and techniques that are taught in our other cooking camps and takes campers to the next level of their culinary journey. Students will create 3-course artistic plate presentations as seen in four-star restaurants and on Food TV. Campers will have a culinary project for the week and will present their final product at our graduation ceremony. The registration fee includes a field trip to Whole Foods Market where campers will learn about produce, seafood and meat from the professionals.
Masters Camp II The theme of this camp will be “Where does food come from?” Topics covered will be sustainable agriculture, the slow food movement and biodynamic farming. The registration fee includes a field trip to a Biodynamic Farm where campers will learn about biodynamic farming, bee keeping and sustainable agriculture.
Italian Camp I will cover traditional cuisine from the Veneto, Tuscany, Emilia Romagna, and a variety of other Northern Italian regions. The topics will include several varieties of pasta and gnocchi, salads, meats and desserts. Campers will prepare and eat a family-style meal each day, and the last day will include a graduation ceremony with a buffet meal prepared by the students for friends and family.
Baking Camp I will cover all methods for making various types of dough and batter, including breakfast baking, breads and rolls and quickbreads.
I would love to continue with this article. But I’m hungry. I’m seriously thinking of sending my teenagers to Cooking Camp. The best I can hope for from them tonight is mac and cheese.
Gordon Ramsey would not approve.
