Name: Teen Culinary Camp: Cook Like a Pro
Start: 2026-06-22T11:00:00-04:00
End: 2026-06-26T14:00:00-04:00
Location: Mitchell Hall

A five-day, hands-on teen cooking camp teaching knife skills, stovetop cooking, sauces, baking, and plated presentations.
About this Event

Teen Culinary Camp: Cook Like a Pro

A Hands-On Five-Day Culinary Skills Experience for Teens

Teen Culinary Camp: Cook Like a Pro is an immersive five-day cooking experience designed to teach teens foundational techniques and recipes. Campers will gain confidence in the kitchen through hands-on practice, teamwork, and daily tasting critiques that encourage them to cook with skill, creativity, and intention.

Each day focuses on a core culinary technique—building from knife skills and stovetop cooking to sauces, baking, and final plated presentations—so campers leave the week with practical skills, expanded flavor knowledge, and the confidence to recreate dishes at home.

We recommend the full five-day camp for the most robust experience. There will be a little wiggle room for customizing their dishes as the week progresses. The Mix provides aprons, but campers are welcome to bring their own.

Campers will:

Cook in teams and individually, applying skills to structured recipes.
Taste and critique their dishes daily, learning flavor balance, texture, and presentation.
Receive all recipes and guidance to confidently recreate meals at home.

Daily Camp Structure

Technique Demo & Discussion – Campers learn essential chef skills and kitchen science through guided demonstrations and interactive explanations.
Hands-On Cooking (Individual & Teamwork) – Campers apply what they’ve learned by preparing structured recipes and participating in collaborative cooking challenges.
Tasting & Critique – Campers evaluate their dishes like professional chefs, focusing on flavor, texture, doneness, and presentation.

Daily Focus

Day 1 – Knife Skills & Kitchen Foundations: Safe knife handling, prep, mise en place, basic roasting, stir-frying, and plating.
Day 2 – Heat & Sautéing: Stovetop control, sautéing, searing, shallow frying, and pan sauces.
Day 3 – Sauces & Flavor Building: Emulsions, reductions, layering flavor, and pasta fundamentals.
Day 4 – Baking Basics & Precision: Measuring, mixing, dough handling, oven awareness, and pastry fundamentals.
Day 5 – Showcase Meal: Full team-prepared meal, plating, creativity, teamwork, and presentation.

Safety & Attire:
You will be standing, cooking, and working for most of the class. Please wear long pants (no shorts), comfortable, closed-toe shoes, and have long hair tied back. Aprons are provided.

Cancellation Policy:
If you need to cancel your class booking, you can do so up to 48 hours before the class to receive a refund or class credit.

Day 1 – Knife Skills & Kitchen Foundations

Sharp Skills Start Here

Day 1 builds the skills every great chef depends on: safe knife work, smart prep, and cooking with confidence. Campers learn how to handle knives correctly, stay organized, and prepare ingredients efficiently using professional cutting techniques.

Focus Skills

Knife safety, grip, and proper cutting posture
The “claw hand” technique for finger protection
Essential cuts: dice, julienne, chiffonade
Mise en place: kitchen organization and clean workflow
Seasoning, tasting, and adjusting flavors

Recipes

Rainbow Stir-fried Vegetable Rice Bowl with Asian Sauce
Campers practice produce prep, consistent dice cuts, roasting techniques, and balanced seasoning.
Tomato & Herb Bruschetta + Fresh Salsa Variation
A lesson in slicing, mincing, and dicing—showing how the same ingredients can become two distinct dishes.
Vegetable Crudité Board with a Trio of Fresh Dips
Students create a colorful snack platter while learning emulsified dressings, herb preparation, and professional presentation.

Dip options include:

o Classic Ranch Dressing (mayo and sour cream-based)

o Green Goddess Herbed Yogurt Dip

o Spicy Southwestern Dip with hand-cut baked tortilla chips

Day 1 Skills Mastered

Knife confidence, organization, basic roasting, flavor balance, stir frying, and plating.

Day 2 – Heat & Sautéing: Cooking on the Stovetop

Cooking in Real Time

Day 2 moves to the stovetop, where campers learn how heat works and how to make decisions while cooking. Students practice sautéing, searing, shallow frying and building flavor through browning, fat control, and pan sauces.

Focus Skills

Understanding low, medium, and high heat
Sautéing vs. searing: movement vs. crust development
Using oil and butter effectively (smoke point awareness)
Deglazing fond to create flavorful sauces
Cooking with sensory cues: sight, sound, smell, and temperature

Recipes

Italian Breaded Chicken Cutlets with Lemon-Garlic Pan Sauce
A core lesson in patience, browning, shallow-frying technique, and sauce finishing.
Seared Fajita Shrimp
A fast, Spanish-style dish teaching timing and seasoning.
Sautéed Green Beans with Herbed Compound Butter
A sautéing recipe emphasizing medium heat control and movement.
Creamy Parmesan Risotto
A precision stovetop dish focused on gentle heat, attention, and gradual absorption.

Day 2 Skills Mastered

Heat control, protein doneness, pan sauces, multitasking, and cooking beyond timers.

Day 3 – Sauces & Flavor Building

Cooking with Depth and Confidence

Day 3 focuses on the techniques that make food taste truly professional: emulsions, reductions, seasoning in layers, and building sauces from scratch. Campers also explore the artistry of handmade pasta.

Focus Skills

Sauce foundations: emulsions and reductions
Layering flavor throughout cooking
Pasta-making fundamentals

Recipes

Handmade Pasta Dough
Students learn texture, kneading, and shaping techniques.
Pomodoro Red Sauce
A classic tomato sauce emphasizing simmering and seasoning.
Fresh Basil Pesto (Mortar or Processor)
An herb emulsion lesson in balance and brightness.
Alfredo Sauce
A creamy sauce practice in heat control and richness.
Roasted Cherry Tomatoes
A flavor-boosting topping showing caramelization and sweetness.

Day 3 Skills Mastered

Sauce mastery, pasta fundamentals, flavor development, and seasoning.

Day 4 – Baking Basics & Precision

Technique And Accuracy

Day 4 introduces baking as a science of precision. Campers learn proper measuring, weighing, mixing methods, and how to judge doneness using visual cues and timing.

Focus Skills

Measuring correctly: leveling and weighing
Mixing methods: creaming vs. folding
Oven temperature awareness
Baking patience and consistency

Recipes

Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie
A lesson in creaming, texture, and golden doneness.
Savory Cheddar & Herb Biscuits
Practicing flaky dough handling and seasoning.
Seasonal Fruit Galette with Handmade Pastry Crust
A beautiful rustic dessert teaching pastry fundamentals.
Homemade Whipped Cream
A quick technique lesson in texture and finishing touches.

Day 4 Skills Mastered

Baking confidence, accuracy, timing, and pastry fundamentals.

Day 5 – Showcase Meal: Plating, Creativity & Teamwork

The Final Challenge

The final day brings everything together. Campers work in teams to cook, plate, and present a complete meal. Emphasis is placed on collaboration, creativity, and presentation.

Focus Skills