Summer cooking camps are a fun and educational way for children and young adults to spend their summer break. These camps provide children hands-on experiences in the kitchen, teaching them valuable cooking skills, fostering love of food—and, of course, forming new friendships.
For example, let’s take a peek at one week in June of this year: Young adults arrive at Harmons Cooking School to learn various aspects of the culinary world from the renowned Chef Jackie.
Each day they begin with a fun game of “guess the gadget.” They explore the names and uses of everything from a potato ricer to a “shark” tomato corer. During the week, they use blenders, food processors, burr blenders, knives, peelers, mixers, spatulas of every kind, and they use a professional Wolf gas range known for its unrivaled control and precision in the kitchen.
The day continues with learning about such exotic fruits as dragon fruit, kiwi, kumquats, gooseberries, and then studying about each country from where these fruits originate. The best part is tasting the fruit—a great experience for all.
Studying about various cultures and foods provides a unique experience. For instance: Pasta made the Italian way; chicken pot pies made for the family; gumbo (not everyone's favorite), but chefs learn how to make roux and can create everything from gravy to gumbo!
A culminating activity at camp's end is decorating cakes, as the campers express gratitude for a fantastic week!
Teaching young adults to cook for themselves and others brings them to a better realization of what “farm to table” really means—that high quality produce and meats create a better meal, especially when that meal is crafted with love.
Creativity, teamwork and problem solving are life skills the culinary campers will take with them once the event ends.
If you have a child who loves cooking, enroll them in a cooking class. It just might be the highlight of their summer!
A little about Chef Jackie
Jackie Dodart, chef de cuisine, is a St. George resident and the heart and soul of Harmon's Cooking School in Santa Clara. She has had a love affair with cooking from an early age, and intuitively she knew someday she would travel the globe to discover specialty dishes from countless cultures, "cuisine to tantalize the senses," as she describes them.
Peek inside Jackie's pantry to see what she has on hand to turn a good meal into a fabulous one: kosher salt, extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, lemons, anchovy paste, curry and Dijon mustard. From her garden: fresh sage, rosemary, basil, oregano, thyme and mint to add vibrancy and aroma to everything from drinks to entrees to desserts.
Jackie has received praise as the non plus ultra of gourmet taste and grace as evidenced by winning Utah's Best of State Award in the category of Food and Beverage Service Education for the Santa Clara Harmons Cooking School seven consecutive years.
In her own words: "I have found great satisfaction sharing what I have learned over the years and teaching the concepts I have embraced from my own educational experiences. I love what I do!"
Contact Chef Jackie at jackiedodart@hotmail.com.
"Teaching young adults to cook for themselves and others brings the students to a better realization of what 'farm to table' really means ... especially when that meal is crafted with love." ‒ Chef Jackie