At Passion For Spices™ this year, our 16th annual Around the World Kids & Teens Cooking Camp was a great success again. We are thrilled to provide a platform for our young generation to learn about food and culture, and provide a true culinary experience. Our team at Passion for Spices™ were so happy to see the eagerness of our young chefs and their enthusiasm in learning new skill sets. We had a great group of happy campers. Please see the details below.
Foods of the World I — American Road Trip
July 6 – 10
Southern California: Where the campers prepared Chicken Street Tacos and Tangy Slaw, and Black Bean Soup, and made Burritos with Tortillas from Scratch during the workshop
Pennsylvania Dutch: Where the campers prepared Individual Chicken Pot Pies and Apple Cider Donuts, and Cottage Pie in a Muffin Tin during the workshop
Louisiana Creole: Where the campers prepared Gumbo, Red Beans, and Dirty Rice, and New Orleans Bread Pudding during the workshop
Southeast: Where the campers prepared Pulled Chicken with Tangy Cole Slaw and Corn Muffins, and Sweet Potato Pie during the workshop
Midwest: Where the campers prepared American Chop Suey/Goulash and Pickle Canoes, and a Broccoli Chicken Casserole during the workshop
Foods of the World II — Around the World
July 13 – 17
Mexico: Where the campers prepared Fresh Corn Tortillas, Chicken Taco Bar, Fresh Salsa, and Guacamole, and Mexican Hot Chocolate and Churros during the workshop
Italy: Where the campers prepared Fresh Homemade Pasta and Sauce, and Focaccia during the workshop
France: Where the campers prepared Ratatouille and Crepes, and Classic French Pastries during the workshop
China: Where the campers prepared Classic Dumplings and Dipping Sauce, and Stir Fry Chicken with Fried Rice and Szechuan Noodles during the workshop
India: Where the campers prepared Butter Chicken and Classic Naan, and Mango Lassi, and Homemade Samosas and Chutneys during the workshop
Arts & Science
July 20 – 24
Art of Baking: Where the campers prepared Classic Homemade Bread, Apple and Cheese Scones, and a Dutch Baby with Berries during the workshop
Pickles and Canning: Where the campers prepared Sour/Kosher Pickles and Ham Sandwiches, and Seasonal Homemade Jam/Preserves during the workshop
Art of Pies: Where the campers prepared Chicken Pot Pie and Apple Dumplings, and a Mocha Banana Cream Pie during the workshop
All About Cheese: Where the campers prepared Fondue and Classic Mac and Cheese, and Cheesy Garlic Pull-Apart Bread and Salad during the workshop
Pasta Day: Where the campers prepared Colorful Beetroot and Spinach Raviolis with Tomato Sauce, and Pici Pasta with Classic Sauce during the workshop
Farm to Table
July 27 – 31
All About Corn: Where the campers prepared Mexican Style Grilled Corn with Chicken and a Three Bean Salad, and Corn Pudding during the workshop
All About Allium Family: Where the campers prepared a Scallion Pancake and French Onion Soup, and a Leek and Gruyere Tart during the workshop
All About Tomatoes: Where the campers prepared Caprese Salad, Roasted Tomato Soup, and a Tomato Tart, and made Tomato Jam and Ketchup during the workshop
All About Potatoes: Where the campers prepared a Shepherd’s Pie and Sweet Potato Parsnip & Fennel Au Gratin, and Duchess Potatoes during the workshop
All About Berries: Where the campers prepared a Mixed Berry Palette and Strawberry Smoothie Bowl with Homemade Granola, and a Berry Sorbet/Ice Cream with Homemade Cones during the workshop
Culinary Teen Competition
Basics of Soups, Broths, and Knife Skills
Our teens and young adults kicked off Week 5 with the fundamentals — coming along to make some classic soups while building the knife skills that carry through the rest of the week.
Day 1 — Basics of Soups, Broths, and Knife Skills: Come along and make some classic soups
Day 2 — Starters & Salads: Great ways to start great meals
Day 3 — Sides: Accompaniments that add extra appeal to any meal
Day 4 — Main Courses: Both vegetarian & non-vegetarian
Mystery Market Basket Competition
On the last day it was time for the cooking competition, where our teens and young adults cooked a four-course meal and presented it to their parents and friends. Below are a few highlights from the big day.
Day 5 — Mystery Market Basket Competition: Teens/young adults cook a four course meal and present to parents
On the second day, we learned how to make a super flavorful and simple grilled zucchini with fresh herbs, shallots, garlic, and topped with fresh tomato sauce. This day we also learned how to spatchcock a chicken and cut a chicken into 8 pieces. Spatchcocking is hard but it’s super important to learn ways of cooking a chicken. Most people don't know how to do this skill but it is super important to learn for a cheaper option for chicken. With this, we made two types of chicken, Super delicious and flavorful tandoori chicken, and a simple yet super good herb-grilled chicken. We also made an amazing garlic confit mashed potato. In the end, we all enjoyed this delicious meal.
On the third day, we learned how to make pasta two ways. First was an egg pasta dough used for the ravioli we were making, which we filled with a ricotta spinach filling that turned out great. We then used a cutting tool to get the pasta into a square shape. This was served with a homemade basil pesto sauce. Next, we learned how to make Semolina Pasta for the Orecchiette, which is a pasta with a similar size of gnocchi rolled over a fork or a tool with lines to get its iconic look. We served this pasta with an amazing homemade tomato sauce.
On the fourth day, we learned how to make 4 different types of desserts. The first one was a Peach Crisp which had a bunch of delicious fresh peaches, lots of warm spices, brown sugar, and topped with a homemade biscuit for the top. The second dessert we made was a Plum Cobbler Tart which was filled with fresh plums, an apple, and a bunch of warm spices along with a crisp crumbly top! Next, we made a Vanilla and Chocolate Pudding. It was super good and not overly sweet which I thought made it better than any other pudding I have had before. Last we made meringues which was for the next day because they had to sit for hours out to set. These where made with egg whites and sugar. At the end of ghe day we topped everything with ice cream!
On the last day, it was time for the cooking competition which was where we made a big meal for all of our families. We arrived 3 hours early to start our big meal. We started with prepping everything for a buffet-style meal. We also had to prep the dining room with tablecloths, silverware, plates, and napkins. We got assigned what to do in the kitchen and we tried our hardest to make the food super good in big batches. We also were assigned roles when the parents started coming in working as hosts and greeting people, as well as helping people to their seats. Once the parents started rolling in at 6 pm we started to bring out our food we worked super hard on. For this meal we had, garlic bread, fruit plates, smashed potatoes, Grilled zucchini with fresh tomatoes, Spinach Tahiri Rice, We also made Grilled chicken, and tandoori chicken as well as some ricotta-filled ravioli with a choice of tomato or pesto sauce. For dessert, we made peach cobbler topped with a scoop of fresh vanilla ice cream and meringues we prepped yesterday! It was really fun to feed the parents and our siblings and see them enjoying the food we worked hard on.
Overall the Passion-for-spices teen culinary camp was an incredible experience where I learned so much with making food from different cultures. I'm happy I did this camp a second year and overall truly enjoyed this class.
Soups, Salads, Broths: Our campers made a very well liked soups and starters, Corn Chowder and Spinach Tahiri for this event, as well as Grilled Zuchini. The Teens also built their skills like knife skills and basic stock making.
Starters, Homemade Pastas, and Sauces: in the spirit of the name, campers prepared a full complement of starters, with a Dumpling Assortment, Chicken Satay, and Semolina Pasta.
Sides and Desserts: Campers produced French Style Potatoes and Mediterranean Couscous with Rice to accompany any main course
Main Course: Our campers prepared the savory Roasted Spatchcocked Chicken with Classic Style Ratatouille, fit for a king. The final day, we had our annual cook off, where the camper’s parents came to sample everything that the campers had made.
Mystery Market Basket Competition: The Campers cooked a three course meal to present to friends and family.
