In the last two weeks, July 31 - August 11, young kids and teens had a fabulous experience preparing authentic food from around the world. The enthusiasm of the kids was so contagious, and you could see the kids learning ingredients and techniques, and were comfortable following instructions.  The first week’s theme, Around the World, gave a glimpse into the culture and cuisine of different countries. The kids learned many classic recipes and techniques taught by professional chefs. The second week's theme, The Art & Science of Cooking, was focused on teaching the art and science behind various food ingredients. 

Although each day of camp has it's own theme, all ingredients are fresh and organic, and the team at Passion for Spices emphasizes on our mission of learning to cook in a non-processed way, while learning about food from various cultures of the world.  Our food literacy program is not just a cooking camp, but focuses on educating the students the details of food ingredients, where it comes from, it's origin, and connecting food to the heritage and culture.

Highlights of Our First Week - Around the World

Our first day of 2017 Summer Cooking Camp was kicked off by our guest Chef Nicolas DiGiorgio (NicolasPastaFresca.com).  Chef Nicholas taught authentic Tuscan food and showcased the "pici" pasta from the region and talked about his experience in Italy when he went to school there. The kids made handmade pici pasta and polenta. They made pesto sauce by picking the farm fresh basil and we excluded the pine nuts in this recipe to accommodate the nut free diet concerns for kids.

During the week, Author May Fridel led us to the amazing world of Indian Roti Workshop! The campers made varieties of roti or Indian flatbread from her recently published cookbook Indian Cuisine Diabetes Cookbook. Kids starting from 2 1/2 years old, loved handling the dough and kneading it and rolling it. It was such a fun experience and they were excited to make their own roties.

Russian Chef Sam Kadko, our chief culinary instructor from Passion for Spices, who is of Russian descent,  introduced regional Russian cuisines, food, and ingredients. It was interesting to see the similarities between the shashlik and the Indian kebabs, and the influence of the spice route had in this region.

A Few Highlights of Our Second Week - The Art & Science of Cooking

The cheese making day was very exciting, kids got to make fresh mozzarella from scratch, so we got the cheese curd from Antonio's Cheese Factory in Springfield, and use that to create fresh mozzarella. The kids learned to make rolitini's by rolling the fresh mozzarrella,  and panzanella salad.

Executive Pastry Chef John Sauchelli from MaritimeParc and owner of Jersey Barn Fire Hot Sauce taught us how to bake Soapapilla Cheesecake Pie with kashmiri garam masala and pop tart pastries filled with our own homemade jam.

We are looking forward to the next two weeks and welcoming our new campers for the Farm to Table & Family Cooking Series.

The highlights include a visit to Murph Farm, where the kids get a farm to table experience picking vegetables from the farm, checking out the chickens, and making recipes.

We are happy to accommodate anyone who is interested in our next sessions coming up  

Check our  Camp Brochure or Click Below to Register: