With scrumptious lesson names such as “Sweet and Savory Pies, Oh My!,” “Bursting With Berries,” and “Welcome to the Jungle!,” how could kids resist signing up for Culinary Kids Summer Camp in Aliso Viejo or San Clemente?
Children between the ages of 6-14 got the opportunity for a hands-on cooking experience last month at one of the Aliso Viejo camps with a trio of chefs that included Culinary Kids owner and founder Bonnie Bachelor, Anne Fluor Scott, and Barbara Bonner.
During the five-day camp, the kids learned 15 recipes with each day comprised of a theme-based meal of three courses.
The students were broken up into small groups and rotated through each of the three chefs, learning a new recipe and skill from each. Aside from cooking skills, the children also learned teamwork as they worked with others in the group.
At the end of each day, the kids sit down to eat what they have cooked.
“This is the best culinary camp I’ve been to,” Annabelle Thornton, 9, said. “I think the teachers here are really nice, and if you don’t know something, they explain it easier than the other camps I’ve been to.”
Bonnie Bachelor, owner and founder of Culinary Kids, guides kids through the steps to make bacon cheeseburger biscuit pies during the Culinary Kids Summer Camp at Aliso Viejo Middle School in Aliso Viejo on Friday, July 22, 2022. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Chef Barbara is surrounded by kids wanting her autograph on the last day of Culinary Kids Summer Camp at Aliso Viejo Middle School in Aliso Viejo on Friday, July 22, 2022. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Annabelle Thornton, 9, left, watches as Mia Costa, 8, carefully adds water to their dough mix during the Culinary Kids Summer Camp at Aliso Viejo Middle School in Aliso Viejo on Friday, July 22, 2022. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Annabelle Thornton, 9, tastes her mixed berry hand pie that she made during the Culinary Kids Summer Camp at Aliso Viejo Middle School in Aliso Viejo on Friday, July 22, 2022. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Kids in Culinary Kids Summer Camp at Aliso Viejo Middle School in Aliso Viejo on Friday, July 22, 2022 taste the food they made at the end of class. Pictured, from, left, are Cali Hegeduis, 6, Everly Borley, 8, and Avery West , 8. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Chef Anne, center, demonstrates to Emma Mason, 10, left, and Freja Keller, 6, the proper way to remove excess dough and flour from their fingers without making a mess as they prepare homemade dough for mixed berry hand pies during the Culinary Kids Summer Camp at Aliso Viejo Middle School in Aliso Viejo on Friday, July 22, 2022. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Avery West , 8, reacts when she finally gets a canister open during the Culinary Kids Summer Camp at Aliso Viejo Middle School in Aliso Viejo on Friday, July 22, 2022. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Delaney Alderman , 9, center, and Cassidy Rudin, 9, join other students in raising their hands after Chef Anne asks a question during the Culinary Kids Summer Camp at Aliso Viejo Middle School in Aliso Viejo on Friday, July 22, 2022. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Culinary teacher Barbara Bonner, center, poses for a photo with students Yasi Minasian, 7, left, and Cali Hegeduis, 6 on the final day of Culinary Kids Summer Camp at Aliso Viejo Middle School in Aliso Viejo on Friday, July 22, 2022. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Culinary teacher Anne Fluor Scott demonstrates to Annabelle Thornton, 9, how to use a rolling pin to make homemade dough for mixed berry hand pies during the Culinary Kids Summer Camp at Aliso Viejo Middle School in Aliso Viejo on Friday, July 22, 2022. ( Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Delaney Alderman , 9, left, passes a bowl of mixed berries to Cassidy Rudin, 9, center, and Savannah Mason, 8, as they take turns filling their handmade dough for mixed berry hand pies during the Culinary Kids Summer Camp at Aliso Viejo Middle School in Aliso Viejo on Friday, July 22, 2022. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Kids in the Culinary Kids Summer Camp at Aliso Viejo Middle School in Aliso Viejo on Friday, July 22, 2022 work as a team to make bacon cheeseburger biscuit pies. Pictured, from left, are Charlotte Thornton, 11, Cassidy Rudin, 9, Delaney Alderman, 9, Annabelle Thornton, 10 and Savannah Mason, 8. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Culinary teacher Anne Fluor Scott or Chef Anne as the kids call her, gives the thumbs up as her students make mixed berry hand pies during the Culinary Kids Summer Camp at Aliso Viejo Middle School in Aliso Viejo on Friday, July 22, 2022. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Bonnie Bachelor, owner and founder of Culinary Kids shares a light moment with Avery West , 8, as they prepare bacon cheeseburger biscuit pies during the Culinary Kids Summer Camp at Aliso Viejo Middle School in Aliso Viejo on Friday, July 22, 2022. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
“I think it’s really fun, and you get to do a lot of stuff by yourself,” said 8-year-old Avery West.
“It’s really fun. You get to have a great experience. Now I cook every single day,” 11-year-old Jocelyn Luu said.
Culinary Kids is holding morning camps in Aliso Viejo and afternoon activities in San Clemente this summer. While there are still camps scheduled for August in Aliso Viejo, they are all sold out for now, according to its website.
More information about Culinary Kids and the camp can be found online at culinarykids.biz.
