Summer Cooking Camp at Sur La Table

I got this awesome email from Sur La Table this morning. No lie. I love that store. I think it ranks first in my list of kitchen porn stores to shop at, right before Williams Sonoma. The email is telling me about these amazing summer camp cooking classes for kids. Ok, you’ve successfully piqued my interest SLT. So I read the email. OK, groups of kids aged 8 – 12 and a teen class for teens 13 – 17 that I can ignore, since all of my kids fall into the 8 – 12 range, at least through September. Two classes, The Science of Cooking and Desserts & Treats Around the World. Well, we aren’t eating grains, but, as I’ve mentioned before, it’s not an allergy issue, so a class and contact is ok. I haven’t seen how long the classes are yet, or how much they cost. Stupid emails getting me all excited.

The Science of Cooking states “Learn why eggs are eggstraordinary, the complex, crusty science of bread making, and what one does to turn dairy into tangy yogurt or scrumptious ice cream!” Day 1 is Yeast and Sauces; Day 2 is Eggs and Rice; Day 3 is Dairy; Day 4 is Baking Powder and Cream; Day 5 is Four and More.

Desserts & Treats Around the world states “Join a group of kids and an experienced Sur La Table chef instructor in the kitchen to learn how to make your favorite sweets, snack and teats from around the world!” Day 1 is Italy; Day 2 is France; Day 3 is Mexico; Day 4 is United States; Day 5 is England.

Ok, now I know it’s a five-day class, but still not how long it is. Then it says to see the full menu for each class online. Cool. Let’s click away.

After I clicked around for a while and finally found the pricing and how long the classes were – did you heard my heart attack? Yep. 250$ for a two-hour class for five days. That’s ten hours total people. Not a bad deal, 25$ an hour, I guess. Maybe. I charge more than that when I work, but I also only get that from one client, not a classroom full of tiny clients. I know, I know, plus ingredients and what not. But I can send my kids to the camp around the corner for 25$ a day and it’s from 8 – 6. Yes, they also feed them. So I get a little upset when you tell me a two-hour class is 50$. I know, I know, no one is holding a gun to my head telling me I have to send the little ones to the class. And therein lies the meat of this post.

I can totally hold a two-hour/5 day cooking class in my kitchen for the cost of materials. I’m planning an amazing summer anyway, so my time is not a factor in this instance. Let me put it out there, if I had 250$ per child (or even for one child!) to spend I’d totally send them. I think the experience of cooking in someone else’s kitchen and learning from someone else is great. But I don’t have 250$, let alone 750$ to spend on my kids for ten hours of instruction. But if I did, I would. Maybe SLT can offer subsidized classes for us poor folk ;)

So, since wheat is one of a few grains unwelcome in my home, I’ll be changing this slightly, but just spinning off the top of my head, I’m thinking we can cover eggs and move easily into soufflés and how they work and why they rise. Instead of Pretzels with Sweet Honey Mustard Dressing we can make GF chicken nuggets and honey mustard.

Day 1Day 2Day 3Day 4Day 5

Yeast and Sauces Pizza Dough – Pretzels with Sweet Honey Mustard Dressing – Oven- Baked Turkey Meatballs with Marinara Sauce – Pizza with Assorted Toppings

Eggs and Rice Egg Fried Rice – Egg Drop Soup – California Rolls – Meringue Nests with Fresh Fruit

Dairy Homemade Yogurt – Falafel Pitas with Homemade Tzatziki – Curry Chicken with Mango – Homemade Naan Bread

Baking Powder and Cream Homemade Honey Butter with Sweet Potato Biscuits –Empanada Dough – Chicken and Cheese Empanadas – Strawberry Ice Cream

Flour and More Pasta Dough – Roasted Vegetable Lasagna – Fluffy Cheese Puffs – Turkey Pot Pie

Day 1Day 2Day 3Day 4Day 5

Yeast and Sauces GF Nuggets with Sweet Honey Mustard Dressing – Oven-Baked Turkey Meatballs with Marinara Sauce – Almond Crust Pizza with Assorted Toppings

Eggs and Rice Egg Fried Rice – Egg Drop Soup – California Rolls – Meringue Nests with Fresh Fruit

Dairy Homemade Yogurt – Chicken Souvlaki with Homemade Tzatziki – Curry Chicken with Mango – Homemade Coconut Flour Wraps

Baking Powder and Cream Homemade Honey Butter with Sweet Potato Biscuits – Strawberry Ice Cream

Flour and More I have to think about a day five menu – other than the lasagna, which I can use something like zucchini noodles for instead of pasta I was having a hard time coming up with substitutions on the spot.

To be honest, the cooking for teens looks a little better and more to my kids taste anyway. Salmon Teriyaki with Steamed Rice, Warm Chicken Pitas with Tzatziki Sauce, Homemade Cornbread with Honey Butter, Spiced Beef Empanadas, Chocolate-Nutella Gelato. I won’t totally redo the desserts menu right now, but it looks super easy to convert to our diet as well.

I’ve got quite a few of the Alton Brown Good Eats episodes on DVD, so maybe watch a few relevant episodes of those with the kids, make some of the recipes… I see this coming together quickly and easily. I’m actually really excited about it. All of the kids cooking classes I’ve seen have revolved around pizza and cupcakes, which I totally don’t get, because there is so much more out there to eat! I can teach my kids how to spatchcock a chicken, how to bacon wrap a filet and how to put together an amazing ice cream. I don’t need a class to do that. They already help out in the kitchen quite a bit, but I think a fun week learning about the science behind cooking, without it being about “learning about the science behind cooking” will be great fun.