Summer camp can take many shapes and forms. At these cooking and culinary camps, the kitchen is the playground for your budding bakers and culinary whiz kids. Run by chefs and culinary educators, these camps allow your children to gain skills and confidence in the kitchen through hands-on experience and mentorship, all while hanging out with their peers.
We found 19 cooking and culinary camps throughout Pennsylvania for you to check out. They’ll fill up fast, so book your summer spot well in advance!
Western PA
Cooking Camp at Flour Power Cooking Studios
Flour Power Cooking Studios: Cooking Camp at Pittsburgh’s Flour Power Cooking Studios covers a range of abilities, from newbie chefs to young foodies with know-how. This summer, kids age 5-12 can choose from wizard, gamer and even Taylor Swift themed weeks that run Monday to Friday with morning and afternoon options. 4655 William Flinn Hwy., STE 114, Allison Park; (412) 579-0372.
Gaynor’s School of Cooking: Campers at Kids R Cooks Summer Camps are encouraged to expand their palate beyond burgers and pizza, and to have fun doing it. Camps are divided by age groups with mornin and afternoon options. Younger campers make things like tomato soup, chicken pot pie and chocolate cream while teens explore more advanced techniques and recipes (Bananas Foster, anyone?). 309 East Carson St., Pittsburgh; (412) 325-2703.
Penn State Beaver: As part of its summer Academic STEAM Camps, this PSU campus offers a Kids Learn to Cook camp for kids aged 7-10 and Mystery Basket Challenge for those aged 11-14 in early and mid-June from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The younger crew goes behind the scenes in the industrial college kitchen before making their own foods, while the older campers test their skills with a daily mystery basket challenge. 100 University Drive, Monaca; (724) 773-3700.
Scenic Rivers YMCA: Camp Coffman offers a variety of traditional summer camp experiences that follow different themes, with Camp Chef in late July geared towards young chefs. Campers prepare recipes and learn about the nutrition within the ingredients. 4072 Camp Coffman Rd., Cranberry; (814) 677-3000.
Central PA
Taste Buds Kitchen: This State College culinary educational center offers Summer Camps for kids anywhere from 4-17 years old. Campers work through multiple sweet and savory recipes each day, with the youngest kids attending in the morning, older kids in the afternoons and teenagers enjoying evening sessions. It’s a confidence-building, memorable time for all. 331 Benner Pike, State College; (814) 238-1212.
Lehigh Valley & NEPA
Luzerne County Community College: The Kids Culinary Summer Camp is a “culinary bootcamp” for campers between ages 9-13. It runs July 7 through 11 in the morning (9 a.m. to 12 p.m.) and teaches kids to read and create a recipe, measure dry and liquid ingredients and prepare and plate a dish – all with help and supervision. The camp is held in the Joseph A. Paglianite Culinary Arts Institute in downtown Nanticoke. 6 N. Market St., Nanticoke; (570) 740-0407.
SEPA
Hudson Table: Summer Camp is open to kids ages 4 – 16, with week long three-hour sessions for the little guys and more in-depth programming on culinary, baking and world foods with friendly competitions for older kids, all held in the Northern Liberties location. 1001 N. 2nd St., Unit 01, Philadelphia; (215) 982-2580.
Walnut Hill College: The college formerly known as The Restaurant School offers Summer Camp for kids age 7 – 16 with hands-on culinary and pastry classes that use real recipes that kids can duplicate at home. Campers learn about nutrition, ingredients and food safety and get a chef coat, apron, hat and recipe book. 4207 Walnut St., Philadelphia; (215) 222-4200.
Germantown Academy: This Montco day school offers a range of summer programs, including Kids Kitchen Camps for students in first through eighth grades. Campers cook, bake and eat in groups, learning safety skills and exploring new dishes and ingredients together. 340 Morris Rd., Fort Washington; (267) 405-7321.
Campers at Chef Dad’s Table
Chef Dad’s Table: Local dad Scott Noye leads Chef Dad’s Table’s extracurricular programming, including its Summer Cooking Camp, a weekly day camp with both full and half day options. Each week’s activities center on a fun theme like foods from cartoons, t.v. and movies and fun in the food sciences lab and campers do competitions, taste tests and enjoy outdoor play. Unemployed caregivers can apply for a grant to attend this camp through Delco Strong Summer Camp Solution. Grace Lutheran Church, 2191 West Chester Pike, Broomall; (610) 505-5617.
Delaware County Community College: Kids age 6-13 can join Calling All Chefs! summer camp, an interactive day camp teaching kitchen skills and safety, etiquette, baking and cooking. The younger crew, ages 6 – 9, attends 9 a.m. til noon and the older kids attend from 1 – 4 p.m. Scholarship grants up to $1,000 are available to selected unemployed caregivers in Delaware County through the Delco Strong Summer Camp Solution. 901 S. Media Line Rd., Media. (610) 359-5025.
The Kitchen Workshop: For young chefs ages 11 and up, check out the Summer Camps at this Paoli cooking class center. Kids learn through hands-on experience (not demonstration) in classes of a dozen students or less. The options include cooking, baking and international cooking camp, all running 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. for a week. 21 Plank Ave., Suite 204, Paoli: (610) 993-2665.
Campers at HomeCooked cooking camp
HomeCooked: Kids Cooking Camp by HomeCooked in Paoli offers cooking and baking camps for kids aged 7-11. They run weekly, Tuesday to Thursday for three hours each of the three days. At cooking camp, kids make a dinner entree, side and dessert while kids at baking camp bring home sweet and savory baked goods of all kinds that can be enjoyed right away or frozen for later. 1 Paoli Plaza, Paoli; (610) 647-1002.
Lavner Education: For a culinary camp experience in the Main Line or Lower Gwynedd, check out Culinary Arts Camp at Lavner Education held at Gwynedd-Mercy Academy and Waldron Mercy Academy. Camps run weekly, with cooking sessions in the morning and baking in the afternoons, daily. Camp is divided between Sous Chefs for ages 7-10 and Executive Chefs for ages 11-14. 816 Norristown Rd., Lower Gwynedd Township and 513 Montgomery Ave., Merion Station; (888) 854-2267.
Sur La Table: The Kids & Teens Summer Series held at Sur La Table invites kids and teenagers to immerse themselves in culinary arts, with weekly camp options starting in late May and running through August. Global Flavors for ages 7-11 invites kids to expand their cooking repertoire while Ambitious Recipes walks teens through more advanced skills like working with stuffed pastas and yeasted dough. 690 West DeKalb Pike, Suite 2068, King Of Prussia; (484) 612-0040.
Campers at Create-A-Cook
Create-A-Cook: For a fun and expansive experience for campers aged 8-15, check out the Cooking Camps by Create-A-Cook, which run full day, Monday through Thursday at Central Montco Technical High School, Haverford College and Sacred Heart Academy. Each week has a creative theme, like game day grub and late summer harvest, and the passionate, friendly instructors make each day a welcoming and engaging experience. Multiple locations; (610) 739-2277.
Really Cooking with Robin: These weeklong Summer Camps run 12 to 2 p.m. for campers aged 8-15 and provide hands-on cooking, and experimentation. Campers learn about food safety, including some knife skills while they following recipes designed for young and curious foodies. 138 W. Germantown Pike, Hillcrest Plaza Shopping Center, East Norriton; (484) 674-7748.
Young Chefs Academy: With three locations in Pennsylvania (and many beyond), the Culinary Camp at Young Chefs Academy is a well oiled machine. Campers enjoy a fully immersive three hour session learning both cooking and baking, with fundamentals and some creative territory, too. 301 Oxford Valley Rd., Suite 804, Yardley; (215) 835-8448, 4662 Broadway, Allentown; (610) 898-3365 and 6 Torrens St., Pittsburgh; (412) 540-3505.
Campers at Silly Spoons
Silly Spoons: Kids age 5-12 can attend Summer Camp at Silly Spoons, where they’ll learn fundamentals like measuring and following recipes while whipping up kid favorites like pizza, chicken nuggets and cookies. These weekly camps run Monday to Thursday and have both two-hour and five-hour daily sessions to choose from, with add-ons like early drop-off. 408 S. State St., Suite #4, Newtown; (215) 867-9553 and 1432 Easton Rd., Unit 1D, Warrington; (267) 485-640.
Do you know of a great culinary, baking or cooking summer camp that we missed? Let us know in the comments below or on the PA Eats Facebook and Instagram pages!
- Feature photo: Create-A-Cook
- Hands baking photo: Bigstock
- All other photos: Courtesy of the respective organizations
