What’s For Lunch? 4-H Cooking Camps

September 2, 2023

Thanks to our sponsor, Walmart, for supporting two statewide experiences: The Healthy Habits Summit and Cooking Like a Chef Camp

For 4-H agents, summer means day camps! Kids with similar interests join together to receive direct experience with intriguing topics. In partnership with Chester County 4-H, Fairfield County 4-H offered two sets of cooking camps this summer: The Healthy Habits Summit for teenagers, and Cooking Like a Chef Camp for youth.

We appreciate our partnership with Fairfield Parks and Recreation for the continued use of their facilities to teach youth.

Through an intensive weekend under the guidance of professional chefs, high school students learn skills in the kitchen at the summit. They are then expected to lead activities at local Cooking Like a Chef camps. We are proud of the Chester 4-H teen leaders who volunteered their time to share their culinary knowledge.

The first round of cooking camps was held at the Chester market building, where students made Tex-Mex favorites (fajitas, refried beans, and red rice) and Asian cuisine (chicken fried rice, turkey wontons, and mango pudding). They practiced knife skills and learned about spices, raw meat protocols, and food groups. The second set of two-day camps occurred at the Mitford Community Center. Students made soups, salads, chicken pot pies, and quesadillas. The food was so tasty and healthy!

Although day camps have wrapped for the summer, Fairfield and surrounding counties offer year-round opportunities for students. Connect with your local agent Stephanie Eidt (seidt@clemson.edu | 803-589-8977) for more information. You may also consider checking out what are neighbors are up to (Richland, Kershaw, Lancaster, Chester, Newberry, Union, Lexington) and joining the fun!