Young Chefs Academy in San Antonio, TX 78258

The winner of our 2008 Parents' Picks quest to find the best day camp for big kids in San Antonio, Young Chefs Academy is a cooking school created just for kids. Children learn cooking and baking techniques, proper food handling, food preparation, and presentation, kitchen safety, table setting, manners, and more. The Academy offers a variety of hands-on cooking classes, including mini-camps and field trips.

The atmosphere is kid-friendly, with colorful cabinets, counters, cutting boards, and bathrooms (to encourage cleanliness!) inviting even the youngest kids to get busy in the kitchen. Parents are welcome to stay and observe, and even taste the end product of their children's efforts.

Instructors follow concise, clever lesson plans and have to know the two C's: cooking, and children - and be good with both. During classes, kids are encouraged to ask questions, express their likes and dislikes, and get confident about cooking skills. Each session's recipes are provided to students, with places to make comments on the back (what they might change next time, how highly they rate the taste) and those who sign up for a class series get their own recipe binder, chefs hat, and apron to continue their gastronomic explorations at home.

Birthday parties are one and a half hours long, and guests participate in real hands-on cooking activities. There are two birthday packages to choose from; contact the Academy to determine offerings and current pricing.

Camp-Can-I-Cook is offered every summer, for young chefs ages five through 15. Mini-holiday and school break camps are also offered.

A retail section in the location offers chef accessories, t-shirts, and cooking-themed gifts to go along with gift certificates, which are available for purchase and are location-specific.