SUMMER CAMPS 2026 

The Kidz Kitchen had a fun and busy summer!

• We held four summer camps in 2026---"American Road Trip", "Pasta Party" (two weeks), and "Pop Culture Kitchen."
• We visited Juniper Assisted Living in Hamilton, NJ for a Juneteenth celebration.
• We conducted a "Page to Plate" (story time and a snacktivity) for the children (ages 3-7) and parents of the Robbinsville MOMS Club. 
• We gave back to the community through our Birthday Cake Kit Project, in which we collected enough donations from our junior chefs to create twelve bags filled with all the needed items for a birthday cake (mix, candles, sprinkles, frosting, pans, cooking spray) and donated these to HomeFront NJ.  

SUMMER I- AMERICAN ROAD TRIP

What an incredible journey across America!  Our Junior Chefs traveled the country one recipe at a time, discovering the history, culture, and flavors that make each region unique. In New England, we made creamy corn chowder and Maine wild blueberry loaves while learning about Native American influences on early American cooking and exploring foods grown in all 50 states. Our trip continued to the South, where campers cooked chicken and sausage gumbo from scratch, practiced knife skills and mise en place, and baked a homemade Southern peach cobbler served warm with vanilla ice cream. Next stop was the Midwest, where we prepared homemade mac and cheese, adventurous Pickle Canoes, and Ohio's famous Buckeyes while strengthening our map skills and memory through fun team games. We wrapped up in the Southwest, creating fresh Cowboy Caviar, cheesy Frito Pie, and refreshing raspberry Raspados while practicing precision knife skills and learning about the bold flavors of Tex-Mex cuisine. Throughout the week, our Junior Chefs built confidence in the kitchen by practicing measuring, knife skills, mise en place, and cooking from scratch. They also explored geography through maps, scavenger hunts, I SPY activities, and interactive games that brought our cross-country adventure to life. From coast to coast, this camp was about so much more than cooking—it was about learning, teamwork, creativity, and making memories with new friends. We are so proud of everything our campers accomplished and hope they continue sharing these delicious recipes and new skills with their families for years to come. Thank you to our amazing Junior Chefs for making this American Road Trip one we'll never forget!

SUMMER II- PASTA PARTY

Our Junior Chefs spent the week traveling across Italy, discovering how geography, history, and regional traditions have shaped some of the country's most beloved pasta dishes—all while making everything from scratch! We began our journey in Lazio, where campers mixed fresh pasta dough, learned about the different flours used throughout Italy, mastered the pasta machine, and created homemade fettuccine paired with creamy Alfredo sauce and refreshing strawberry watermelon smoothies. Next, we explored Emilia-Romagna and Campania, preparing vegetable lasagna and fresh panzanella salad while practicing essential knife skills.  We discovered how lasagna recipes vary from region to region, expanded our culinary vocabulary with the word meld, and searched for dozens of unique pasta shapes during our Pasta Shape Scavenger Hunt.

Our adventure continued to the mountains of Northern Italy, where potatoes take center stage. Campers learned to use a potato ricer, rolled and shaped beautiful homemade gnocchi on traditional gnocchi boards, prepared a simple marinara sauce, and finished the meal with fresh Caprese skewers drizzled with homemade balsamic reduction.For our final stop, we traveled to Liguria, where our Junior Chefs put all of their new skills together to create homemade ravioli. They carefully prepared silky pasta dough, filled each ravioli with a creamy ricotta filling, sealed and cut each piece with precision, and celebrated an amazing week with refreshing Orange Creamsicle Smoothies.

We are so proud of everything our Junior Chefs accomplished this week! From fettuccine and lasagna to gnocchi and ravioli, they created every dish with patience, teamwork, and creativity. We hope these recipes become family favorites and inspire many homemade pasta nights for years to come.

Thank you to our wonderful campers for making Pasta Party Camp such a delicious success. Arrivederci until next time! 

SUMMER III- POP CULTURE KITCHEN

This week, our Junior Chefs stepped into some of their favorite fandoms, bringing movies, television, music, and video games to life through food! Every day was a new adventure filled with hands-on cooking, creativity, teamwork, and plenty of fun.

We kicked things off in Hawkins with our Stranger Things celebration, creating spooky Demogorgon Pizzas on homemade high-protein Greek yogurt dough, decorating Surfer Boy Pizza boxes, and baking nostalgic Upside Down Pineapple Cakes inspired by the mysterious Upside Down.

Next, we powered up with Minecraft and Super Mario Bros. Campers prepared Minecraft's famous Lava Chicken while learning the wet hand/dry hand dredging technique and safe cooking temperatures. Then they baked homemade Super Star Cookies, practicing rolling, cutting, piping, and decorating skills worthy of an extra life. Day three transported us into the world of K-pop Demon Hunters, where our chefs prepared a delicious Korean-inspired feast. They practiced mise en place, sharpened their knife skills, built flavorful ramen bowls from scratch, and made refreshing Smashed Cucumber Salad. They had a blast using rolling pins to smash and split the cucumbers before cutting them into bite-sized pieces.

We wrapped up the week in our Taylor Swift Era, baking homemade Pop-Tarts with a variety of fillings and decorating them with colorful icings and sprinkles until they were truly Bejeweled. We also baked Taylor's famous Chai Sugar Cookies from scratch while filling the kitchen with music, laughter, and Swiftie spirit. Throughout the week, our campers strengthened knife skills, measuring, dough making, decorating, piping, food safety, and culinary vocabulary while building confidence, communication, creativity, and teamwork.  From the Upside Down to the Mushroom Kingdom, from Korean-inspired cuisine to our Swiftie celebration, our Junior Chefs cooked, created, communicated, and collaborated all week long. We are so proud of everything they accomplished. Thank you to all of our amazing campers for making Pop Culture Kitchen Camp one for the books! 

SUMMER IV- PASTA PARTY

What a way to finish our 2026 summer camps at The Kidz Kitchen! Our four-day Pasta Party Camp was packed with hands-on cooking, new techniques, teamwork, and—of course—LOTS of pasta!

DAY 1 — Fettuccine Alfredo We kicked things off by making fettuccine Alfredo completely from scratch, along with refreshing strawberry-watermelon smoothies. Our Junior Chefs learned that fettuccine comes from the Lazio region of Italy and about Alfredo di Lelio, who is credited with creating the famous dish. We compared the traditional Italian version—which does not use cream—with the American version we prepared, which does. From making and rolling the dough to cutting those beautiful strands, our chefs were learning by doing!

DAY 2 — Pasta Primavera Next came pasta primavera with farfalle, inspired by the Emilia-Romagna region. We talked about how primavera means “springtime” in Italian and filled our dish with colorful vegetables and a bright, lemony dressing. Knife skills were front and center as our chefs prepared all those veggies! We also learned the important culinary term mise en place, meaning “everything in its place.” We rounded out the day with panzanella, a Tuscan bread salad whose name literally refers to “bread in a bowl.”

DAY 3 — Gnocchi & Caprese Day three introduced our Junior Chefs to some kitchen tools they had never used before, including a kitchen scale, potato ricer, and gnocchi board. We transformed potatoes into soft, pillowy potato gnocchi, learning how to work with a delicate dough and create those signature ridges. We also made Caprese skewers with a balsamic reduction and a homemade tomato sauce. It was a day full of new skills, new gadgets, and lots of delicious results! 

DAY 4 — Ravioli Finale! We saved something extra special for our final day: homemade ravioli from scratch! Our chefs made their own pasta dough and filling, rolled the dough into long, thin sheets, carefully filled and sealed each ravioli, and used a special tool to create beautiful wavy edges. And they didn't just make a few—we made more than 100 ravioli!  That accomplishment required cooperation, communication, patience, and some serious teamwork. We celebrated the finale with a refreshing orange creamsicle shake.

Our Junior Chefs learned about Italian regions and food traditions, practiced knife skills and kitchen safety, mastered new equipment and techniques, learned culinary vocabulary, and most importantly, discovered how much they can accomplish when they work together as a team.

And with that, Pasta Party Camp—and our 2026 summer camp season—is officially in the books! 

What an incredible summer it has been. We are so proud of all of our Junior Chefs and everything they accomplished this summer. Thank you for allowing us to spend our summer cooking, learning, laughing, and creating memories with your children.