Do You Dream of Cooking Like Those Amazing Professional Chefs on the Food Network?
Junior Chef Summer Camp with Artful Chef in San Diego County will be the most awesome culinary adventure you could imagine! So come and join us for an exciting summer of culinary fun. Artful Chefs Junior Chef Summer Camp is registering for 2026!
Junior Chef Summer Camp with Artful Chefs will be the best thing you do all summer!
Imagine …
- Learning how to cook with a real chef.
- Getting a taste of what it’s like to work as real professional chef.
- Trying out classical French culinary techniques. You’ll learn knife cuts like julienne, battonet, allumette as well as gourmet cooking skills which you can use to amaze your friends and relatives!
Summer Camps are going to be held in the Cheff’s kitchen in Tierrasanta, zip code 92124.
The hours will be from 9:30 am to 1:30 pm. We are accepting Jr. Chefs ages 10-16 for these camps.
Attendance is limited to only eight students per week. Lunch is, of course, included. Kids will gain confidence learning culinary basics and how to be safe in the kitchen. Most importantly, kids will be working in a small group of 8 students, which is the best way to learn.
The 2026 Summer Jr. Chef Cooking Camp dates are as follows:
Week #1 – June 8-11 Basics International Week– Full- Week #2 – June 15-18 Basics Italian Week
- Week #3 – June 22-25 French Week (Must complete 2 Basics Weeks prior to registering)
Week #4 – July 6-9 Basics International Week– FullWeek #5 – July 13-16 Basics French Week– FullWeek #6– July 20-23 Basics Italian Week– Full- Week #7– July 27-30 Advanced Week ((Must complete 2 Basics Weeks prior to registering)
2026 International Basic Skills Week Camps:
Embark on a delicious global adventure with our International Week Jr. Chef Classes! Jr. Chefs will journey “around the world” in the kitchen, discovering authentic flavors from diverse cultures each day. Through fun, hands-on sessions, kids build essential skills: safe knife techniques and kitchen safety. Every class ends with enjoying their creations and taking home some samples to impress family- if there’s anything left!!
Week #1 June 8-11
Week #4 July 6-9
Monday, French Cuisine Day: Puff Pastry Chicken Pot Pie, Chocolate Croissant.
Skills to master: Danger zone, cutting board safety, measuring, blending, mirepoix, simmer, sauté, baking skills, knife skill cuts, working with chocolate, skillet basics
Tuesday, Asian Cuisine Day: Spring Veggie Cellophane Rolls with dipping sauce and Vegertarian Noodle Bowl
Skills to master: Mise en place, smoke points, knife cut skills, stovetop safety, stir fry, simmer, sauces, and recipe development.
Wednesday, Italian Cuisine Day: Sweet potato gnocchi, Fresh cherry tomato sauce, caprese skewers with balsamic vinaigrette
Skills to master: Measuring flour precisely,
Boiling pasta perfectly, Simmering, Whipping and folding techniques, Stove-top safety, Sauté, Reduction, Emulsion Dressing, Knife skills
Thursday, Mexican Cuisine Day: Chicken Tostada, Fresh Corn Tortillas, Pico De Gallo, Guacamole, Refried Beans
Skills to master: Knife skills, Preventing cross contamination, Perfecting dry and wet measuring, cast iron skills, blending flavors, Knife Skills, Seasoning by taste, Buffet setup
2026 Italian Basics Skills Week:
Join our fun, hands-on Jr. Chef Italian Week, where young cooks dive into the heart of authentic Italian cuisine! Over the week, aspiring junior chefs master foundational skills while creating a soffritto base, making vibrant sauces, crafting classic minestrone soup, rolling fresh pasta, and building simple tomato-basil sauces. Kids learn knife safety, flavor layering, seasonal ingredient choices, and the joy of cooking from scratch—no shortcuts! Each session ends with enjoying their creations and taking home samples to share with family, if there’s anything left! Build confidence, creativity, and a love for real Italian food during this week of cooking camp!
Week #2 June 15-18
Week #6 July 20-23
Monday – Italian Basics Sauces: Pomodoro with Chicken Parmesan
Skills to master: Danger Zone, cutting board safety, knife skill cuts, precision measuring, sofrito, sautéing, browning, deglazing, sauce building, breading and pan-frying cutlets, assembling baked dishes, seasoning layers.
Tuesday – Italian BasicsBa Sauces Continued: Lasagna Roll-Ups with Bolognese
Skills to master: Danger Zone, cutting board safety, knife skills, measuring, boiling pasta al dente, shocking/cooling pasta, rolling and filling sheets, layering flavors, baking assembly, portioning rolls
Wednesday – Italian Basics Pasta with Pesto: Fresh Pasta with Pesto
Skills to master: Making fresh pasta dough (mixing, kneading, resting), rolling and cutting Pappardelle pasta, cooking fresh pasta, finishing pasta in sauce, knife skills, blanching, flavor balancing
Thursday – Italian Basics Soup: Minestrone with Garlic Bread
Minestrone Soup and Garlic Bread Skills to master: Knife skills, measuring, sofrito, farm to table cooking, balancing acidity, butter garlic sauce for garlic bread, layering flavors.
2026 French Basics Skills Week Camp:
French cuisine is the base for most modern Western cooking. Over time, French chefs created key ideas that everyone uses today. They developed basic mother sauces (like béchamel or tomato) that many other sauces build on. They perfected clear cooking methods, such as how to sauté, braise, or poach food perfectly. French cooks stress using fresh, good-quality ingredients, making dishes look beautiful on the plate, and organizing kitchens efficiently (like teams with specific jobs). That’s why most professional chefs see French techniques as the starting point for their cooking.
Week #5 July 13-16
- Monday – French Basics Crepes: Freshly made Crepes, Vanilla Mousse, Waldorf chicken salad, caramel bananas filling
Skills to master: Whisking, resting batter, flipping in a pan, heat control, stovetop safety, aerating, knife skills, flavor balancing, sugar science, cross contamination
- Tuesday – French Basics Mastering Egg Cookery: French Omelette, Hollandaise and Crème Brûlée
Skills to master: Proper whisking technique, Heat control in egg cookery, emulsification (egg yolk + fat science), understanding protein coagulation, tempering hot liquids into egg yolks
- Wednesday – French Basics -French Desserts: Cream Puffs, Chocolate Ganache
Skills to master: Pâte à choux, egg structure, stovetop skills, piping skills, transforming ingredients with air, chocolate skills
- Thursday – French Basics -Sauce Methods: Béchamel Mac and Cheese (Roux method), Cucumbers with Lemon Honey Vinaigrette (Emulsion Method), Roasted carrots with Apple Juice Glaze (Reduction Method)
Skills to master: Sauce bases, whisking, thickening methods, flavor balancing, simmering, mise en place, blender skills, roasting vegetables
2026 French Culinary Skills Week Camp: (Must complete 2 weeks of Basic Summer Camp prior to participating)
Elevate your cooking with our French Skills Week for experienced young chefs. This intensive program focuses on pro techniques: cast iron searing, precise sous vide cooking, crafting glossy reduction sauces, advanced egg cookery (poaching, hollandaise, sous vide eggs), smooth emulsions using immersion blenders, and expert garnishing/plating. Participants refine palate, master timing, and create stunning plated dishes.
Week #3 June 22-25
Week #7 July 27-30
Monday – Advanced Skills Appetizers: Savory Cornbread Bacon Donuts with Cream Cheese Icing, Savory Zucchini Tots with Homemade Ketchup Sauce
Skills to master: Measuring with scales for recipe success, oil frying, stovetop safety, folding, blending, garnishing, plating skills
Tuesday, Advanced Skills Breakfast: Homemade English Muffins, Cherry Fruit Spread, French Style Scrambled Eggs
Skills to master: Advanced egg cooking techniques, yeast dough preparation, kneading dough, cast iron cooking, fruit spread preparation, balancing sweetness and acidity.
Wednesday, Advanced Skills Lunch: Roasted Tomato Basil Soup, Parmesan Crisps, Caesar Salad with Fresh Croutons and Homemade Dressing
Skills to master: Roasting tomatoes, techniques to enhance flavors, aromatics, simmering, using immersion blenders, shaping and melting cheese, emulsion salad dressing, menu timing
Thursday, Advanced Skills Dinner: Parsley potatoes, Honey Carrots, Sous Vide Chicken Roulade
Skills to master: Sous Vide cooking, blanching preparation, caramelizing veggies, butter sauces, Pan jus reduction sauce.
Lastly, here is information most parents want to know about our camps. We really want to see you at our summer camps. Therefore, be sure to share it with your parents today.
Why cooking classes for kids in San Diego?
- This is a great way to show your child that you support his or her love of the culinary arts.
- Express confidence and pride in your child’s abilities.
- Kids also learn kitchen safety!
- Most importantly, this is perfect for kids who love to cook.
Certainly sharing the joy of cooking with children and teens in San Diego is one of the most rewarding things that we do. Furthermore our cooking classes are all hands-on. But most importantly, we stress skills and technique, safety, nutrition, creativity, and of course, FUN.
Does your child have known food allergies?
Noteworthy, our junior chef summer camp menus are nut-free. However, our commercial kitchen is used by other chefs who may create dishes with nuts. In addition, menus may include gluten and dairy. Above all, if you have any reason for concern regarding food allergies, please call.
Our cancellation policy for camp sessions:
Cancellations: 50% of the total deposit amount – constitutes a Reservation Fee to secure your child’s spot at camp (“Reservation Fee”). The Reservation Fee is non-refundable. Artful Chefs will retain the full deposit if you cancel thirty (30) days or less prior to the Event date. If the Event is canceled by Artful Chefs for any reason, the deposit is 100% refundable.
Artful Chefs reserves the right to cancel sessions or remove students:
Furthermore, Artful Chefs reserves the right to cancel any camp session that fails to meet enrollment minimums. However, in that unlikely event, we will contact you by email or text. Following this, a full refund will be issued or you may request to move to another session.
Finally, we reserve the right to remove your child from camp if they disruptive, abusive or rough housing.
For more information or to ask about prices, please give us a call today!
You can reach us anytime at 760-419-4609 or at Chefp@ArtfulChefs.com.
We look forward to sharing the joy of cooking with your child!
