Yes, Chef! culinary camp supports aspiring cooks through year-round program
CHICAGO (CBS) -- You're probably still stuffed from your Thanksgiving feast but let's keep the food conversation going because it's Foodie Friday.
For this week's spotlight, we're looking at a program that's building young chefs at an early age.
Digital Journalist Jamaica Ponder goes behind the scenes of "Yes, Chef!" in Lincoln Square.
We visited the Chopping Block in Lincoln Square to learn more about the Yes, Chef! Culinary camps.
These camps are free programs for Chicago Public School students who come from traditionally marginalized and underfunded communities.
The students received their holiday baking boot camp kits. The only thing not pictured is the food, all of which they also get to keep completely free of charge.
So, we sat down with the Foundation for Culinary Arts, the nonprofit that hosts the program, as well as a couple of their participating students, to find out what it really takes to teach a kid to cook.
"We help kids from under-resourced and underserved communities get culinary training. We run them year-round now," said Catherine De Orio, executive director at Foundation for Culinary Arts. "And so, we teach them basically all the kitchen skills that you could kind of need. It's basically like an abridged version of going to culinary school. We work with kids from primarily the South and West Side of Chicago. So, we work in conjunction with CPS and CCAP, which is careers of the Culinary Arts Program."
The program was created for kids that have an interest in vocational training in the culinary field.
It started out as in-person classes eight years ago, but when the pandemic hit, they had to pivot, as most of us did, and adjust to being virtual. But now the program intends to keep it that way.
We caught up with two students who have been in the program for years and say they love being able to cook from the comfort of their own homes.
"You have everything set up the way you like to do your whole. It's set up for you to be comfortable, for you to have a lot of what you need, and actually have fun with the health. Our instructor, Chef Lisa, took the time to teach every one of us something new. Even if you already knew it. She took the time to teach those who didn't know how to do something," said Josue Cervantes.
The Yes, Chef! camps are modeled to provide a culinary experience beyond the confines of the week or several day-long programs they host. They're aiming to be intentional in preparing their students for a lifetime of success - whether that be in a professional kitchen or at home surrounded by family.
Sometimes our campers come. They think they want to be in the culinary field, and then they try and they're like, Oh, maybe not. This was really hard. Or, you know, I would prefer just to do this, you know, kind of recreationally. And we see that as being okay because what they learn is portable life skills. It is always going to be valuable to learn how to cook for yourself, cook for your loved ones, how to nourish yourself," De Orio said.
De Orio says the camps will benefit students whether they decide they want to stay in the profession or not. And for the students who do decide to pursue a culinary career, the foundation supports them through that journey as well.
Yes, Chef! is currently creating a mentorship program that will help students pursuing a career in culinary get into kitchens. If not, they also assist in finding scholarships if they want to go for higher education.
"Culinary education's really expensive. People don't realize that because you think, oh, well, we all have to eat," De Orio said. Well, you know, this is a way we hope that we can give as many, you know, students as possible an opportunity to get that education.
After every camp and workshop, students get to keep the entire day of the supplies given to them as part of their kit. Sponsors like Mariano's provide groceries, local chefs sponsor campers, and the foundation fundraises year-round to provide all the necessary goods.
The program has already helped jumpstart one young chef's career.
"I started my small business not that long ago, and with the materials that I have gone from the program, I have been able to produce a lot of my fruit well, a lot of my productions sell it and make a profit for myself to not only use it for me but to gain more experience. And it just progressed as a small business," Cervantes said.
Josue's baked goods are for sale via his Instagram. His budding career is fueled by the equipment and the experiences he's collected over the course of his time in the Yes, Chef! program.
"So, one thing that I want everybody to know is that this program is for free. You do not have to take anything out of your pocket. All of the materials are gifted to you, all of the ingredients for to you for free," he said.
That's right! In addition to the kits, students receive fresh ingredients and all the dry ingredients for free.
De Orio says the goal is to make it as easy as possible for campers to succeed - even if it's down to a pinch of spice.
"The kids like they leave this program not just with like full equipment kits, but they try so many things that they haven't tried. So, they learn different flavors. They're always encouraged to, like, expand their palates while they're expanding their minds," she said.
You can learn more about the program including how to apply at the Foundation for Culinary Arts website.
The foundation says they're always looking for volunteers or donations to help keep the program running and to serve as many Chicago Public School students as possible.
