Yes, Chef! Culinary Camp

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Designed to provide educational opportunities for exceptional Chicago area high school students from disinvested communities, who want to further their exposure to the culinary world and have fun along the way!

Yes, Chef! Culinary Camps

Apr. 13, 2024
11am – 3pm
The Chopping Block
4747 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago, IL
APPLY BY MAR. 15

Love to bake? Join us as we guide you through a variety of sweet and savory recipes that will have you sifting and stirring like a pro. Our esteemed culinary instructors will provide you with valuable culinary career skills in a fun and engaging environment. Plus, you’ll get to meet and bond with other students from across the city + take home an equipment kit. Performance prizes will be awarded as well as a top performance prize.

Jul. 29 – Aug. 2, 2024
10am – 4pm
The Chopping Block
4747 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago, IL
APPLY BY JULY 1, 2024

Our popular week-long camp will be held at The Chopping Block in Lincoln Square. Each day campers cook a meal to eat alongside other campers as well as something to bring home to the family. Performance prizes will be given out daily and an overall top prize of an iPad mini will be awarded. At the end of camp, campers receive an essential kitchen equipment kit to continue their cooking journey at home.

Oct. 5, 2024
10am – 3pm
Tutore Italian Cooking School
2755 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago, IL

SPACE IS LIMITED. APPLY BY SEPT. 8, 2024!

Ciao tutti! The Foundation for Culinary Arts is thrilled to host its second fall Yes, Chef! Culinary Camp: Pasta-making! A one-day bootcamp taught by Tutore Italian Cooking School’s esteemed culinary instructors, campers will learn how to make fresh pasta and complimentary sauces, in addition to learning about the history of pasta, regional pasta traditions, the difference between types of flours, and more! Camp includes a delicious, midday meal of your homemade pasta and portions to take home to share with your family. And to ensure that campers can keep practicing, each and every participant will leave with an essential pasta-making Cooking Kit.

Nov. 24, 2024
12pm – 3pm
Tutore Italian Cooking School
2755 W Belmont Ave, Chicago, IL

APPLY BY NOV. 3

The Foundation for Culinary Arts’ Yes, Chef! Culinary Camp is hosting the second annual instructional demo-only Thanksgiving dinner community cooking class for high school students from disinvested neighborhoods in Chicago. Preference will be given to prior approved Yes, Chef! Culinary Camp students. Instructors will demonstrate how to brine, roast, carve and spatchcock a turkey, as well as showcase how to make yummy sides to accompany a turkey dinner. Students will leave with a frozen turkey and fixings to complete their Thanksgiving dinner at home.

Dec. 7, 2024
11am – 3pm
The Chopping Block
4747 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL
APPLY BY NOV. 16, 2024

Join us for our fourth annual Holiday Baking Boot Camp! ’Tis the season for showing loved ones how much they mean to you — and what better way than sharing holiday treats baked by you! You will learn invaluable baking basics from our esteemed instructor, bond with students from other schools and end the day with a buffet of baked goods!

More On Our Camps

Camp days will be spent bonding with students from other schools while learning valuable career and life skills taught by esteemed culinary instructors. And to ensure that all of our students can keep practicing at home, each student will leave with a Cooking Kit at the end of the day they can use to cook with their families!

Students currently enrolled in Chicago Public High School, whose family income falls within the definition of ‘economically disadvantaged’ as defined by CPS, may apply online.

COST: There is zero cost to accepted students or their families.

How Can I Get Involved?

Sponsor a camp  |  Sponsor a camper |
Donate  |  Volunteer  | Partner

Each level of sponsorship comes with unique promotional opportunities—press coverage inclusion; inclusion in all F4CA-generated promotional and marketing materials; corporate branding opportunities; and more. All donations are tax deductible to the full extent as allowed by law.

To discuss sponsorship opportunities, contact Executive Director Catherine De Orio at info@f4ca.org.

Camp Application Scholarship

Students currently enrolled in Chicago Public High School, whose family income falls within the definition of ‘economically disadvantaged’ as defined by CPS, may apply for a scholarship to attend the Yes, Chef! Culinary Camp by clicking the button below.

Our Partners

Long co-chaired by chef Marcus Samuelsson, Careers through Culinary Arts Program (C-CAP) is a workforce development nonprofit that provides underserved teens a pathway to success. Annually, C-CAP provides culinary, job and life skills to over 20,000 middle-and-high school students in seven regions across the United States. Founded in 1990 by Richard Grausman, this nonprofit strives to help further food and social justice, as well as equity and inclusion by providing tools for success. Starting in middle schools, they provide culinary-and-wellness curriculum, and in high schools also provide an integrated approach to employment in the food sector via internships/apprenticeships, job shadows, mentorship, and work opportunities, college and career advising, and higher-education scholarships, along with product and food donations. The success of their alumni is proof of the methodology and the work they have done. To date, they have worked with 350,000 students and awarded $71 million in scholarships.
The Chopping Block is a leader in the culinary industry for its mission to get people to cook. The popular recreational cooking school, private event venue and gourmet retail and wine store has been in business for over 22 years in Chicago due to its ability to adapt to its customers’ needs. A highly-trained staff interacts with customers like they would with their own families: they swap stories, share recipes and learn together. The Chopping Block modifies what they teach, how they teach and what products they offer to fit the ever-changing needs of their students. From 101 cooking classes to professional culinary school-style instruction in Culinary Boot Camps, The Chopping Block addresses deficiencies in cooking skills for all levels.
Tutore is a sophisticated yet approachable Italian-centric cooking school located at 2755 W. Belmont Avenue in Chicago, Illinois to offer a superior instructional experience. Founded and operated by Dean Zanella and James De Marte, the two acclaimed chefs have over 75 years of experience in the culinary industry. Tutore is a place for those looking for a familiar, friendly, and sophisticated locale - where consistency, service, and value reign supreme. With a rotating weekly class schedule on Thursday through Sunday, classes range from basic techniques and tips to recipe-specific and ingredient-focused classes for any skill level. To learn more about Tutore Cooking School and to check out their full class schedule, please visit www.tutorecookingschool.com.