Hot Deals in Sonoma

This teen cooking series focuses on developing and/or improving independent cooking skills. Participants will cook a complete lunch each day from scratch with attention to knife skills, kitchen and food safety, professional kitchen behavior, measuring and food prep, and table etiquette, not to mention "cleaning as you go."

Each day will be dedicated to a specific menu with recipes covering a wide variety of techniques, including grilling, seasoning, steaming, boiling, baking, and much more. The last day will be a fun competition where participants will use their newly acquired skills to work together to create spontaneous dishes.

• Monday - Mexican Favorites | Knife Skills.  Mexican food is always a crowd-pleaser. Participants will get lots of practice working with chefs and paring knives as chop chicken, beef, vegetables, and fruit for this delicious lunch menu.

• • Chicken & Beef Tacos
  • Stuffed Sopas
  • Tomato Salsa
  • Guacamole
  • Black Beans
  • Oven Baked Spiced French Fries
  • South-of-the-Border Fruit Salad

• Tuesday - American Classics | Dry vs. Moist Heat Cooking. Today we're exploring the differences between foods cooked with and without liquid. For "Dry Heat", participants will grind, make and grill chicken and beef burgers. For "Moist Heat", the group will steam and braise vegetables and boil eggs for their salad.
  • Hand-ground Grilled Hamburgers (Beef or Chicken)
  • Homemade Buns
  • Homemade BBQ Sauce
  • Mixed Green Salad with Veggies, Hard Boiled Eggs and Housemade Ranch Dressing
  • Fruit Kabobs

• Wednesday - Baking | Sweet & Savory. Baking is not just cookies, cakes, and pies. It's soufflés, roasts, and tons of other delicious good stuff. Today the group will bake a variety of savory and sweet delectables for lunch.
  • Spinach Soufflé
  • Macaroni & Cheese
  • Lamb Chops
  • Vanilla Soufflé
  • And, yes, Chocolate Chip Cookies

• Thursday - Iron Chef! On the final day of the series, participants will organize into teams to choose an appetizer, main courses, side dishes, and dessert from a variety of available recipes. Each team will work together to create the recipes they choose, utilizing their newly acquired skills in the preparation of their creations. At the end, they'll set up a buffet for all to enjoy the fruits of their labors and discuss and compare ideas among each other.

This camp is open to ages 13 to 19.