Hart School culinary summer camps engage community

(Above) Chef DeAndrae Powell demonstrates how to form his brown butter cookies. Powell also serves as an Assistant Director in the Center for Multicultural Student Services.

This summer, in collaboration with the School of Professional and Continuing Education, the Hart School offered three culinary camps for middle school and high school students under the leadership of hospitality professor Gilpatrick Hornsby. Drawing on the talents of Hart School faculty, Aramark chefs and local culinarians, the camp engaged the surrounding community of students as well as professionals.

Each camp was one week long and covered different skills and cuisines. Every morning the students participated in what Hornsby called a “blitz culinary lesson” that taught skills ranging from cutting a whole chicken down into its eight parts to boiling sugar and making hard candy.

Participants also received culinary lessons from Hornsby and guest chefs exploring meals like scratch-made tortillas for braised chicken tacos or sautéed handmade potstickers with a side of fried rice. High school students were even able to make their own pasta for Cajun chicken pasta. In the afternoons, guest pastry chefs taught the students to make delicious confections such as truffles or doughnuts.

The week culminated each Friday with a trip to Hotel Madison, where students were able to experience a real-world kitchen under the supervision of the executive chef.