There's no doubt about it: California is foodie heaven. There's no better place to learn your way around a kitchen than in a state with an all-season abundance of lip-smacking produce, under the tutelage of the world-class chefs that this region attracts. Whether you're looking for a summer camp for your kitchen-savvy kid, a quick (and tasty) getaway for yourself, a luxe retreat with an active cooking component or an all-business cooking school, you'll find it here.
Kids' Culinary Institute at Pali
Looking for a summer camp for your young foodie? Pali's Culinary Institute, tucked away in the San Bernardino Mountains, offers a multicuisine curriculum for 10- to 16-year-olds. With a different theme each day (Southern Buffet, Mediterranean Nights, Mexican Fiesta, Sports Party Madness, Chinese Banquet, for example) and team-based coursework that teaches everything from basic skills to big-kitchen flourishes, kids return from the course ready to cook up a storm. There's a 1-week and a 2-week option.
Pali Overnight Adventures
Culinary Camp
30778 Highway 18
Running Springs, CA 92382
(909) 867-5743
mysummercamps.com/camps/Detailed/Culinary_Institute_L24840.html
Epitourean Mini-Culinary Boot Camp
If you only have a couple of days to bring your culinary skills up to speed, Epitourean's 2-day boot camp program might be a great fit. Blessedly toque-free and held at Yountville's beautiful Jacobsen Orchards, the camp is very informed by the bounty of the surrounding gardens and by its wine-country setting. The classwork is flexible enough to accommodate both novices and high-intermediate learners. Students are housed at the Westin Verasa hotel, perched on the banks of the Napa River. The beautiful scenery often inspires students to gather at the Verasa's courtyard fire pit for a glass of wine or two after class is over.
Epitourean
505 Rita Place
Castle Rock, CO 80108
(800) 390-3292
epitourean.com/master/38/Mini-Culinary-Boot-Camp
Gourmet On Tour: Yosemite
When you first drive up to the Château that the "In the Kitchens of a Master Chef" program calls home, you know you're in for a treat. It's sited on acres of parklike grounds, looks like something out of a fairytale and is festooned with fine antiques. The Château proudly possesses a Mobil five-star rating, to boot. The Gourmet On Tour coursework is packed into three intense 8-hour sessions, developed over the program's 24-year existence. Classes include theory, a kitchen practicum and sommelier lectures. Since the Château is just a few miles from Yosemite, the park's world-class hiking, mountain biking and rock climbing allow students ample opportunity to return their waistlines to pre-class status (before returning to private soaking tubs).
Gourmet On Tour Ltd.
28 Old Brompton Road, Suite 828
London SW7 3SS
United Kingdom
(646) 461-6088
gourmetontour.com/package.php?coID=36&pckID=26&v=overview
CIA Basic Training
First of all, it's not the CIA that the title seems to imply. This CIA is the Culinary Institute of America, a very serious institute of higher education for the culinary set (75 percent of surveyed employers indicate they prefer to hire CIA graduates). The Basic Training course run at the Napa Valley's St. Helena campus is a 5-day fundamental course that ingrains students with rock-solid kitchen methodology, knife skills and wine know-how. It's not a for-credit class, but don't be surprised if you find yourself signing up for a degree program after the class is over; you'll fall in love with the spectacular campus and the top-notch professors.
The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone
2555 Main Street
St. Helena, CA 94574
(800) 333-9242
ce.culinary.edu/ciachef/CourseListing.asp?master_id=1354&master_version=1&course_area=AE&course_number=1422&course_subtitle=00
Tags: Culinary Institute, Gourmet Tour, after class, after class over, Basic Training, camp your, class over