Student Chefs Become Top Chefs at Exploration Summer Programs

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Jan 25, 2011, 08:45 ET

NORWOOD, Mass., Jan. 25, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Since when have 14-year-olds spent the summer learning six different techniques for roasting a chicken and baking and decorating cakes from scratch? Since the world of summer camp moved beyond tents and s'mores. Learning to cook, plate, and present multi-course meals, from appetizer to dessert, is what 13- to 15-year-olds do when they attend the Exploration Culinary Focus Program outside of Boston, Massachusetts.

"Lots of kids think they might want to be chefs, but they really aren't aware of what chefs do on a day-to-day basis," says Moira Kelly, the Executive Director of Exploration Summer Programs. "Our culinary program tries to expose students to myriad ways they could work with food, including through restaurant management, restaurant design, or working in the kitchen as everything from pastry chefs to sauciers."

One thing that makes Exploration's Focus Program unique is the emphasis placed on real-world applications. Students are treated as budding professionals. They aren't sitting through hours of lectures. Instead, it's learning by doing. Students practice knife skills and fruit and vegetable cutting techniques; discover culinary tricks (like how to determine the internal temperature of food by touch); and learn how to saute, sear, sweat, and simmer dishes on the stove - and how to roast and braise in the oven. Professional chefs teach students how to plate and present a dish, how to properly debone a fish, and how to caramelize creme brulee to perfection. Students complete the program knowing 11 days' worth of recipes and countless skills and techniques.

With Chef Jerome Picca, owner of Small Plates restaurant in Cambridge, Mass., at the helm, students spend each day over the flames, preparing restaurant-worthy savory dishes and desserts in the fully stocked commercial kitchens of Newbury College.

"The first lesson that I give the students that come in is that I ask them, 'who's the teacher?' My answer is, 'you're the teacher, I'm just going to help guide you there,'" Jerome Picca said. "The lessons that I teach are primarily how you can cook a dish. How you actually cook. But the lessons that we want to teach here at Explo is, what can you accomplish in life? What can you explore and discover and learn on your own? And I think that's phenomenal."

Founded in 1976, "Explo" is a series of residential and day academic summer enrichment programs far different from a traditional summer camp. Students entering grades 4 through 12 participate in fun and exciting projects in the visual and performing arts, science, politics, government, business, technology and more. It is run on the campuses of Wellesley College, Yale University, and St. Mark's School in Southborough, MA.

Students come to Explo from New England, across the United States and from 60 countries, including Brazil, China, India, Israel, Nigeria and Russia. The year-round staff works closely with professionals throughout the year, carefully mapping out the summer's plans, goals, and curriculum so that each student's summer experience is as fun, educational, and inspiring as possible.

About Exploration Summer Programs

Exploration Summer Programs (http://www.explo.org) creates a dynamic environment of intellectual inquiry, responsible decision making and spirited adventure. Based in Norwood, MA, the Exploration curriculum allows students to investigate subjects they are not likely to encounter during the school year. Courses are not for credit and ungraded. More than 400 courses and mini-courses are offered each session. Exploration has more than 50,000 alumni. Exploration Summer Programs is operated by Exploration School, Inc., a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) educational organization.