WATCH NOW: Kids sharpen their culinary skills at three-day UW-L camp | Education

The sound of scraping knives and shifting cutting boards fills the kitchen in the student union on the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse campus.

Dressed in white aprons and chef hats, 14 youth across six, seventh and eighth grades concentrate on chopping, dicing and julienning vegetables in a comfortable silence. In addition to knife techniques, this group of middle schoolers will learn other culinary skills as part of the three-day Kids Culinary Academy 2022.

The camp, hosted by UW-La Crosse and led by chefs and culinary staff at the university, inspires students’ imagination and creativity as they create an array of dishes.

While building basic cooking skills is beneficial for the future, the camp also allows children to explore math, reading, health, time management and social skills, said Jess Harke, a registered dietician with the university.

“This is a practical way to expose them to all those different skills while also being creative,” Harke said.

The 2022 Culinary Academy is focusing on Mexican cuisine. Students will prepare guacamole, pico de gallo, empanadas and tortillas, among other dishes.

Chefs and other culinary staff lead technique demonstrations throughout the camp and offer feedback to students. The children can also learn about nutrition, dining etiquette and food safety.

To conclude the camp, students will prepare and share a dinner with their families on Thursday evening. Students have already begun preparing some of the dishes for the dinner by finely dicing onions, jalapeños and cilantro, Harke said.

“I think part of the reason we chose (Mexican cuisine) is because there’s so much you can do with it,” Harke said. “We’re trying to make as much as we can from scratch, which is definitely beneficial when you’re learning.”

The camp has not taken place since 2019 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, so it felt great being back in the kitchen with students, Harke said.

“It’s really cool to see how so many different things change and how they become a lot more comfortable with each other and grow throughout the community,” Harke said.