Prepping Future Chefs at Science Behind Cooking Camp

Genesis: Pathways to Success held the camp at South Ripley High School.

Photo provided.

(Versailles, Ind.) - Genesis: Pathways to Success continued A Summer of STREAM (Science, Technology, Reading, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics) with The Science Behind Cooking Camp hosted at South Ripley High School. Over the course of three days, 29 enthusiastic students took a culinary road trip across the USA exploring signature dishes from different regions while sharpening their skills in the kitchen.

Each day of camp consisted of three to four new dishes, taking campers on a culinary tour through different regions of the USA. The journey began in the Southern region, where students whipped up fried green tomatoes, skillet fried corn, Jambalaya, buttermilk biscuits, and Hummingbird cake. By mastering all these dishes, students learned the importance of time management and organization.

“My favorite part of camp was getting to work with everybody and my favorite food that we made was the Jambalaya, ” Greysen Farmer, incoming 7th grader at St. Louis Catholic Schools.

Campers visited the Northeastern region for day 2, cooking up classics like New York coleslaw, Philly cheesesteak, Cape Cod corn pudding, baked potato wedges, and pumpkin whoopie pies. Along the way, students sharpened many kitchen skills like cutting with a knife and learning how to operate an oven.

The final day toured the Western region, which campers were most excited for. They cooked 5 minute cheese sauce, guacamole, tomatillo salsa verde, homemade tortillas, and churros. Students enjoyed the cheese sauce, guacamole, and salsa as an appetizer before they finished up the day with steak and chicken tacos with their homemade tortillas.

“Learning how to properly cook meat on the griddle is a skill I will take and use at home,” Farmer stated.

Science Behind Cooking Camp highlights chemistry within cooking. Students learned how and why certain foods react when adding heat or the mixture of two ingredients. Jenny Schneider, chemistry teacher at Oldenburg Academy, taught students the importance of roasting peppers while also explaining the science behind how the taste changes due to the added heat. She continued to highlight how allowing meat to marinate improves the taste rather than just adding it to the pan while cooking.

This year campers had the opportunity to hear from Olivia Fledderman, a registered dietitian nutritionist and owner of Sprouted in Strength. Olivia informed students how to read a food label and understand what is good and bad for their overall health. She also spent time helping campers recognize the impact of added sugars in their daily routines, empowering them to make more informed food choices.

Genesis: Pathways to Success would like to thank the South Ripley Community School Corporation for welcoming us into their space and for continuing to host A Summer of STREAM programming. We would like to give a special thanks to our volunteers, Lauren Beck, Jenny Schneider, Nancy Durham, and Stephanie Sciutto for passionately sharing your knowledge and expertise, and for encouraging education locally! Genesis looks forward to hosting The Science Behind Cooking Camp again in the summer of 2026.

To learn more information about this summer camp or have questions, please visit www.genesisp2s.org, or contact the Genesis office by emailing info@genesisp2s.org, calling 812-933-1098, or visiting 13 E. George Street, Suite B, Batesville, IN 47006.