San Francisco Cooking Camps 2025

Our cooking summer camp offers a fantastic opportunity to develop crucial life skills alongside culinary expertise. Through collaborative cooking and team challenges, students enhance communication and teamwork. Managing kitchen tasks fosters independence and organization, while presenting dishes builds confidence and self-expression. This comprehensive cooking summer camp nurtures both culinary talent and valuable life skills.

Beyond the delicious food, our cooking camp focuses on developing crucial life skills. Working together on culinary projects strengthens communication and teamwork. Taking responsibility for kitchen tasks builds independence and organizational abilities. Sharing their creations allows students to gain confidence and express their creativity at our engaging cooking camp.

Discover the exciting details of our day and overnight summer culinary programs below! Learn all about the professional kitchens where our students learn, the extensive collection of over 100 recipes they’ll explore, the structure of our daily schedule, and much more about our immersive summer culinary programs.

Learn from professional chefs in fully-equipped commercial teaching kitchens – Pro kitchens, pro chefs!

At Summer Culinary, it’s all about the kitchen. Our programs are pro-level summer cooking camps led by professional chefs in state-of-the-art kitchens.

From 10am to 6pm, our days are filled with hands-on cooking in a state-of-the-art kitchen. Equipped with top-of-the-line tools, the possibilities are endless. What culinary masterpieces will you create this summer? It is called culinary arts, because cooking is an art form, and we love expanding the view of what is possible in the kitchen, from the perspective of artists: candied waves on a cake devoted to surfing in one example from last year.

In our state-of-the-art San Francisco kitchens, we create over 100 recipes entirely from scratch. Guided by our team of expert chefs and supported by top-quality facilities, every session is designed to provide a hands-on, engaging, and unforgettable culinary experience. Chefs instruct, they do not do the cooking. The students cook, and the instructors provide guidance and instruction, We want the students working like real chefs do, which includes cleaning as you go. Hygiene and sanitary precautions are taught and repeated all session.

We carefully choose our culinary camp locations, ensuring they meet our high standards. Our camps offer access to professional kitchens, expert instructors, and the opportunity for your teen to fully embrace their culinary passions. This immersive experience, paired with a structured curriculum and guidance from seasoned chefs, empowers students to unlock their true culinary potential.

DAILY SCHEDULE

A typical day at campusSF looks like this:

8am – 9am: Residential students wake up, get dressed, and have breakfast in the residence halls.

9:30: Get ready and take a short stroll to the trolley for a charming trolley ride straight to the kitchen.

10am – 6pm: Students start working from the moment they arrive, They participate in skill-building exercises, knife skills, and kitchen safety. The students prepare their own lunch and dinner. As part of the comprehensive culinary training, students cook meals from scratch, ensuring that everyone is hands-on in the kitchen!

5pm – 6pm: The food is plated and ready for the demo, and everyone has the opportunity to take photos of their creations. The chefs inspect, taste, discuss, and offer constructive feedback to inspire the students. Afterward, everyone enjoys the meal they’ve prepared before packing up.

6pm: Day students head home, while residential students return to the dorms or head out for an excursion around the city by the bay.

6:00pm – 9:00pm: Evening activities are packed with curated events, games, and exciting excursions. From Rogue Squads to karaoke, it’s all about having as much fun as we can imagine!

9pm – 11pm: Kick back and enjoy the dorms and time with new friends. This is the time when we screen movies, play music, enjoy games, and have fun!

Evenings: explore the local area after cooking camps classwork ends

Our residential hall is located at Minerva University, in a quiet and safe area of the city and a straight shot on the trolley line to the kitchen. Before we head home, San Francisco cooking camp residential students explore San Francisco.

Safety: Counselors always accompany the students when off-campus. We stay away from any of the bad parts of town, of course, and we head back to the dorm in time for dusk and fun times in the residence halls. Student safety is our primary concern.

campusSF Special Night Outings:

Our San Francisco Cooking Camp residential students go on adventures at night, accompanied by staff of course. We often find ourselves at some of the most amazing destinations in San Francisco! In the evenings, the students, as always, are accompanied by the staff. We break into small groups, each with a counselor, and go do as much as they possibly can, staying in the safe, clean, beautiful areas of this great city. We know where to avoid, and we don’t stay out too late.

The kitchen and dorm are located in the heart of San Francisco! Our nightly activities will take you to all the iconic sights the city has to offer, including exploring vibrant neighborhoods and enjoying scenic waterfront spots!

Our students live in suites in a real college dorm room, with a roommate, with 24-hour supervision of course. Residential life in a real college! Our students have a wonderful opportunity to live like college students do, in real dorm rooms. It’s so fun for our San Francisco cooking camps. They also have to be responsible and accountable for themselves, and this is where we have opportunities to develop their leadership, and boost their confidence, and get them to try new things.

In the dorm are also the camp directer, counselors and a health director. They are there to provide guidance, and we really want the activities to be student-driven. After all they will be going to college soon, so we need to get them ready, a toe in the water! Start with our San Francisco cooking camps!

Summer Culinary Cooking Camp Testimonials

Learn More About our San Francisco Cooking Camp

Embark on a flavorful adventure at Summer Culinary’s San Francisco campus, the ultimate cooking summer camp nestled in the heart of this iconic food city. Surrounded by a rich culinary landscape and a vibrant atmosphere, aspiring teen chefs will immerse themselves in a dynamic learning environment. Our hands-on cooking summer camp offers a unique opportunity to explore diverse cuisines, master essential techniques, and ignite a lifelong passion for the culinary arts in one of the world’s most exciting gastronomic destinations. Get ready for an unforgettable summer of culinary discovery in the Golden City!

At our dynamic cooking camp and culinary camp, teen participants will gain a comprehensive set of essential kitchen skills. Through hands-on instruction, they’ll master fundamental techniques like knife skills, various cooking methods including sautéing, baking, and sauce making, and the art of flavor development. Our experienced chef instructors guide students in preparing a diverse array of dishes, building their confidence and proficiency in the kitchen. Our cooking camp and culinary camp experience equips teens with practical culinary abilities and fosters a lifelong appreciation for the craft of cooking.

Beyond the culinary creations, our cooking camp for teens fosters a range of valuable life skills. Through collaborative cooking projects and team-based challenges, students develop essential communication and teamwork abilities. Navigating the kitchen environment and managing their time while preparing dishes cultivates independence and organizational skills. Furthermore, presenting their culinary creations and receiving constructive feedback builds confidence and encourages self-expression. This enriching cooking camp for teens is designed to nurture not only culinary talent but also crucial personal and interpersonal skills that extend far beyond the kitchen, preparing them for future success in various aspects of their lives.

Check out our Other Cooking Camp Locations

New York Culinary Camp – Experience the hustle and bustle of the city that never sleeps. Learn how you can become a Michelin star level chef this summer in New York.

Seattle Culinary Camp – Soak up everything Seattle has to offer this summer, while you learn how to take your cooking skills to the next level.

Washington DC Culinary Camp – Learn more about America’s capital and advance your culinary skills this summer

Austin Culinary Camp – Get first hand experience in one of the best up and coming cities in the United States, Austin Texas. Learn to cook like a prand coming cities in the United States, Austin Texas. Learn to cook like a pro!