Summer Culinary — Washington, DC

Summer Culinary — Washington, DC

Summer Culinary 2027

Summer Culinary — Washington, DC

Global Flavors in America's Most Cosmopolitan City

Premiere culinary arts, cooking and baking camp for students ages 12 – 17Cook and bake in premium commercial kitchens from 10am to 6pmLearn from trained, experienced Professional Chef InstructorsLight-hearted competition on the last day  ·  100's of recipes made from scratchSleepaway and commuter options available at all locations

Our Kitchen: NEW YORK CITY

Washington, DC

Washington, DCGet Directions

About This Kitchen

Washington, DC is one of the most diverse and cosmopolitan cities in the world — a place where cuisines from every corner of the globe come together in a thriving, world-class restaurant scene. Our DC campus puts student chefs right at the center of it all, with access to state-of-the-art professional kitchens and an unmatched variety of culinary influences. The amazing cultural vibrance is reflected by the recipes we work on in DC. Our DC program challenges student chefs to think globally and cook boldly — no experience needed, just curiosity and a love of food.

Apply to the DC Program

Our Kitchen: LOS ANGELES

Institute of Culinary Education — Los Angeles

68 W Green St, Pasadena, CA 91105Get Directions

About This Kitchen

Nestled in the heart of Pasadena, our Los Angeles campus occupies a dedicated professional teaching kitchen at the Institute of Culinary Education on Green Street — a world-class facility reserved exclusively for our students. ICE Pasadena is the same exact kitchens where working chefs train, outfitted with industry-grade equipment and designed for serious culinary instruction. Enrollment is capped to the kitchen's capacity, which means this location historically fills up first. Students here are surrounded by LA's extraordinary diversity of food cultures: from the taco stands of East LA to the fine dining corridors of Beverly Hills — making every meal outside the kitchen its own education.  These evening trips are solely for our residential students, who will live at Loyola Marymount College on the beach. Fabulous... space is very limited in LA.

Explore LA Campus

Our Kitchen: SAN FRANCISCO

San Francisco State University

San Francisco State UniversitySan Francisco, CAGet Directions

About This Kitchen

Our San Francisco campus has a distinct advantage no other location can match: the kitchen sits right on the same grounds where residential students sleep, eat, and spend their evenings. At San Francisco State University, we cook in the same high-capacity commercial kitchens the university's own culinary staff uses throughout the year — professional-grade equipment in a real institutional setting. For our residential students, they can simply walk over to the kitchen, and back to ther dorm at the end of the day.  They can make a quick change and go exploring! Zero commute between dorm and kitchen means more time soaking up the Bay Area's legendary food scene: farm-to-table pioneers, world-class dim sum, sourdough traditions, and a farmers' market culture unlike anywhere else in the country. For our commuters, SFSU is located to where the drive will not be too bad, as it is centrally located, safe, and serene.

Explore SF Campus

The Curriculum

What You'll Learn At All Summer Culinary Locations

Foundation

Knife Skills & Kitchen Fundamentals

Build the foundational techniques every great chef relies on — from proper knife grip to mise en place.

Global Cuisine

Global & International Cuisine

Explore the world's culinary traditions using DC's incredible diversity of ingredients and cultural influences.

Finishing Skills

Plating & Presentation

Turn your dishes into works of art. Learn the visual language of professional plating used in top restaurants.

Savory Cooking

Incredible Savory Dishes

Build a repertoire of bold, restaurant-quality savory dishes — from perfectly seared proteins and rich sauces to complex flavor profiles that impress.

A Day in the Life AT EACH LOCATION

Daily Schedule: In Kitchen 10am - 6pm

Morning

Chef Demo & Hands-On Technique

The chef demonstrates a skill live — from knife work to rolling sushi — and students follow right along. This is where the real skills are built, one technique at a time.

Afternoon

Recipe Sessions

Afternoons are dedicated to cooking a large variety of recipes. Students are in the kitchen most of the day, working through multiple dishes inspired by DC's globally diverse food scene.

Evening

Explore Washington DC

Commuter students head home after a full day in the kitchen. Residential students venture out into one of the world's most iconic capital cities — monuments, neighborhoods, markets, and more.

2027 Sessions COMING SOON; WE WILL BE GOING MOST OF THE SUMMER

Tuition & Dates

SessionDatesCommuter
Session 1July 20 – July 24$1,995
Session 2July 27 – July 31$1,995

Why Choose a SummerCulinary Program?

A City Where Every Culture Has a Kitchen

Washington DC is one of the most internationally diverse cities in the United States — and that diversity lives on every plate. Our DC cooking camp puts teens inside a culinary environment shaped by embassy cultures and global immigrant communities.

Professional Kitchen Standards Without the Pressure

Our DC program runs inside a fully equipped commercial kitchen facility where every student has their own professional workstation, industry-grade tools, and chef-led instruction from day one.

The Ideal Introduction to Culinary Arts

For families in the DC metro area looking for a meaningful, skill-building summer experience, our commuter program offers the perfect balance of intensity and accessibility.

A Cooking Camp for Everyone

Our Washington DC cooking camp was built with one principle at its core: every teen deserves a seat at the table, regardless of what they already know. Whether your student has never held a chef's knife or has been cooking family dinners for years, our DC program meets them exactly where they are.

Common Questions

What is the best cooking summer camp in Washington DC for teens?+
The top-rated cooking summer camp in the Washington DC area for teens and kids is SummerCulinary. We provide immersive, hands-on culinary programs designed for aspiring young chefs who want to learn professional kitchen skills from expert chef instructors.
Does Washington DC have specialized culinary camps for teens and high school students?+
Yes, SummerCulinary offers premier culinary camps for teens and specialized summer culinary programs for high school students in the Washington DC metro area.
How do SummerCulinary programs compare to traditional Washington DC cooking classes?+
While traditional Washington DC cooking classes offer short, isolated sessions, SummerCulinary provides an immersive, week-long culinary bootcamp experience that accelerates learning dramatically.
Does SummerCulinary offer day options or overnight culinary summer camps in the DC area?+
SummerCulinary offers both premier day programs and residential overnight culinary summer camps for students in the Washington DC region.
Who teaches the classes at this Washington DC cooking camp?+
Our cooking camps in Washington DC are led by professional chefs, culinary school graduates, and experienced culinary educators. Safety and high-level technique are our top priorities.
Can these summer culinary programs help high school students prep for culinary school?+
Yes, our summer culinary programs for high school students serve as an ideal preparatory framework for attending a formal culinary school or pursuing hospitality management.