Mangiamo! Italian Favorites at Central Montco Technical High School
- Create-a-Cook Camp
- 5 days ago
- 2 min read
There's nothing quite like gathering around the table to enjoy homemade Italian food, and that's exactly what our junior chefs did during Mangiamo! Italian Favorites at Central Montco Technical High School! Throughout the week, campers embraced the joy of cooking from scratch while building confidence in the kitchen, practicing essential culinary techniques, and creating delicious Italian-inspired meals and baked treats.
Under the guidance of Chef Shawn and Instructor Rylan, campers in Culinary Arts sharpened their knife skills, learned proper cooking techniques, and discovered how fresh, simple ingredients come together to create classic Italian favorites. In Baking & Pastry, Instructor Ava introduced junior chefs to a variety of scratch-made baked goods that highlighted both traditional flavors and creative decorating techniques. Assistant Rylan and Camp Counselor Sophia kept the kitchen running smoothly while encouraging teamwork, creativity, and plenty of smiles throughout the week.
Junior chefs prepared an incredible lineup of dishes including refreshing Panzanella, crispy Chicken Parmesan Milanese, hearty Summer Vegetable Baked Ziti, and our always-popular Thur-Yay Pizza, where campers customized their own pizzas while learning about dough preparation, toppings, and baking techniques.
In Baking & Pastry, campers filled the kitchen with wonderful aromas while baking Chocolate Olive Oil Cake with Chocolate Fudge Glaze, creating beautiful Summer Garden Focaccia, making fun Chocolate Chip Cookie Fries with Nutella Dipping Sauce, and decorating colorful DIY Dot Cakes that showcased both creativity and precision.
One of the highlights of the week was seeing so many families cooking together—this session welcomed four sets of siblings, making it even more special as brothers and sisters learned side-by-side, encouraged one another, and shared their accomplishments throughout the week.
This week also marked a bittersweet milestone as it was the final week of camp at our Central Montco Technical High School location for the 2026 summer season. As the kitchen was packed up for another successful year, we reflected on an incredible summer filled with new friendships, culinary discoveries, growing confidence, and hundreds of memorable dishes created by our amazing junior chefs.
To every camper, family, and staff member who helped make another unforgettable summer possible at Central Montco, thank you for being part of the Create-a-Cook family. We loved watching each junior chef grow their skills, try new foods, and discover that cooking from scratch can be both educational and incredibly fun.
Until next summer... Mangia!
