Mangiamo! Italian Favorites Wraps Up an Incredible Summer at Haverford College
- Create-a-Cook Camp
- 3 days ago
- 2 min read
What better way to finish an amazing summer than with homemade Italian favorites? During Mangiamo! Italian Favorites at Haverford College, our junior chefs spent the week chopping, simmering, baking, and creating delicious Italian-inspired dishes while strengthening their kitchen skills and building confidence through hands-on cooking.
Under the guidance of Chef Carisa, campers explored the flavors and traditions of Italian cuisine while practicing knife safety, proper cooking techniques, teamwork, and cooking from scratch. Assisting throughout the week were Assistant Spring and Assistant I'Jhier, who helped encourage, support, and inspire our junior chefs as they worked their way through another exciting week in the kitchen.
Throughout the week, campers prepared an outstanding Culinary Arts recipes featuring Panzanella, Chicken Parmesan, Summer Vegetable Baked Ziti, and our always-popular Fri-Yay Pizza, where campers personalized their own pizzas while learning the fundamentals of dough preparation, sauce building, and balancing fresh toppings.
Our Baking & Pastry recipes kept the ovens busy as campers baked an impressive assortment of sweet and savory creations, including rich Chocolate Olive Oil Cake, beautiful Summer Garden Focaccia, fun-to-eat Chocolate Chip Cookie Fries with Nutella Dipping Sauce, colorful DIY Dot Cakes, and soft, citrusy Lemon Ricotta Cookies. Each recipe introduced campers to new baking techniques while encouraging creativity and attention to detail.
One of the best parts of the week was welcoming a wonderful mix of returning campers, new Create-a-Cook families, and groups of friends who spent the week learning, laughing, and cooking together. It was especially rewarding to see returning junior chefs continue to build upon the skills they developed in previous summers while new campers quickly gained confidence and became part of the Create-a-Cook family.
This week also marked the final camp of the 2026 summer season at our Haverford College campus. As we packed up the kitchen classroom for another year, we reflected on an incredible summer filled with unforgettable recipes, new friendships, creative accomplishments, and countless moments that reminded us why we love teaching young chefs.
To every camper, family, and staff member who made this summer at Haverford so memorable, thank you for allowing us to be part of your culinary journey. Watching our junior chefs grow their confidence, expand their skills, and discover a passion for cooking is what makes every summer so rewarding.
We can't wait to welcome everyone back next year for another season of learning, laughter, and delicious memories. Mangia!