Junior chef cooking camp

By Mary Alice Garrett

This story originally appeared August 21, 2003 in the News Journal of Wilmington, Delaware.

Sixty-three area youngsters leaned to season their cooking with humor at a special camp this summer.

The girls and boys attended a Junior Chef Cooking Camp fo Kids at the American Heart Association of Delaware building on Old Churchmans Road in Stanton. The four-week camps were run by Tammy D. Petruccelli of Hockessin.

"What's the difference between a chef and a cook?" Petruccelli asked her first all-girl camp. "A chef knows how to fix mistakes," said Marissa Crosby, 10, a veteran of four of Petruccelli's camps.

Crosby, who likes baking cakes also bakes horse treats using molasses, whole wheat flour and grain. She was among 18 girls (ages 7-13) who attended Greek Week.

"We're all honorary Greeks this week," said Petruccelli, who sprinkled her instructions with kitchen safety and offbeat tips. Dressed in long chef's aprons and shorts, the girls sang to a boom box as they sliced and diced peppers, onions and tomatoes for salsa, a camp staple.

Michelle Thompson, 8, said she liked everything about the camp except cutting up an onion. "It made my eyes water," she noted. Thompson worked with Alyssa Dixon, also 8. "I like taking home a three-course meal for my family, so I'm glad I came this week," said Dixon. "I really like cooking."

All the campers took home Fancy Fast Greek Chicken, rosemary potatoes, salad with honey dressing and baklava bites. They cooked everything at the camp and reheated it at home. "This is my second week. I couldn't wait to come," said 12-year-old Brittany Peoples. She worked with Melissa Kuesel, 12, to prepare 32 baklava bites using mini phyllo dough shells. Both girls hope to return next summer as Junior Chef counselors.

Kuesel makes desserts at home. Her favorite is Petruccelli's almond cream cheese pound cake. When asked how she made it, she said, "You put everything in and put it in the oven." All the girls had a great time preparing salsa that they got to sample with lemonade. After cutting up the peppers, onions and tomatoes with plastic knives, they squeezed limes over it.

"After you use your limes, you can turn them over and put your elbows on them," said Petruccelli. "It takes off all the rough skin." She also suggested they put the limes in their home garbage disposal "to sweeten it."

Petruccelli reminded the campers to "always have baking soda on the counter in case of a fire." If there wasn't a fire extinguisher at home, she told them "to bug their parents to get one."

The only mishap at the four camps was one camper burned out both a blender and food processor by overloading them with flour.

All participants toured the American Heart Association's museum adjacent to the demonstration kitchen. They learned to make healthy choices about food, especially when it comes to snacks.

Instead of eating squash or zucchini as a vegetable they made it into a custard pie using powdered skim milk and sugar. Everyone made a recipe book to take home. Megan Kennedy, 10, said she and her mother had already tried some of the recipes.

"I like that we get the food and bring it home and eat it," said Amanda Thomas, 13, who often makes lasagna and desserts for her family.

All the campers said they felt confident enough to cook on their own at home. Some said their mothers used mixes or relied on take-out food almost exclusively.

Petruccelli has taught cooking to both adults and children. She also does a Junior Chef Birthday Party where the birthday person directs the guests in preparing French bread pizza with "all kinds of toppings."

Besides Greek Week, there was All-American, Tex-Mex and Chinese Week camp sessions. Petruccelli is a self-taught chef and caterer and the third generation in her family to go into the catering/restaurant business. She plans to hold her camps again next summer.

Baklava Bites Recipe

1 package mini phyllo shells

1/2 cup chopped nuts

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Place shells in a mini muffin pan. Mix chopped nuts with cinnamon in a bowl. Fill shells with mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

Syrup mixture:

1/3 cup water

1/4 cup sugar

Dash cinnamon and cloves

1/4 cup honey

in a microwaveable bowl, mix the syrup ingredients and cook on high for about two minutes. Stir and cook two additional minutes. Let sit until slightly cooled. Spoon over warm filled shells. Let sit until cooled before eating. Do not refrigerate.