Close your eyes and imagine this scene: It’s time to make dinner. You pour yourself a glass of wine, walk out on your patio, sit down, take a load off after a long day and just watch the sun set over the trees. Wait, what? That’s not like any dinner time you’ve ever experienced! Dinner time is when you run around like a crazy person, throwing food in pots and maybe swearing a little when you realize you forgot to buy a main ingredient (or a vegetable) at the grocery. So what gives? Well, in the dream scenario, you’ve sent your kid to summer camp at The Flavor Labs in Norwood, NJ. In the second scenario, you have not.
The Flavor Labs is a 2,200 square foot cooking studio that aims to engage children in the preparation of food so the kids feel connected to the meals they eat. At TFL, they nurture the development of food preparation skills in a way that kids are able to recreate what they have learned safely in their own home kitchens.
At The Flavor Labs Summer Camp, children ages 5-13 will be given hands-on instruction that includes both cooking and baking, along with the fundamental skills necessary for each recipe they create. Each day, campers will have the opportunity to create one sweet and one savory dish to either eat at camp or take home to share with the family. Creating anything in the kitchen requires a bit of math, some science, and a lot of art so kids will also keep the dreaded summer brain drain at bay (Shhh! Don’t tell them!) Plus, kids who have watched their share of “The Great British Bake Off” or “Chopped” over the past year will be excited to hear they’ll get to participate in some friendly competition while preparing their recipes.
The Flavor Labs offers one-week sessions centered around four different themes. Weekly content will be unique so kids signing up for more than one week will learn new skills and create different recipes every day. Themes for Mini Chefs (ages 5-8) include Kitchen Basics (learning fundamentals), The Art of Cooking (incorporating art, colors and presentation), Science and Baking (experimenting with ingredients) and a Best of Series (learning to make The Flavor Labs' most requested recipes). Themes for Budding Chefs (ages 9-13) are Baking Bootcamp (fundamentals to advanced techniques), Cooking Techniques (mastering skills with new tools and equipment), “Chopped” Style (using a basket of ingredients to make something yummy), and a Best Of Series (testing The Flavor Lab’s most requested recipes).
No experience is necessary to attend The Flavor Labs Summer Camps. However, cooking and baking are skills that will serve your child well (and will work out pretty well for you too!) for their entire life. Even (maybe especially) if your child doesn’t know a peeler from a melon baller or if they’ve never used a can opener, this is the camp for them. Kitchen staff will be on hand to support all skill and comfort levels.
Half-day sessions are 9am – 12pm for mini chefs and 1pm – 4pm for budding chefs. Flexibility between age groups is possible in order to keep siblings or besties together. Sessions are capped at 12 campers in the kitchen. Campers will be required to wear masks at all times except when eating or drinking. Workstations are spaced 6 feet apart and all equipment is sanitized nightly. Each camper will have their own personal equipment. The Flavor Labs is a Nut Free Studio. Sessions are $399/week with a 10% discount for siblings or for multiple weeks. Please enter the code MULTIWKCAMP at checkout. For more information about camps or The Flavor Labs, please visit the website.
The Flavor Labs 514 Livingston Street, Norwood 201.292.3733
