Students ages 13 to 15 explore passion for cooking and get a head start on path to becoming chefs
NORWOOD, Mass., March 4, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — Izzy was curious, so she tried Explo Chef and found a new passion. Meg says she always knew she wanted to open her own restaurant, but only after cooking in the kitchens at Explo Chef did she know that she has what it takes to make her dream a reality. And for Spencer, it confirmed what in his heart he already knew.
"Starting when I was a young boy, I loved to mix things and find out what I would come up with," Spencer says. "It started off easy with things like cookies, and worked up from there. Once I realized that cooking was something I liked to do, I applied to Explo Chef, where my like for cooking was amplified into a love for cooking."
For two weeks every summer, students ages 13 to 15 come to Explo Chef, a Focus Program on the campus of Wellesley College, because they want to take their dreams to becomes chefs on a trial run. Without having to wait until they're old enough for culinary school, or to be allowed to cook in a professional kitchen, students from around the world can come to Explo Chef, cook in our professional kitchens, and discover if the life of a chef is the right life for them.
Because for those two weeks, students aren't just learning about the basics of food preparation and nutrition. From Day One, they're buttoning up their chef coats, rolling up the sleeves, and getting down to work, producing dishes they never thought they'd be able to master so quickly: rack of lamb, seared scallops, delicate pastry, perfectly browned crusty breads. And those are just the recipes they tackle the first day.
With the guidance and constant supervision of a team of professional chefs, students learn, practice, and master techniques with the speed and drive of aspiring sous-chefs. As they increase their repertoire, they gain the confidence they need to embrace their curiosity and start experimenting with new ideas and recipes, from pizzas and savory dishes to desserts, sauces, and creations of their very own.
Since 1977, Explo has been running highly successful, residential and day, hands-on summer programs on the campuses of Yale University, Wellesley College, and St. Mark's School. And since the beginning, we've encouraged and inspired our students to experiment with new ideas, find their passions, and let nothing stand in the way of pursuing them. Explo Chef, a Focus Program on the campus of Wellesley College (located just outside Boston), is designed to help them do just that.
"I learned the importance to pursue your craft, and that you should never stop learning," Spencer says. "These are two things I can apply to my life, in school, and generally. I recently watched a movie called 'Jiro Dreams of Sushi,' and what Jiro in the movie taught his kids, I feel I was taught at Explo."
Find out more about Explo Chef here: http://www.explo.org/focus/chef
Founded in 1977, Explo runs a multitude of residential and day academic summer enrichment programs for students ages 9 through 17. Students from across the U.S. and 60 countries participate in fun and creative programs in visual and performing arts, science, politics, foreign affairs, business, medicine, technology and more. Explo aims to create a dynamic environment of intellectual inquiry, responsible decision making, and spirited adventure. Exploration Summer Programs is operated by Exploration School, a not-for-profit organization. Exploration has more than 55,000 alums who work and make contributions in a wide variety of fields across the U.S. and the world. For more information, visit: http://www.explo.org.
Contact:
Crystal Garneier + Tim Watson
Directors of Admission
Explo, Norwood, MA, USA
781.762.7400