CK Culinary Camp 2024
This summer some of our students are gearing up for a culinary journey like no other at CK Culinary Camp! Designed for high school students, this immersive week-long camp (July 29 – August 2) offers a blend of cooking classes, culinary challenges, and an ultimate Iron Chef-style showdown. Teens will be paired with members of Central Kitchen culinary team to perfect their skills, explore new cuisines and compete for culinary glory!
Chef Yolanda Marculescu – “Brunch for Lunch”
Summer Stone Fruit Scone
Tropical Fruit Salad
Country Style Farm Egg Frittata
Farmers Market Crudité and Farm House Cheese Board
Summer Berry-Basil Spa Water
Course Description: Dive into the world of brunch with Chef Yolanda, where you’ll enjoy delicious seasonal ingredients and learn impressive culinary skills to wow your friends and family.
Chef Miguel Ruiz Acosta- “MEAT & Greet”
Grilled Snake River Farms Ribeye Cap
Roast Santa Maria Wagyu Tri-Tip
Applewood Smoked Baby Back Ribs
Sweet Summer Corn and Heirloom Tomato Salad
Roast Rosemary Marbled Potatoes
Creamy Summer Corn Polenta
Course Description: Join Chef Miguel on a carnivorous journey as he Grills, Roasts and Smokes his way towards culinary utopia!
Chef Tom Lucero – “Something about Dumplings”
Fried Sweet Corn and Scallion Dumpling with Sriracha Sauce
Pan Seared Chicken Lemongrass Pot sticker with traditional Ponzu sauce
Steamed Shrimp and Crab Shu Mai with Sesame-Ginger Tamari
Course Description: Fasten your seatbelts as Chef Tom takes you on a trip through the versatile world of Dumplings each with different textures and unique sauces.
Chef Shawn Rivera “Small Plates- BIG Flavors”
Summer Squash Fries with Heirloom Tomato Pomodoro
Greek Chicken Meatballs with Harissa-Yogurt
Summer Melon Ball Salad with Lime and Mint
Course Description: Embark on a culinary excursion with Chef Shawn as she creates small plates with BIG flavors highlighting summer produce and simple cooking techniques.
“Iron Chef Team Building”
The Iron Chef Team Building experience fosters an atmosphere of collaboration, problem solving, creative thinking, time management and relationship building. The Goal of the Iron Chef Team Building is to promote collaboration, creative thinking and execution under pressure in a fun filled culinary environment.
Rules are simple- Teams will be assigned a Chef and Culinary objective. Each team will have 2 hours to conceptualize and execute their dishes. When cooking has been completed all teams will come together to set up an epic Iron Chef Buffet lunch. After buffet is set, and Chefs explain dishes, teams and chefs will eat together, talk about the food and share in their Iron Chef Experience.
4 Teams/4 Chefs/And as many dishes that can be created within 2 hours)
(Team Appetizer, Team Sides, Team Entrees, Team Dessert)
CK Culinary Camp created and organized by Eric Dela Cruz, Area Supervisor
Eric brings a wealth of experience to his role as Area Supervisor for Nutrition Services, a position he has excelled in for the past five years. A proud alumnus of San Francisco City College’s Culinary & Hospitality Program, Eric’s culinary journey has been fueled by the inspiration of legendary chefs like Martin Yan, Jacques Pepin, Julia Child, and his own grandparents.
Eric’s passion for food service ignited when he was just 14 years old, and his career has been marked by a series of impressive roles. From serving as an Executive Chef at Google, to Gap Inc., where he oversaw five headquarters cafes across the Bay Area and Tribeca, NYC; his extensive experience ranges from line cook to general manager, and now, a Central Kitchen Area Supervisor.
With over 15 years managing both front-of-house and back-of-house operations, Eric is most inspired when teaching and sharing his love of food. In addition to his role as Area Supervisor, you can find him teaching cooking classes or leading team-building cooking demonstrations connecting with students and forging lasting relationships.
