TIFFIN, Ohio — Summer camps come in many different forms, and one in Tiffin is teaching kids how to handle the heat of the kitchen.
Dozens of 8 to 12-year-old kids are spending three days at the Tiffin Parks and Recreation culinary camp.
Partner school Vanguard-Sentinel Career & Technology Center has been offering its expertise and facility for six years to give hands-on cooking lessons.
Tracy Kardotzke, culinary arts and hospitality instructor at the center, said this year's camp is season-themed; Tuesday was pumpkin rolls and homemade marshmallows for the fall and Wednesday was soups and shepherd's pie for the winter.
Thursday will summer, Kardotzke said, and feature "a cookout with hamburgers, hotdogs, corn on the grill, they're going to make their own macaroni salad, their own potato salad and, of course, snow cones."
While teaching culinary skills might not be traditional for summer camps, Tiffin Parks and Recreation Director Bryce Kuhn said offering a large variety of options for summer activities and connecting community members with local organizations were goals.
"We did registration on April 5, and this camp filled up in three minutes this year," Kuhn said.
The primary culinary instructors at the camp are current Vanguard-Sentinel culinary students earning both community service hours toward graduation and hands-on experience in teaching the next generation of chefs.
"Culinary is a very hands-on experience, so when I get to teach other people, it just sends me back to when I didn't have really any experience and when I had to be the one who taught," said second-year culinary student Serenity Tackett.
The camp gives students an all-encompassing experience of what working in a kitchen can be like, Kardotzke said.
"It's a great recruiting tool, it's a great partnership with the community. It teaches our students customer service, community service, as well as interacting with the future culinarians," Kardotzke said. "It's a great way to see all of those steps before they go into industry or into college."
Kuhn said that there are still a few open spots still available in some remaining summer camps.