Culinary camp teaches kitchen essentials at University of Delaware

NEWARK, Delaware (WPVI) — You might not know that there’s a fine dining restaurant on the campus of the University of Delaware that’s serving up an award-winning lunch and elegant five-course dinner.

Vita Nova is student-run and operated, and this summer the college students are teaching younger kids the ropes of the restaurant business.

They call the culinary camp “Livin’ La Vita Nova.”

Rising 8th and 9th-grade campers get a crash course in the kitchen, from cooking to baking to knife skills.

“These are all local students here in Delaware and the surrounding communities,” says Alison Rainis, the executive chef instructor. “It’s really a fun chance to get them in the kitchen and teach them something new about cooking, and also some life skills as well.”

The food they make, they eat for lunch that day.

On Tuesday, the kids were making pasta, making pizza, sushi, dumplings and lemon bars for dessert.

Campers are between the ages of 11 and 13, and they’re learning to run every aspect of the kitchen.

“I decided to do this because I really like cooking and baking and I wanted to further my knowledge on that,” says camper Paige Williams.

The University of Delaware offers this camp for three weeks during the summer.