Culinary Nutrition and Fitness Camp at Susie's Kitchen for youths ages 9 to 17 years will resume in 2022. At UT Austin, we combine culinary skills with nutrition science to create a truly unique experience!
Classes include nutrition/health basics, knife skills, kitchen safety, proper kitchen cleaning techniques, and of course, cooking - all key concepts for budding chefs of all ages!
Kids' camps are weekdays, 9:00 am - 4:00 pm, throughout June and July. The camps include a healthy lunch and snacks that the campers prepare, along with fun indoor and outdoor physical activity.
UT Culinary Nutrition & Fitness Camp at Susie's Kitchen
Our week-long summer camps for youths ages 9 -17 years focus on learning about healthy, nutritious food and how to prepare it.
The day will start with nutrition education followed by a culinary experience in our teaching kitchen as campers prepare their own healthy lunch. Kitchen safety, safe food handling, and knife skills will be practiced. After the culinary experience, campers will have the opportunity to participate in fitness sessions with trainers from the Fitness Institute of Texas (FIT) located on the west side of the Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Campers will end the day learning about and preparing a healthy snack.
SESSION 1: SERVING UP MYPLATE
Campers will engage in activities to enhance their knowledge of nutrition, culinary skills, and fitness. Campers will be provided a healthy morning snack and prepare their own healthy lunch. Following an afternoon fitness session, campers will prepare an afternoon snack.
Session 1 nutrition education focuses on MyPlate to help youths find their healthy eating style and build healthy eating habits throughout their lifetime.
We are excited to introduce all new recipes this summer. Recipes include whole grain pizza from scratch, homemade marinara and zoodles, and breaded baked chicken strips to name a few.
Day 1: Kitchen Tour, Knife Skills and Food Safety Overview
Day 2: Fruits and Veggies
Day 3: Dairy
Day 4: Grain
Day 5: Protein
SESSION 2: INTERNATIONAL CUISINE
Back by popular demand, campers will learn about foods of world cultures as we explore International cuisines and generational recipes. Session 2 is designed to enhance nutrition knowledge on the benefits of key food components for each cuisine day, as well as fitness. Campers will be provided a healthy morning snack and prepare their own healthy lunch. Following an afternoon fitness session, campers will prepare an afternoon snack.
Recipes include chicken souvlaki and tzatziki, shrimp spring rolls and peanut sauce, and crepes to name a few.
Day 1 Kitchen Tour, Knife Skills and Food Safety Overview
Day 2 French
Day 3 Vietnamese
Day 4 Mediterranean
Day 5 Chinese
CAMPS ARE LIMITED TO 16 PARTICIPANTS EACH WEEK
Camp Information:
Our camp is led under the direction of Dr. Ladia Hernandez, Registered Dietitian and Assistant Professor of Instruction in the Department of Nutritional Sciences. Camp counselors for the summer camp will be a team of pre-professional students from the Coordinated Program in Dietetics and senior level nutrition students.
REgistration:
Registration is closed.
All summer programs to be held this summer on the University of Texas at Austin campus have been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The safety and health of the UT community is our highest priority. The university is following guidelines established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Austin Public Health. We are coordinating with other local public health officials to gather and share the most up-to-date information. Thank you for your understanding as we all navigate this unprecedented time in our state.
Susan Thomas Jastrow was born and raised in Austin and attended the University of Texas at Austin. She received a B.S. in Home Economics and a teaching certificate in 1969 and a B.S. in Nutrition in 1995, becoming a Registered Dietitian the same year. She was a research associate under the direction of Margaret E. Briley for two years, after which time she created the Nutrition Services department in the People's Community Clinic. Her efforts as a nutritional consultant and diabetes educator have improved community health. 
