Middle school students hone culinary skills at Piedmont Technical College’s Young Chef Academy

Bustling activity and the aroma of freshly baked bread, cheeseburgers and fried chicken filled the spacious kitchen at the G. Frank Russell Technology Center during the final hours of the Young Chef Academy last week.

Seventeen middle-schoolers from Greenwood County spent three mornings of the spring intercession break honing their culinary skills at the academy, which was organized by Piedmont Technical College (PTC). The students devoted the first two days to preparing – and eating - pound cakes, apple pies and chicken fried rice with a duck sauce made from scratch. 

“I really loved it. It is really, really fun, and I’ve learned a lot,” said Lilly Johnson, an eighth grader at Brewer Middle School. “I am really excited to try all of the stuff that we’ve made.”

Lilly said her mother “has let me cook at home a lot” since she was a young child. Her favorite kitchen creations? Burgers and brownies.

Olivia Wright, an eighth grader at Northside Middle School, said the academy helped her overcome one of the challenges she has faced while cooking at home.

“Sometimes I make a mess,” she said.

Chef Jay Hancock said the academy went well.

"We’ve had a good set of kids this week,” he said. “We’ve had some good lessons learned and some good cooking happening.”

Hancock said he hopes the academy fulfills several purposes.

"I hope they learn teamwork. I hope they learn about food safety. I hope they learn how it looks to be in a professional kitchen, and ultimately, I want them to come take my classes as high school students,” he said.

PTC is hosting several summer camps this year. Find out more at www.ptc.edu/camps.