Jr. Chef Central
Florin High School Culinary Building, 7956 Cottonwood Lane, Sacramento, CA 95828
About
Jr. Chef Central includes hands-on cooking and meal preparation, along with food and nutrition related activities and games. Participants practice teamwork, knife skills, kitchen safety and sanitation, food safety, and baking a few sweet treats. The program also includes nutrition, table setting, dining etiquette, and table manners, and features a Kids Culinary Convention.
• Ages: 10–15 years old
• Schedule: Monday–Thursday 8:30 AM–3:00 PM and Friday 8:30 AM–2:00 PM, with 3–4 course lunches prepared in the mornings and food and nutrition activities and games in the afternoons, plus a Friday afternoon “Showcase”
Jr. Chef Central was founded in 2004 by Karla Lacey. The leadership team includes Amanda Arnold (Owner / Director), and Chef Instructors Carissa Jones and Scot Rice. Carissa Jones holds a BS in Political Science and Sociology, a Certificate in Baking and Pastry from the California Culinary Academy, Certified Dietary Management from American River College, and is a Certified Executive Pastry Chef from the American Culinary Federation. Scot Rice holds a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership and Administration and is an alumnus of the Napa Valley Cooking School and the Professional Baking and Pastry Program at the Culinary Institute of America.
The program’s mission is teaching kids to make healthier lifestyle choices for themselves and their families, while focusing on food as a way to bridge cultural, social, and economic divides among young people. Jr. Chef Central focuses on the circle-of-life of food from the farm, to the market, to the grocery store, to their plates, and uses the sequence of preparing and eating a meal from start to finish to encompass reading, math, science, art, and sociology. Instruction follows time-tested methods of “tell, demonstrate, assist, let go,” and kids work in daily teams of four, with teams that may change each day. The program focuses on local ingredients and seasonal menus, and Friday afternoon features a “Showcase” where Jr. Chefs entertain two invited guests with what they have made and learned during the week.
Jr. Chef Central works with children from all walks of life and with multiple levels of ability, including Down’s Syndrome, cerebral palsy, ADD, vegetarians, picky eaters, and budding connoisseurs. Jr. Chefs are assigned personal cubbies on the first day for storing cell phones, and the cell phone policy requires phones to be kept in cubbies during class time or in the kitchen. Parents have reported, “I can’t believe you got my child to eat this!”
Jr. Chef Central has reached thousands of kids in the Sacramento Region. The program has taken part in an academic research program providing health-enhancing experiences for kids, including meal preparation, to affect academic performance, and has participated in a grant funded program targeting lower-income elementary students, teaching preparation skills using seasonal fresh produce.
Last updated March 10, 2026.
• Ages: 10–15 years old
• Schedule: Monday–Thursday 8:30 AM–3:00 PM and Friday 8:30 AM–2:00 PM, with 3–4 course lunches prepared in the mornings and food and nutrition activities and games in the afternoons, plus a Friday afternoon “Showcase”
Jr. Chef Central was founded in 2004 by Karla Lacey. The leadership team includes Amanda Arnold (Owner / Director), and Chef Instructors Carissa Jones and Scot Rice. Carissa Jones holds a BS in Political Science and Sociology, a Certificate in Baking and Pastry from the California Culinary Academy, Certified Dietary Management from American River College, and is a Certified Executive Pastry Chef from the American Culinary Federation. Scot Rice holds a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership and Administration and is an alumnus of the Napa Valley Cooking School and the Professional Baking and Pastry Program at the Culinary Institute of America.
The program’s mission is teaching kids to make healthier lifestyle choices for themselves and their families, while focusing on food as a way to bridge cultural, social, and economic divides among young people. Jr. Chef Central focuses on the circle-of-life of food from the farm, to the market, to the grocery store, to their plates, and uses the sequence of preparing and eating a meal from start to finish to encompass reading, math, science, art, and sociology. Instruction follows time-tested methods of “tell, demonstrate, assist, let go,” and kids work in daily teams of four, with teams that may change each day. The program focuses on local ingredients and seasonal menus, and Friday afternoon features a “Showcase” where Jr. Chefs entertain two invited guests with what they have made and learned during the week.
Jr. Chef Central works with children from all walks of life and with multiple levels of ability, including Down’s Syndrome, cerebral palsy, ADD, vegetarians, picky eaters, and budding connoisseurs. Jr. Chefs are assigned personal cubbies on the first day for storing cell phones, and the cell phone policy requires phones to be kept in cubbies during class time or in the kitchen. Parents have reported, “I can’t believe you got my child to eat this!”
Jr. Chef Central has reached thousands of kids in the Sacramento Region. The program has taken part in an academic research program providing health-enhancing experiences for kids, including meal preparation, to affect academic performance, and has participated in a grant funded program targeting lower-income elementary students, teaching preparation skills using seasonal fresh produce.
Last updated March 10, 2026.
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