Yes, Chef! Culinary Programs

Yes, Chef! Culinary Programs includes hands-on activities such as baking sweet and savory recipes, making fresh pasta with complementary sauces, and exploring the history of pasta and regional pasta traditions. Participants learn the difference between types of flours, prepare meals to enjoy together, and prepare meals to bring home to their families. The program also offers a Thanksgiving dinner community cooking class focused on turkey preparation and holiday sides, a holiday baking bootcamp, and a Master Class Series with live culinary demonstrations, skills-based instruction, industry conversations, and behind-the-scenes access to working professionals and spaces.

• Ages: 14–18 years old
• Schedule: Master Class Series sessions run 2–3 hours; individual camps and classes run 4 hours per day; the weeklong summer culinary camp runs five days
• Price: There is zero cost to accepted students or their families.

Camps and bootcamps are led by The Chopping Block’s culinary instructors, and camp days include career and life skills taught by these instructors. The Italian Classics: Beyond Pasta class is led by Chef Tony Priolo of Piccolo Sogno. The weeklong summer culinary camp is in its 10th year.

Yes, Chef! Culinary Programs are designed for exceptional Chicago high school students from under-resourced communities, and students meet and connect with fellow students from across Chicago. The Thanksgiving community cooking class is for high school students from under-resourced Chicago communities, with preference given to prior approved Yes, Chef! Culinary Camp students. The Foundation for Culinary Arts states that it inspires and empowers socially and economically disadvantaged students through educational programming and career advancement opportunities in the culinary industry.

Program features include performance prizes, with a top prize for standout achievement, and daily performance prizes during the weeklong camp with an overall top prize of an iPad. The final day of the weeklong camp culminates in a graduation mystery competition luncheon where a family member is invited to watch. Campers enjoy homemade pasta onsite and take portions home to share with their family, and campers leave the weeklong camp with an essential kitchen equipment kit.

Spring Baking bootcamp participants take home an equipment kit, Fresh Pasta-Making bootcamp participants receive an essential pasta-making equipment kit, and Holiday Baking Boot Camp participants receive an essential baking equipment kit and end the day with a buffet of baked goods. Thanksgiving community cooking class students leave with a frozen turkey and a Mariano’s gift card to purchase additional ingredients, and each student leaves with a cooking kit to use with their families.

The Yes, Chef! Master Class Series is described as an evolution of Yes, Chef! that brings students closer to many pathways within the culinary world and connects Chicago high school students with chefs, hospitality leaders, creatives, and industry professionals. Sessions are held in professional environments such as bakeries, restaurants, commissary kitchens, food media studios, and other professional environments, giving exposure to both culinary and culinary-adjacent careers. The Master Class Series offers small-group access to working professionals in real-world settings, introduces students to professional equipment and kitchen workflow, moves students into real industry environments, expands program reach by approximately 50%, and adds direct mentorship from industry professionals.

Last updated July 29, 2026.