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Kelli Petri Catering - Teen Culinary Adventures Summer Camp

Monday - We visited China Town, where we toured the neighborhood, snacked on Chinese pastries, ate a lunch of dim sum and shopped in local markets. Some of the groups already had a recipe in mind so they enjoyed a scavenger hunt to find won ton wrappers and rice paper. The more adventurous groups let the ingredients spark their imaginations - baby octopus and a live eel were their inspiration. Unfortunately, the octopus was misplaced on the train ride home to be found by some unsuspecting commuter. The eel made it back to the kitchen where it was skinned and stuffed with a recipe that was created by the young chefs. Admittedly, I was nervous about the outcome, but it turned out to be quite good!

Tuesday brought us to the North end where we sampled delicious pastries, spices, oils, meats and cheeses, just to name a few items. The ingredients were much more familiar; however, we were introduced to some new things that we have never experienced before. For me, it was the preserved candied citron - absolutely delicious. One of the groups used this in the canollis that they made. Some of the other creations for the day consisted of hand kneaded fresh pasta and a sausage and sundried tomato ragout.

Wednesday kept us a bit closer to home. We visited Liz Mulholland at Valley View Farms in Topsfield. The kids spent the morning interacting with the goats, touring the grounds and watching a goat being milked. We were shown what stages the raw milk goes through to become the delicious Feta or Chevre. We were delighted to taste all of their offerings and witness what happens to the taste and texture of a semi-soft cheese when it is allowed to ripen. Back in the kitchen, the groups made a fabulous quesadilla, goat cheese torte and a hor d’oeuvre of fresh figs, prosciutto (bought the day before in the North End) and Valley View Chevre - yummy!

Thursday was spent on a lobster boat in Manchester. Captain Jack Petri, of Petri Brother’s Lobsters, took the group out on what gratefully was a beautiful day. They were encouraged to pull the traps, measure and band the lobster while learning different lobster facts. After working in the hot sun they enjoyed a cooling dip in the ocean. The group brought the dozen lobsters they caught and turned them into lobster wontons and delicious pasta with a lobster cream sauce.

Friday brought us back to Boston where we experienced the infamous Haymarket. Abundant produce was purchased and some of us witnessed a scene that could have come from Anthony Bordaine's "No Reservations" TV show. A local butcher was walking through the market with a full, skinned lamb carcass thrown over his shoulder. Who would have thought you could see this in Boston?

But, my favorite part of the whole week was the dinner that the kids created for their families. Each camper presented their meal, describing the ingredients, how they made it and where they purchased the ingredients from. All the guests were very impressed at the creativity, variety, complexity and tastes of all the dishes presented. Truly, some of the favorites where the ones improvised by the campers - a plum tart that was supposed to be a rhubarb pie, but because the market did not have rhubarb, they opted for plums instead. Or the fresh berry Neapolitan with pastry cream that was created because one of the campers wanted to make something from phyllo dough that he had used earlier that week. Or the delicious homemade raviolis stuffed with the lobster meat they pulled from the ocean the day before and topped with a sauce made from the lobster shells.

I loved watching the faces of the guests tasting each dish, and I loved seeing the faces of the campers when they were praised for their impressive work. Here are a few emails that I received from some of the moms of the campers:

"This week was a big success for the boys. John said that he would like to help prepare meals more and try other ethnic foods. Thank you for opening his mind and building his confidence in the kitchen, teaching them how to improvise, and for taking him to so many wonderful places this week. This was a very unique and rewarding experience, and I feel lucky to have had so many delicious dishes today."

"It was so nice to meet you and I am grateful that you gave my kids such a wonderful camp experience. Hannah is all about cuisine since camp. Ian had a blast, especially on the field trips - Ian said [Valley View Farms] was his favorite place - (how can you top being nibbled by a baby goat?). Again, many thanks for your great energy and for providing Ian and Hannah with a wonderful experience."