Dozens of local children learned how to cook like a real chef in "Cooking From Scratch Camp," held in the commercial kitchen of Edmond Town Hall's Alexandria Room.

The camp was held in five different sessions from late July to mid-August. Ages 7 to 10 had morning sessions on July 20 to 24 and August 3 to 7, while ages 11 to 13 had afternoon sessions on those same dates; eager chefs ages 11 to 16 had one session from August 10 to 14.

No matter the group, Kitti Deak of The Healing Herb Garden taught kids how to make popular everyday foods completely from scratch. Dishes ranged from scones, sourdough muffins, and apple turnovers to pasta, granola, and yogurt parfaits.

The goal of each day, Deak said, was to introduce campers to new recipes and techniques so they could build confidence in the kitchen and take pride in the food they created.

On August 13, campers in the ages 11 to 16 session got to make homemade mixed berry ice cream and sourdough discard triple berry cake.

To make their ice cream, the kids combined ingredients such as milk and heavy whipping cream into a bowl and mixed them well. Deak then poured the ingredients into two ice cream makers along with ice and rock salt.

While the ice cream makers got to work, the kids started preparing their triple berry cake. The recipe called for them to prepare a round pan with parchment paper, mix dry and wet ingredients in separate bowls before later combining them, and to gently fold strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries into their batter. All the while, Deak was ready to help her campers at a moment's notice.

After that, campers carefully spread the batter into their prepared pans, finishing their cakes by sprinkling granulated sugar on top. Deak organized everyone's cakes onto several baking sheets and slid them into the oven.

However, just because the campers finished cooking for the day did not mean their job was done. Everyone worked together to clean up the kitchen, from spraying down and wiping off the table to rinsing, washing, and drying all the dishes.

After that, the campers could enjoy the fruits of their labor, literally and metaphorically. Deak took the first batch of ice cream out of the freezer and scooped it out for everyone to enjoy.

The Joy Of Cooking

Deak is one of three local instructors Edmond Town Hall reached out to for its summer cooking and baking camps this year. The other two are Joe Attonito of JJ Stacks, who ran Savory Cooking Camp, and Ashley Alvarez of RoeMarie Cakes, who ran Baking & Cake Decorating Camp.

Deak is no stranger to hosting classes, having transformed her passion for elderberries and cooking into a career all her own. She started in the engineering field, but pivoted during the COVID-19 pandemic by starting her own farm, The Healing Herb Garden.

The Healing Herb Garden specializes in medicinal herbs, with Deak saying they make syrups, teas, homemade jams, honey, and herbal infused honey in addition to soaps, candles, and other craft goods. Deak also opened a small-scale bakery there around two years ago. The bakery runs once every month and focuses on Hungarian goods — as Deak is Hungarian — and sourdough goods.

For the last few years, Deak has held several workshops on baking and canning at The Healing Herb Garden. When it came to her Edmond Town Hall class, Deak wanted to give kids a chance to try different foods and learn how to love making them.

"I try to do things you cannot find anywhere else," Deak said on August 13. "Like yesterday, the kids did sourdough scones and sourdough muffins, which you cannot find in a regular store. You might find regular scones and muffins there, but not sourdough-based ones. So I try to be a little bit different."

Deak said she loves teaching; she feels baking, as well as cooking, is something parents "don't do anymore.

"So I truly believe it's our job to pass down what we know," she added. "I've been baking for my entire life, probably 35 years at least, so it's one of those callings that I teach and enjoy. I really love it."

It can also be difficult teaching kids, according to Deak. Many campers at her recent Edmond Town Hall class started as shy and unwilling to communicate with each other. Some were not keen on parts of the cooking process, notably cleaning.

Deak said she sat them down and encouraged her campers to work together and communicate. She told them that camp is not just about learning how to cook, but also about socialization and connecting with one another.

Most kids usually turn around come the end of the week. By Thursday, several campers in the ages 11 to 16 session could be spotted smiling doing dishes, laughing amongst themselves as they rinsed off baking sheets and got water on themselves.

"Every Monday, they come in here and they don't even look at each other. They are strangers. By Friday, they are friends," Deak said with a smile. "It's cute. And I think it's very, very important for kids to get together, to get them to play, to have fun, because kids are losing that."

Reporter Jenna Visca can be reached at jenna@thebee.com.