We are REALLY hoping we can hold a Bootcamp in 2024!

If everything works out, we will welcome 30 rising 9th grade Culinary students for 5 days of intensive learning, cooking, trophies, and fun. This is a perfect opportunity for motivated culinary students to get a head start, to get familiar with the kitchen and working with commercial equipment, to focus on what makes professional cooking “professional,” to become comfortable with being on the high school campus, to make new friends who will be by your side for the next four years, cooking and learning together.

It’s a good idea. You should do it.

WHAT WE DO

Each day of camp lasts from 9 AM to 2:30 PM and every minute will be BUSY! During that time we will learn and practice basic and advanced knife skills, learn the day’s menu, prep and cook a full meal (from scratch, always!), review food safety, eat together, go over the cooking skills practiced that day, and clean the kitchen so we can come back the next day and do it all over again! For a complete listing of the recipes and menus that will be learned this year, please scroll to the bottom of the page.

Students will be sorted into cooking groups, competing against all other groups for bragging rights and more importantly, for the MustangChef Trophy,awarded during the final banquet!

APPLYING FOR CAMP

Unfortunately, not everyone who wants to can come. To apply to be admitted to the Culinary Bootcamp, you must be a rising 9th grade student registered to take the course in the Fall. Registered Magnet students get priority approval, however, ALL of our incoming 9th grade students are welcome to apply.

Later in the year, we hold a second, significantly smaller Competition Bootcamp. To attend the Competition Bootcamp, you must also have indicated a desire to represent our school in local, state, and national competitions as well as pay the separate registration fee.

COMPETITION

Competition is FUN. If you are interested in joining the competition team, email Chef Bates regarding your interest and register once the link opens. Need inspiration to join? Check out these videos from our last two NATIONAL competitions. This is just a SMALL sampling of all the events and championships we participated in and they were ALL FUN!

As we do every year, we will be serving a group of deserving people lunch on one of our days together. Last year year, we served 250 of Apopka’s First Responders – fire, police, and EMT – a BBQ lunch at the local VFW.

FEES

The cost to attend camp the MustangChef Culinary Bootcamp is $300 and includes meals, cooking supplies, and a camp t-shirt. Students who register by February 1st pay an early bird, discounted rate of $250.

The cost to attend the Competition Bootcamp is $95 and includes meals and cooking supplies.

Here are the relevant details:

COOKING SCHEDULE

• Basic to Advanced Knife Skills and Garnishing (Everyday)
• Breakfast Burritos with Pico de Gallo and Handmade Queso
• Shatter-Batter Chicken Tenders with Fresh Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce and Whipped Potatoes
• Smashburgers with Handmade Potato Chips and Freshly Baked Buns; Baked, Stuffed Apples
• Ropa Vieja in Plantain Cups with Citrus Crema; Sugar Art 101
• Chicken Lettuce Wraps with Ginger Rice; Banana Spring Rolls with Caramel Sauce
• Pulled Pork BBQ Lunch for First Responders with Coleslaw, Baked Beans, and Hawaiian Sweet Rolls
• Mystery Box Challenge

EVERYTHING ELSE

• The Best Icebreakers and Team-Builders For Culinary Arts Competition Teams
• MustangChef TROPHY Rules

Pictures from the 2021 BootCamp and First Responders BBQ

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