The Curious Cook

The Curious Cook is a hands-on camp where science and cooking come together in the kitchen. Youth will explore the fascinating chemistry behind everyday foods while learning practical cooking skills they can use at home. Through fun experiments and recipes, campers will discover how ingredients change through heat, mixing, and time—and why those changes matter.

Campers will also dive into the science of food preservation by learning how to safely can their own foods. They’ll prepare and can a product while learning the science behind keeping food safe and shelf-stable. Participants will even have the opportunity to enter their finished canned goods in the North Carolina State Fair, giving them the chance to showcase their work and compete alongside youth from across the state.

To see food science on a larger scale, campers will also take a behind-the-scenes tour of a local food production facility to learn how the foods we enjoy every day are made, processed, and packaged. From kitchen experiments to real-world food production, The Curious Cook helps youth discover that science is everywhere in the foods we make and eat.

June 17th & 18th

9:00am - 3:00pm

Open to ages rising 6th, 7th, and 8th graders (2026-2027 school year)

You will need:

• Bag lunch each day
• Closed toe shoes
• Long hair will need to be tied back while cooking

Keep In Mind:

• We will begin camp on time. To ensure you do not miss anything, please be on time.
• We will be traveling for this camp. Therefore, you must make sure you agree to the Transportation Waiver in 4-H Online.
• All youth participating must enroll in 4-H Online. You will receive more information about this after registration.

We’d love to see you at this event! To make it happen, we need enough participants enrolled through 4-H Online. If numbers are low, the event may need to be canceled—so be sure to get your registration in early.

To be considered for a financial hardship voucher or if you wish to pay using 4-H scholarship funds, check, or money order please contact Lauren (lrallen@ncsu.edu) to make arrangements.

For the safety of your child, as well as consideration for our staff and instructors, please do not bring your child more than 10 minutes early and pick them up on time. Failure to pick-up your camper within 30 minutes of the program ending, will result in your child being enrolled in our aftercare program and you will be charged $25 for that day.

All youth must enroll in 4-H. Enrollment is free, but is required before participating. During enrollment, you will be asked if you understand and agree to abide by the North Carolina 4-H Youth Development Program Liability Waiver, Assumption of the Risk, Photo & Media Release, and Indemnification Agreements. You can view these documents here.