It is never too early to learn how to cook and that was the case during an Alabama 4-H two-day cooking camp that took place at the Chilton County Extension Office in downtown Clanton July 20-21.

The campers were divided up into four groups of three with a head chef appointed with the responsibility of gathering all of the ingredients prior to a project.

Each team member made their own delectable creations that included cinnamon sugar twist break sticks and a yogurt fruit parfait on day one, followed by several breakfast dishes, such as pancakes and breakfast tortilla bowls on day two.

“The reason we did breakfast foods is so that they know how important breakfast is to start the day,” cooking camp instructor Pam Ousley said.

Both days combined several different cooking methods and various types of food that included pastries, desserts, snacks and meals.

According to Ousley, the traits that the children learned during the classes can be reapplied easily at home and is something that they can carry with them as they grow older.

“The recipes are fairly quick, and its something that they can do on their own,” Ousley said.

The focus of the camp was to get children interested in cooking through hands-on activities. That process included learning how to scramble, fry or poach an egg.

Not only did the class teach about food, but also the proper steps when measuring ingredients and the safety measures that should always be taken around the kitchen and with certain cooking utensils.

This was the first summer that the cooking camp was offered, following the introduction of the Chef 4-H program this past year.

Ousley also heads up the Chef 4-H initiative in Chilton County.

“There has been a lot of interest,” Ousley said. “I think they’ve learned a lot and enjoyed it. They’ve eaten everything they’ve made, so that’s pretty good.”