Brayden Ezell of Nashville loves to cook lasagne.

She likes putting the different layers of pasta and sauces in the baking dish and can make lasagne for her family in anywhere from a half hour to an hour.

Brayden is 12.

She said her mother, Ashley, inspired her to cook. This week, Brayden and 56 other kids 8 to 12 years old are participating in the eighth year of Mike Riggs’ annual Chef Camp at Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical College. 

Riggs directs the culinary program at SKYCTC.

“I really like to cook,” said Dylan Klein, 8, of Bowling Green. “My favorite supper to cook is meatloaf and mashed potatoes.” Dylan said he is attending Chef Camp to learn more about how to cook pizza. He’s partial to pepperoni.

Riggs said many kids this week have attended the camp at the college’s Bowling Green main campus for several years. They pay $150 for five days of instruction on food preparation, nutrition and dining table etiquette. Working in a modern, professional kitchen, they see things in the food industry not every one experiences, Riggs said.

“They get to work a really big dishwasher,” he said. “It’s so big they could climb inside it. You don’t have that at home.” 

They learn to roll fresh-made pizza dough, bake cookies and make lemonade with fresh lemons. They also took a shot at taking the core from the center of a pineapple using a special coring tool. 

“It is very important for kids to take interest in basic things,” said Lisa Hunt, a culinary professor at SKYCTC. “Everybody eats. For this age group, if you can spark a lifelong interest, they can carry that on for years,” Hunt said.

“We want them to know how much fun cooking can be. It’s not just opening a box in the kitchen,” Riggs said.

Grace Rounce, 11, of Scottsville is attending Chef Camp for the third year. She said learning to work with others in the kitchen has been an important lesson for her. Asked what she prefers to fix in the kitchen, Grace said her spaghetti and meatballs is a fast dish to prepare. 

“I can do it in 30 minutes if I rush it,” she said.

Cooking a multi-berry cobbler in a French oven buried in coals at a camp site is something Nathaniel Burris, 12, of Bowling Green, enjoys.

“You just have to plan it. If you plan it, it shouldn’t be too hard,” he said.

— Follow education reporter Chuck Mason on Twitter at twitter.com/bgdnschools or visit bgdailynews.com.