For the first time ever, Jr. Chef Central will hold its popular Jr. Chef Camp in Bermuda from July 7-11 this year. The programme will feature a full week of hands-on cooking classes and culinary field trips, and include sessions on dining etiquette, nutrition and smart food shopping.

Led by Bermudian founder and lead professional cooking instructor Karla Lacey-Minors, the camp is open to children aged ten to 15. Participants will spend their mornings preparing a four-course meal from scratch at International Imports on Par-La-Ville Road, and their afternoons in various culinary activities across the Island. The all-inclusive price is $350 per child, and class size is limited to 12.

California based Jr. Chef Central is a not-for-profit culinary programme which "builds bridges one plate at a time", and has trained more than 800 young people over the past four years.

In addition to children from throughout Northern California, others have travelled from Florida, Idaho, Georgia and Mexico City to participate in the Jr. Chef Cooking Camps.

"They start in the beginner's session, work their way up to advanced sessions, and complete our programme with the six-day master session," Ms Lacey-Minors says. "Typically, it takes three years to build the skills necessary to participate in the master session."

Based in a commercial kitchen in South Sacramento, Jr. Chef classes are also part of a ground-breaking, on-site elementary after-school programme focussed on improving the health of overweight students as a way of increasing their below-average performance in the core subjects of English and math.

"Plans are underway to roll out a similar programme in Bermuda late 2008/early 2009. We have the endorsement of the Department of Health, and are thrilled to have the opportunity to positively impact kids on such a fundamental level," Ms Lacey-Minors says.

All children are welcome in the Jr. Chef cooking camps regardless of ability, and financial assistance is available for those who otherwise could not afford to attend. The programme has been featured on television and in magazines throughout the states of California and Nevada, and the Jr. Chefs make regular appearances at public functions and on news broadcasts to showcase their skills.

In April 2007, a team of Jr. Chefs travelled to Bermuda to film a television pilot: 'Jr. Chef Central, Your Window to the World', and in October 2007, Jr. Chef Central hosted 250 children in America's first-ever 'Kids Culinary Convention'.

This year's Kids Culinary Convention will take place September 20 in Sacramento, California. See website www.karlaskitchentable.com

Jr. Chef Central was founded in 2004 by Ms Lacey-Minors, a former corporate executive with a passion for food and a desire to share her passion in a meaningful way.

Its goals are to teach kids to make healthier lifestyle choices for themselves and, by extension, their families; and to focus on the common denominator of food to bridge cultural, social and economic divides among young people.