CULINARY BOOT CAMP
Chicago is known as a destination for foodies, so why not travel here to become a great home cook? Whether you are a novice in the kitchen or have been cooking for decades, our 5-star rated Culinary Boot Camp will change how you cook for the rest of your life.
It will give you a taste of a professional culinary program without the lengthy time commitment or heavy financial burden. We are the only recreational cooking school that offers this type of culinary foundation and education without attending a year-round culinary academy. Culinary Boot Camp explores all the fundamental methods of cooking, from basics to advanced techniques, in just five days.
People come from all over the country for Culinary Boot Camp (even the world!) so plan your cooking vacation to the Windy City now!
Culinary Boot Camp 1 is now available for registration, and all sessions are either Monday through Friday or five consecutive Saturdays from 9am-5pm at Lincoln Square. Fill out the form to see our available dates in 2023 and current pricing.
Schedule a 15-minute call with our Culinary Boot Camp Concierge to get all of your questions answered.
"Culinary Boot Camp was fantastic, and I highly recommend it for anybody looking to build foundational cooking skills. I traveled from the East Coast for the week and it was worth every ounce of effort, money and time. The team was extremely organized, competent, and patient. The student to instructor ratio was 3/4 to 1 which was much better than I was expecting, so we got all of our questions answered (big and small). The team ensured that we always had the ingredients we needed, perfectly organized/proportioned, and the cleaning staff made sure we had the equipment we needed at all times (high quality cookware, top tier knives, etc.).
Having come in with very little experience, I feel confident in my ability to pick, clean, cook and season all sorts of different meat, poultry, fish, starch and veggie dishes."
~Jared C. 2023 graduate, New York
"Incredible experience visiting The Chopping Block for Culinary Boot Camp. There were a range of different skill levels there - from just beginning to cooking for 30+ years! Best decision to choose this school and such a fun experience. I'd highly recommend going with a couple friends as well!
Instructors were incredibly fun and talented! There were 4-5 floating chefs throughout the day, and they always helped teach & answer questions. They were incredibly organized and food would constantly appear to begin new dishes! I am so thankful for the experience!
You'll learn everything from basic knife skills to reductions, emulsions, and cooking all sorts of meats. We learned to cook over 30-40 different dishes together over the course of the week! Very hands-on experience!"
-Ben T. 2023 graduate, Boston
"I thoroughly enjoyed my time at The Chopping Block for Culinary Boot Camp! Though I have been cooking for almost 35 years, I still learned new things and awesome tips. The chefs were so knowledgeable and the whole staff so encouraging that for the first time I felt like I could conquer parts of the culinary world that I previously shied away from. I will definitely be using these new skills for years to come and my family will be the happy recipients."
-Jan V. 2023 graduate, Wisconsin
