I came across Sprouts when my nutrition club (SNAC) at UC Berkeley was asked for volunteer help in a cooking class. Being that I want to become a registered dietitian and I love working with children, I volunteered right away without knowing much about the club. My first volunteering event was at a gelato shop. It was amazing! We were all in the actual kitchen of the shop and we got to decide what ingredients we wanted to use. The experience was all hands-on with the students chopping up strawberries and scooping vanilla beans from the pod. We ate gelato that they prepared themselves and we were able to try a lot of other flavors. I was just as excited as the kids taking the class! I enjoyed volunteering so much that I'm now an intern at Sprouts. My co-workers are so passionate about their work. I know how much effort goes into preparing for each class. We really try to arrange classes at the most interesting restaurants in the Bay Area from a variety of cuisines. When I solicit ingredients for our after school cooking classes, I take my time to search for ethical companies that are local or offer natural products. The after-school chefs are amazing! I love how we get elementary school children excited about cooking, learning where food comes from, and learning how food affects health. I totally recommend volunteering with Sprouts or signing up your children for our classes. I wish I had taken cooking classes as I child because they're fun and useful. Although I'm already an adult who has been preparing food for a while, even I learn tips and recipes from the classes I assist in. read more

I am a French engineering student and as part of my studies, I interned at Sprouts Cooking Club this summer. I really enjoyed experiencing the behind-the-scenes action of this amazing organization, as well as spending time with kids at camp, teaching them knives skills, the importance of nutrition, and how to cook healthy and tasty food! The kids learned so much in only one week while they were having fun! They got the opportunity to cook with a lot of fresh, healthy produce, and met amazing chefs all along the way. The Sprouts Team is dynamic, very nice, helpful, efficient and makes you feel good! I highly recommend this organization, , do not hesitate anymore ! Je suis une étudiante française en école d'ingénieur, et dans le cadre de mes études j'ai effectué mon stage chez Sprouts Cooking Club cet été. J'ai vraiment apprécié pouvoir travailler au cœur de l'association, et ainsi pouvoir comprendre tout le travail nécessaire au bon déroulement des camps organisés durant l'été ! J'ai également eu la chance d'être " sur le terrain ", c'est-à-dire d'encadrer des groupes d'enfants différents chaque semaine, leur donner des cours de cuisine, leur inculquer les bases d'une alimentation saine, équilibrée et délicieuse ! Les enfants ont l'opportunité de cuisiner avec des produits frais, de qualité et aussi de rencontrer de supers chefs tout au long de la semaine ! L'équipe de Sprouts est dynamique, très gentille, serviable, efficace et font tout leur possible pour que vous vous sentiez bien ! Je vous recommande vraiment cette association, n'hésitez plus ! read more

Our 8-year-old daughter started going to weekend classes last fall, as a way to try out Sprouts before deciding whether or not we'd commit to a week-long summer camp. After baking Valentine's Day cookies at Bluestem Brasserie, guided by their pastry chef, she was hooked. She went on to cook at Burritt Room and Troya, then spent a whole week travelling around Oakland, a different kitchen each day. I can't say enough good things about Dana Plucinski, whose enthusiasm is palpable, and all the counselors. The classes are well structured, with just-difficult-enough tasks to keep the kids engaged, not so hard that it's all over their heads. Our daughter now asks to help at home ("Momma, can I chop those tomatoes for you?"), has made new friends outside her school peer group, has gained confidence entering a group of strangers and finding her place, has experienced the satisfaction of getting to eat food she made herself, and has had more access than we, her food-obsessed parents, have ever had to some of the best kitchens in the city. Moreover, all the chefs we've met, who give their time on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, have loved helping kids learn, have been gracious and welcoming, and have shown incredible patience. I cannot recommend Sprouts Cooking Club highly enough, really. read more

My daughter first began taking summer cooking camps at Sprouts when she was 8 years old. My daughter is now 16 and cooks/bakes on a daily basis. I am so grateful to Sprouts and Karen (the Founder) for giving my daughter cooking skills. She knows how to cut a whole chicken, use a knife properly, experiment with a variety of spices and ingredients when cooking, try new vegetables, and choose healthy eating options, and much much more as a result of Sprouts. Cooking is a life skill that our children will not only use daily, but that they can pass on to their kids and share with parents and siblings. Sprouts is so much more than a Summer Cooking Camp for kids, but has a mission to help at risk youth find employment through culinary training. I value that Sprouts gives back to the community by taking the tuition from cooking camps and cooking classes and sponsoring the Chef-In-Training Program. I believe in their mission to teach kids about nutrition, as well as helping kids at risk through the Chef-In-Training Program. Sprouts has become a special family to us. read more

I still remember my first summer working with Sprouts Cooking Club (2009!) -- it was busy, bustling and such a blast. I have fond memories of the campers, chefs, and restaurants. I remember thinking how cool it was (for me and the kiddos!) to get to go into some favorite local restaurants and experience the behind the scenes magic! And they weren't just watching, they were cutting, stirring, chopping, COOKING. My role then involved communicating with parents about the weekly schedule and scheduling times with chefs to teach kid-friendly, seasonal, healthy menus. In addition, I became a sometimes Chef Instructor and got to develop cooking lessons from my own experiences working in restaurants. It has been fun to see Sprouts keep growing over the years. And the mission is spot on - we need our kids cooking REAL, healthy, nutritious, delicious meals and there is no better way to inspire than connecting with real chefs in real kitchens. read more

Volunteering with sprouts was an awesome experience for myself the kids. Very smooth volunteer process, I've done it several times and get the right amount of reminders. Upon arrival, their operations director provides an overview of the program and then kids start arriving. The chefs always are excited to work with the kids and we always make such delicious foods and learn so much about cooking and health. It's always awesome to see a shy or nervous child's personality emerge while cooking. It is a really calming activity that is still really a lot of fun and I always enjoy working with the kids that come (from a variety of socioeconomic backgrounds). Sprouts is doing really amazing and necessary work on the Bay Area. Last time I volunteered the head chef at boulevard got all the kids to like Brussels sprouts! It's was incredible to see them ask for more. read more

This past summer I had the joy of being a summer camp counselor intern with Sprouts, and could not have asked for a better experience. As counselor, I had a blast interacting with the talented creative kids, along with awesome coworkers. The best part was inspiring our kids to explore the possibilities cooking with real food at home! The cooking classes felt like I was on the Food Network, and I learned invaluable skills and tips from professional chefs. Often we forget the importance of where our food comes from, however Sprouts emphasized the significance in a fun interactive way by taking field trips to farms around the Bay Area. This organization has a mission we can all be a part of in our community, and the work they are doing could be greatly impacted with more support! read more

Our daughter attended Sprouts cooking camp this summer and really enjoyed the whole experience. She started the camp as a kid who didn't like eating her veggies. After camp, she asked for more vegetables to be added to our grocery list (previously unheard of!), and wanted to start cooking vegetable dishes, in addition to other dishes. As a parent, this was way beyond my expectations! She really enjoyed all the instructors, counselors, and counselors in training. Our whole family was really impressed with the whole program - from the caliber of restaurants that participated, the dishes the kids made, the emphasis on healthy eating/cooking, and the techniques the kids learned. It was evident a lot of hard work, planning, and care went into the design of the program. read more

An amazing experience. I have assisted with multiple classes at Sprouts and the volunteering opportunities are great! The whole experience is extremely well organized, and the chefs are always extremely engaging. The kids have always walked away more excited about cooking and proud of what they are able to do in such a short amount of time. The volunteer process is also excellent, as it allows you to really engage with the kids and also learn some cooking skills yourself, and only takes a small chunk of time out of your day. I highly recommend this program to anyone who wants to have an impact and also have a great time! read more

I interned with Sprouts Cooking Club this summer at their week long summer camps and had a total blast! I loved working with the kids, getting to meet and cook with amazing local chefs, and of course eat delicious meals each day. Sprouts does a fantastic job helping to teach young children about where healthy food comes from, why it is important and how to make it, but also why and who does not have access to well-balanced meals and what they can do to help. Everyone on the team works hard to make these classes fun AND educational and I was so happy to be a small part of it this summer. read more

I volunteered with Sprouts this past summer and loved it! I work in the nutrition field and so I really enjoyed seeing kids learn the skills needed to get creative with food and live a healthy life. The fundamental goals of this company are ones I really identify with and ones I emphasized during my two weeks of volunteering. The kids are exposed to amazing chefs in the community and have so many first-rate experiences. The Sprouts team puts in an incredible amount of effort behind the scenes and also on a day to day basis at the cooking classes/camp. Send your children to Sprouts! read more

Sprouts is definitely an original concept. Kids in real restaurants. Minors cooking with knives and open flame? I bet they've got a pretty intense insurance policy! I've done three summers of camps with Sprouts so I can't say much about their year round classes - but their camps are great! The kids bounce from restaurant to restaurant and really do get their hands (and clothing :) ) dirty. Thank heavens for aprons and stain remover. Also, points for their scholarship program. It's nice seeing the diversity of the bay Area for once - not just kids from the Oakland hills or Marin! read more

The opportunities that Sprouts gives to young people are so unique! I took part in a culinary immersion in Southern France with Sprouts and had an amazing experience learning how to cook real food with real ingredients under the tutelage of real chefs! It gave me a greater appreciation for not only the nutritional value of cooking from scratch, but also for the social and cultural value of cooking and eating with others. Whether you have a passion for food or are merely intrigued by the idea of a cooking class, I highly recommend Sprouts! read more

I went to this camp for several years as a kid, in its early days. It was so fun and formative. A truly amazing experience to actually be able to work in restaurant kitchens and learn from their chefs. I even went on to culinary school and working in kitchens myself! There's nothing else out there quite like Sprouts. How many camps give kids the chance to cook in real professional kitchens and go to the south of France to learn regional cuisine?! Everything about it was fantastic and truly helped me onto this path for the rest of my life!! read more

amazing youth cooking classes/ camps! My daughter showed an interest in cooking this summer and came out of camp with a full blown passion. She did a week long summer camp where they travelled to different kitchens all over San Francisco and learned techniques from so many amazing chefs. Visiting a farm, and a food waste lesson also gave the kids a great view of the industry beyond the kitchen, too. Great counselors and really communicative directors also made it a really amazing experience! Thanks, sprouts :) read more

I attended a Sprouts cooking camp when I was 12 years old and I loved the experience I had meeting real chefs in professional kitchens. I'm 15 now and I recently held a fundraising event in Los Angeles for Sprouts because I am inspired by their work. I prepared a meal for my friends and family and did a cooking demonstration to make the evening fun. I'm glad I got the opportunity to help their mission of giving kids in difficult situations a chance to succeed through food. Sprouts is amazing! read more

Sprouts has been such a great find for our family. My kids have loved the classes so much they invited their best friends to join them. My son say "it's so much fun to get to work in real restaurant kitchens with professional chefs. It's a LOT of fun." The counselors are warm and encouraging, the kids learn real life skills, and we get to enjoy some tasty meals. This program has reconnected us with San Francisco's amazing culinary scene in a fresh, new way. read more

I have been working with Karen and her team for a few years now and I cannot begin to say how amazing they all are. The amount of work everyone puts in to make the camps work, to the benefit dinners over the years. This is an incredible organization, dedicated to teaching our youth the importance of healthy, delicious food as well as working with impoverished youths and placing them in kitchens for potential careers in the food industry. read more

My 2012 resolution was to volunteer more and I came across Sprouts through volunteermatch.org It's the only resolution I've kept to this day because I believe in this organisation. Every restaurant has its own micro culture and philosophy. Sprouts reveals the secrets to great food and teaches our next generation a critical life skill. Helping kids learn while exploring San Francisco's culinary scene is both rewarding and delicious. read more