Budding cooks were given a taste of the hospitality industry at a camp run by the Bermuda Tourism Authority.

Junior Chef Camp, part of the BTA’s Culinary Arts Programme, taught youngsters everything from knife skills and kitchen safety, to making pasta from scratch and discovering the secrets of Bermuda’s wild plants.

The BTA hopes it will set them on the path to jobs in the tourism industry.

Eight students served up a luncheon at Bermuda College yesterday to mark the conclusion of their course.

Family members were treated to a variety of foods and techniques, including focaccia bread, fish cakes, vegetables, and cookies.

Aspiring chef Malikah Tankard, 14, told The Royal Gazette: “It’s been very interesting.

“I learnt many new things this week and I got to perfect my skills, like working under time and plate presentation.

“I didn’t know how to fabricate a chicken, which is when you break it down into different pieces.”

Malikah, who enjoys preparing Southern food as well as French cuisine, added: “I want to open up my own restaurant and start my own business eventually, but right after school I’d like to work in the kitchen at The Reefs.”

The camp taught pupils basic skills and safety messages.

Children aged from 10 to 15 were then able to graduate to an advanced camp, which included field trips to Butterfield and Vallis, the Fairmont Southampton, Tucker’s Farm, Aquaponics Bermuda and Passion Field Apiary.

Activities included making pasta and pastries, learning about entrepreneurship and how to create food using wild herbs and plants.

Eron Woods, the learning and development co-ordinator at the BTA, said: “We try not to focus just on the chef aspect but on tourism as a whole.

“That is one of our main goals through BTA’s National Tourism Plan: to create a pathway for young people to work their way into the industry.”