Calumet County 4-H has been serving up something extra tasty — monthly Food Workshops where youth roll up their sleeves and dig into hands-on kitchen fun! From baking festive Christmas cookies to whipping up picture-perfect pumpkin pies, and even mastering fancy French macarons with our county administrator, the 4-H chefs are cooking with passion. Foods and Nutrition has become the No. 1 project area in Calumet County since the workshops began in 2022!
Thanks to one awesome local Fair Judges (a true kitchen MVP!), we’ve been able to host workshops nearly every month from October through June. This 2024-2025 4-H year, youth had the chance to join seven different food workshops, plus three tasty sessions during their annual Project Day — and summer day camps were also on the menu!
This year, they baked up:
- Christmas cookies and candy
- Take and bake pizza
- Kitchen basics
- Cloverbuds: Making muffins
- Cheesecakes
- Rolled and ice box cookies
- All about cheese
- Advanced cake decorating
- 4-H in the Kitchen day camp
- Advanced Cake Decorating day camp
- Bread in a bag
- Recipe in a jar
- Edible cookie dough
- Pie crust
Why the food focus? To prepare for the annual Foods Auction at the Calumet County Fair! Like an animal auction, youth earn a portion of the proceeds. But to participate they need to attend at least one food workshop. Whether it’s through Extension-led classes, community sessions, summer school, or even club meetings with special kitchen guests, educators are helping young cooks rise like perfectly baked bread. This year, 73 youth attended at least one of the workshops led by the Extension office!
And it’s not just about the food — it’s about the life skills. Each workshop follows the 4-H slogan, ‘Learn by Doing.’ In a real high school foods lab, youth get their own recipes and learn everything from kitchen safety to reading instructions carefully.
A few things our chefs-in-training have learned:
- It does actually matter the order you add the ingredients.
- You need the entire recipe line by line, not just in order of the ingredient list.
- You don’t always add all the flour all at once, you should add it gradually and may not need it all.
- Some even learned how to use a manual can opener for the first time!
Beyond measuring cups and mixing bowls, Calumet County 4-H is building confidence, independence, and joy in learning. Even though the workshops are required for some youth, many sign up for multiple sessions just because they love them. County 4-H staff are already cooking up ideas for the 2025–2026 4-H year — and they take youth suggestions seriously! One teen asked if he could learn to make burgers from scratch. So, we’re teaming up with the Wisconsin Beef Council to make it happen.
These workshops aren’t just about food — they’re about fun, friends, and real-world skills. From flipping burgers to frosting cupcakes, Calumet County 4-H is stirring up something awesome!
