History of Chef-K

History of Chef-K

The concept for Chef-K was initiated in 2002 when Laurie Zerga’s daughter, Megan Zerga, 14, wanted to take a summer cooking camp. While searching for courses in the San Francisco Bay area, Laurie and Megan found a few summer courses for ages 9-12 year-olds, several recreational cooking courses for adults, and courses specifically for the professional. They also discovered wonderful combination of cooking and tours for adults in Italy and France. Megan loved the idea of combining tours with cooking.   There were very few options for teens.

At the time, Laurie was drafting a portfolio of business plans for parents and their children. She decided to prototype a week long culinary camp for eight teens. The camp was for friends of Megan and her 12-year old sister, Kelley. Within a week, she had arranged private lessons with two local chefs as well as tours of two farms, a chocolate factory and fish processing plant. The session was filled with a waiting list within 5 days.

Chef-K supports charitable and non-profit organizations in Northern California. Click here to find out more.