Some local kids are spending their February vacation learning how to cook from scratch. The folks running the week long camp in Brewer hope to get the kids started on a healthier path. Alison Smith and her husband Stan are the owners of The Dinner Store in Brewer. They say they're trying to teach kids the lost art of cooking from scratch. "We had quite a few successful egg cracks this morning," says Alison Smith, "so we're just starting at the beginning and really giving them a crash course through some basic cooking skills."

One of her pupils this week is 10-year-old Derek Courtney. "I'm just trying to get some other stuff instead of just sitting in front of the tv and being annoyed by my brothers."

Monday is day one of the week long camp. The kids are making their own soft pretzels from scratch. "We're starting out today real simple," says Smith, "getting them used to working with dough, getting dirty. Getting dirty is something you forget about when you get to be an older kid, so we made the pretzels and tomorrow we're going to be making pie, get more into dough, but with a little more technique and skill."

They hope to combine all the skills they learn this week into a Friday feast. "By the end of the week, they'll have actually made a whole dinner for their family," Smith says, "they're going to be making some filled pastas, they're going to be making some more bread, some Italian bread to go with their spaghetti dinners. We're making homemade marinara and the apple pies and the salad dressing should be fun too."

Derek Courtney says he's excited about learning to cook healthy food for his entire family. "So if you like make something that looks like it's healthy, but it's like the food's sort of tricking you, but it's good."

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