Originally founded in December of 2005, Camp Cook's roots go back to June of 2003 when its parent company at the time, The Suburban Concierge Company, was founded. The Suburban Concierge Company was founded by Mary Aragon, a Youth and Family Minister turned entrepreneur, to initially help clients accomplish their to-do lists. Her clients' lists consistently revolved around food-shopping, meal planning, cooking, party planning and catering. The company quickly expanded to party planning and catering. During this time Mary honed her self-taught chef skills, however, something was missing.
In December of 2005, Mary, missing youth ministry, decided to experiment with the idea of cooking classes and holiday camps for children and youth. The first holiday camp was offered on the Faith Lutheran Church campus, December 21, 2005. Ten campers participated. In the summer of 2006, two church campuses hosted Camp Cook with about 30 campers participating. The cooking adventures took off.
In the following years, Camp Cook grew to be an exciting adventure serving all ages with a variety of programs. We were privileged to have a small kitchen located off of Lakeview Haven Drive in northwest Houston in the 77095-zip code. In this location, we hosted our classes, birthday parties, summer and holiday camps, workshops, date night cooking classes for couples, and team building adventures. Our clients included many children, youth, families, adults, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, homeschoolers, and a few local businesses participated in team building. We had remote offerings with many daycares, Montessori schools, YMCAs, Kidventure, and other summer camps. What a wonderful (and busy) time we had for seven years! We were fortunate to have wonderful staff, campers, and students of all ages!
As a busy mom, wife and business owner, Mary understood the importance of work/life balance and caring for self. She recognized the need to focus on self-care, her family, and the growing needs of her neurodiverse sons. In January 2011, Mary closed Camp Cook's doors in order to fully focus on family responsibilities and homeschooling her sons. She homeschooled elementary, middle and high school from August 2010 -April 2021. What an adventure! Mary's sons, now 21 and 26, are thriving!
Fast forward to 2022. The work began on bringing Camp Cook back to life. A new business plan was set into motion. In October of 2023 Camp Cook, LLC was officially formed. Our mission is to teach people to CONNECT and THRIVE in the kitchen.
The kitchen is a powerful and sacred place. Not only do we nurture our most basic needs via the kitchen, but we also have tremendous opportunity to connect and build strong relationships. Through the process of cooking, we hone our social, planning, organization, and presentation skills. The kitchen is an excellent connection point for people to have great conversation, work together and learn while accomplishing a common goal. How exciting to know that learning to cook and working together in the kitchen contributes to the development of so many essential life skills necessary for independent living.
Our services are for teens 13+, adults, and neurodiverse individuals 13+. Our curriculum is mindfully and purposefully designed for learning in a cozy home environment. Learn culinary and organizational life skills essential for navigating the kitchen and living independently.
Our BIG cooking adventures encourage students to Be Inspired to Gain independence in the kitchen! Welcome to Camp Cook Kitchen!
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