Home Economics 101
with Chef Pamela DiCristo
Our Curriculum
What's covered in our courses?
**Courses are modified for our younger age groups
🌿 Gardening Component
All outdoor classes include hands-on gardening activities. Each student will plant and care for their own herbs, which they’ll use in class throughout the course—deepening their connection between food, flavor, and where it comes from.
🔪 Dicing, Slicing, and Chopping
Students learn to handle knives safely while exploring cutting techniques like julienning, dicing, and mincing. Skills are put to use in two delicious recipes.
🍲 Sauces and Soups
We dive into foundational flavor-building, learning to make stocks and “mother” sauces like tomato and Alfredo. Students apply these to classic comfort dishes.
🌿 Herbs and Spices
Fresh herbs and spices are flavor builders. This class teaches students how to season like a chef—using balance, restraint, and creativity—some of it straight from their own mini-gardens.
🍳 Breakfast 101
From eggs to pancakes and waffles, students explore classic sweet and savory breakfasts. The goal: mastering go-to recipes they’ll love for life.
🍕 Pizza Making
Students learn to make dough from scratch, experiment with toppings, and create their own signature pies. It’s hands-on, messy, and so much fun.
🔥 Grilling with a Guest Instructor
Held in our outdoor kitchen, this class introduces students to grilling fundamentals. They’ll learn safety, prep, and how to grill meats, veggies, and even fruit with confidence.
🍞 Baking with a Guest Pastry Chef
This sweet and savory baking class features a local pastry chef who guides students through the process of making fresh bread and a surprise dessert. They’ll leave inspired and covered in flour.
🎨 Express Yourself (Iron Chef Style)
Students are challenged to create a dish from a mystery ingredient using what they’ve learned. It’s a playful, confidence-building experience that brings out their creativity.
👩🍳 Final Exam & Celebration
To wrap it all up, students prepare and present a final dish of their choice. Chef bags and coats are awarded, and we celebrate with a final feast and lots of high fives.
A Message from Chef Pamela
After taking a little time off to grow my family (my little one just turned two!), I’m thrilled to bring DiCristo Meals cooking programs back this summer, now held right from my home!
With over 15 years of experience as a culinary instructor and private chef, I’ve taught thousands of cooking classes and worked with kids, teens, and adults of all ages. My culinary path has taken me around the world, where I’ve trained, cooked, and studied a wide range of cuisines that now inspire every dish I teach.
I’ve created the perfect cooking environment inside and out—right here at home in Santa Barbara. Our outdoor kitchen and gardening space makes learning interactive and fun, while the indoor kitchen is fully equipped for comfort, safety, and creativity. My space is licensed with the City of Santa Barbara, fully insured, and safety certified to ensure a professional and secure environment for your young chefs.
Now, with a fresh curriculum and a whole lot of heart, I’m so excited to share my love of cooking with a new group of inspired young chefs. Let’s make this summer delicious!
Group Bookings
Contact us for here for group Bookings
If you have a pod group or class with at least 4-8 kids, and you'd like to book an 8 week course, please submit your information below.
Your classes will be scheduled based on your availability, so please include at least 2 days and times that will work.
** When we say pod bookings---if you have a group of kids that meet each week or weekly at the same time for other classes or activities, you may book as a group, verses individually.
You may also inquire here, for birthday parties, special events, demos, and more!
Meet Chef Pamela DiCristo
I was born and raised in Atlanta Georgia, where Sunday dinners were legendary, sun tea was the dinner drink of choice, fresh squeezed lemonade made the Georgia summers bearable, and every single dish was made from scratch.
Growing up surrounded by some of the most amazing home chefs, I developed a passion for food and heritage at a very early age — understanding where traditions began, how we honor and celebrate them, and the storytelling that accompanies every meal being prepared.
My passion has afforded me some pretty amazing experiences, and I attribute every success that I've achieved to my quirky, yet unique journey.
While attending Dillard University in New Orleans, LA, I had the opportunity to add additional cultural and flavorful layers to my craft.
I went on to live and work in New York, where I managed one of the city’s most iconic restaurants-- “Sarabeth's,” located right across the street from Central Park West, between the Ritz Carlton and the Plaza Hotel.
That position and experience introduced me to the Irwin family, where I was fortunate enough to travel and work abroad in Australia. Working and cooking for one of the most inspiring families I've ever had the pleasure of knowing! It was an honor cooking for royalty!
From there, I relocated to Los Angeles for 9 years and then San Diego for 5 years, where I established myself in both cities as a professional chef and caterer, and have had (still do) the pleasure of cooking for some pretty amazing people.
We have a successful meal plan company located in Coronado, CA cooking and catering to a beautiful community of people.
I began combining my love for food with my fondness for teaching, and for the past 7 years, teaching has been a huge part of what I do.
I am a survivor of Breast Cancer, married to my best friend and partner, and most recently a first time Mommy, who is more inspired now than ever before.
It is my belief that every child should have a basic to intermediate understanding of how food works on every level, while exploring all the benefits cooking can bring, combined with good manners and table etiquette.
This level of understanding and education fosters healthy relationships with food and all the many joys that cooking for yourself, and others can bring!