At Wekiva Culinary, we are dedicated to helping enthusiastic, passionate students find high-impact, paid internship opportunities.
We know that finding entry-level work in Central Florida is easy, finding a paid opportunity that builds valuable career skills, earns high school credit, and connects you with industry leaders is something special.
We are excited to announce our upcoming Summer Youth Camp Kitchen Internship at the Florida Federation of Garden Clubs (FFGC) Youth Camp, located right here in Wekiva Springs State Park!
If you are a Culinary 2 or Culinary 3 student looking to fast-track your hospitality career, gain commercial kitchen experience, and earn money over the summer, this is YOUR opportunity. There aren’t very many positions; Chef Bates will only hire 10-12 student workers… SO DON’T WAIT.
If you are a senior who worked at the camp during your junior year, you are eligible to apply for one of the TWO coveted Supervisor positions. let chef now EARLY that this is what you want to do after graduation. You will get additional training during the year to get you ready and if everything goes well, you will know in April if you have been selected.
If you won’t be 16 by June 1st but really want to get some cooking experience or just build up your volunteer hours, talk with chef about potentially volunteering a few times a week over the summer. Volunteering is a great way to build your skills and make the NEXT year a slam-dunk.
🌟 Why Apply? Key Highlights & Benefits
- Get Paid to Learn: Competitive pay starting at $12.00/hour during training and $16.00/hour for the remainder of the summer
- Earn High School Credit: Complete the summer in good standing and you will ALSO earn course credit.
- Real Commercial Experience: Work as part of a high-energy kitchen team preparing daily meals for 150 campers and staff.
- Flexible Summer Hours: Work 20–30 hours per week across morning or dinner shifts while building a powerful resume for college or career entry.
🍳 What the Internship Entails
Interns work directly in the FFGC Youth Camp commercial kitchen. You won’t just be watching—you’ll be actively running operations.
Core Responsibilities Include:
- Food Prep & Production: Washing, peeling, slicing, and chopping meats, vegetables, and ingredients for large-scale meal service.
- Kitchen & Station Sanitation: Cleaning, sanitizing, and maintaining work stations, cookware, utensils, and commercial equipment in accordance with health and safety standards.
- Inventory & Logistics: Assisting with food delivery receiving, inventory unloading, and proper food storage.
- Teamwork & Service: Interacting professionally with campers, counselors, and staff to deliver a great dining experience.
📋 Eligibility & Expectations
Because this internship carries official high school course credit and financial compensation, we hold our interns to professional industry standards:
- Eligibility: Open to Culinary 2 & Culinary 3 students who will be 16 years of age or older on or before June 1.
- Term Commitment: The camp runs for 7 weeks during the summer (June through July). Interns must commit to and complete the full 7-week term to receive a passing grade for the OJT credit course.
- Reliability & Punctuality: Punctuality is critical in food service. The attendance policy is strictly enforced (more than 3 tardies or any “no-call, no-show” can result in termination and course failure).
- Physical & Professional Readiness: Interns must be capable of standing for long periods, lifting up to 50 lbs, following multi-step safety instructions, and maintaining a positive, professional attitude at all times.
- Schedule & Shifts: The camp runs 7 days a week. Opening shifts generally run from 6:00 AM – 2:00 PM, and dinner shifts run from 2:00 PM – 9:00 PM. Interns must be available for most shifts and days during the 7-week run.
- Transportation: There is no on-site housing. Interns must provide their own daily transportation to the Youth Camp entrance located off E. Welch Road in Apopka.
- Onboarding & Paperwork: Selected interns must attend a mandatory spring onboarding session at Wekiva High School and also with a third party company (that will process your pay via direct-deposit).
- Parent/Guardian Approval: Because our interns are enrolled high school students, parent/guardian agreement and approval are required.
🚀 Interested in Taking Your Culinary Skills to the Next Level?
Positions for this paid internship program are limited and highly competitive. If you have a solid work ethic, high standards of dependability, and a passion for culinary arts, we want to hear from you!
How to Get Started:
- Talk to Chef Bates in the culinary department to express your interest and check your eligibility.
- Review the schedule with your family to ensure you can commit to the summer camp dates.
- Keep an eye out for application opening announcements on Canvas and in class!
Don’t wait until the end of the school year—start preparing now to secure your spot in the kitchen!