Teaching tools: Community cooking classes bring new skills to the curious

The art of cooking can be shared outside of your favorite restaurant or from the comfort of your own home.

Community cooking classes can be a way to bond over a mutual love for food by expanding knowledge and gaining new experiences because of this common interest.

And if cooking is new, or intimidating to you, these classes are designed to not only share love for food, but expand it.

Local establishments are doing just that: Welcoming guests to try their hand foraging their own ingredients, making dishes from scratch, and more.

577 Foundation, 577 E. Front St, Perrysburg

Culinary arts classes held at the 577 Foundation range from familiar foods to world cuisine, offering a little something for everyone.

The “Little Chefs” class at 577 is geared toward students 7 to 12 years old, said Kelly Hirsh, the assistant director of administrative operations at the 577 Foundation who also teaches this class.

“Each kid has a station and they’re building every single part of the recipe on their own,” she added. “They’re really working together on something you would make at home with your family.”

Some students are measuring ingredients, others are stirring them — ultimately, they’re learning.

These classes include two to third recipes along with a craft, Hirsh said, going along with a theme, whether that be seasonality or a specific type of cuisine.

Using fresh ingredients from 577’s garden is something Hirsh strives for as well — from fresh herbs to vibrant vegetables from the more than 50 garden plots on the grounds.

“I definitely look at things seasonally. When I’m trying to build a menu, I’m always thinking about what [I] could add that might be a new ingredient or new things that kids are exposed to,” she continued. “I always try to incorporate at least one thing they may not be as familiar with.”

Hirsh recognized that between work and busy school schedules, life can get in the way of being able to eat together as a family, but said there are clear benefits to sitting down at the table together — and the “Little Chefs” class is one way to bridge that gap.

“My hope is that these people learn something new and get excited about it,” she said. “I hope they feel comfortable making [recipes] here, they will try that at home, and share that with their families.”

The next “Little Chefs” class is set for sometime in June, the instructor said, with walking tacos and homemade guacamole on the menu.

Kids classes are typically around $35, and the class schedule can be found at 577foundation.org/classes-events/culinary-arts .

A second class offered at 577 is the “Foraged & Seasonal Cooking” class taught by staff instructor Samantha Day, who also serves as the foundation’s organic garden horticulturist.

The intent of this class is to not only share the benefits of cooking your own meals, but how rewarding sourcing local, and sustainable, can be.

“We do a little lap around the ground, and I point out several plants that are available for harvesting,” she said. “A lot of the foraging plants have a certain stage that they’re best harvested, if it’s the tender leaf stage or fruiting stage.”

Once ingredients are harvested, the students will take the plants back to the kitchen to incorporate into various dishes.

“I choose recipes that I make at home, and recipes that you can jam a lot of greens into,” Day said. “I try to reserve the last half an hour for people to just get a plate. People just end up falling into conversation. … It’s almost like a community dinner feeling.”

From a winter bone-in chicken soup to a spring quiche, Day teaches staple recipes that guests can use in their day-to-day lives.

Foraging ingredients is something that can connect people back to nature, Day said, and by having 10 to 12 guests per session, this idea can be intentionally taught because of the small class size.

“[I offer] a kind of amateur approach, you know I’m not an expert, but I can definitely identify plants … and test recipes in the kitchen,” she continued. “I don’t want people to be intimidated by this. … No matter where you’re from in the world, people forage, your ancestors forage.”

The “Foraged & Seasonal Cooking” class is typically $38, Day added, with one class scheduled per season. The next one is set for July 14.

Alongside these class offerings, 577 has sessions on sourdough starter, kombucha making, quick pickling, and more.

Foodology, 2059 W. Laskey Road, Toledo

Foodology was founded in 2016 by Toledo-native Andi Lawrence, sharing that the inspiration behind the business was to create a fun, inviting space for guests to enjoy cooking without the added stress of grocery shopping and kitchen cleaning.

As a longtime chef and culinary instructor, who currently teaches at Clay High School, Lawrence said Foodology aims to offer classes for all skill levels and ages: both for the home cook looking to gain more experience and for more seasoned chefs looking to build onto their kitchen knowledge.

The classes offered at Foodology dive into various types of cooking — from Indian and Mexican cuisine to Southern comfort food and pasta making — these sessions are meant to inform guests, while giving them a memorable and enjoyable experience.

“Most of the recipes are my own tried and true recipes, and have been adjusted and perfected over 18 years of teaching culinary arts,” she added. “Some of the class recipes and concepts come from current and former Foodology chef instructors and their years of experience.”

The class recipes are typically completed by a group of 8 to 12 students in under 3 hours, Lawrence said, making sure to include both basic and advanced skills.

Cooking is a very social activity, the instructor said, whether that be with your friends, family, or done with like-minded individuals in Foodology’s kitchen.

“Customers in our public classes tell us that they ‘Start out as strangers and leave as friends!’ she said. “Foodology fills a gap in the community where people want to learn how to cook, but they don't want to attend a formal culinary school or program. Many people just want to take a few no judgment classes, of their choice, at the time and date that works for them.”

The chef instructors at Foodology have over 50 years of combined professional cooking experience, she said, and have been teaching culinary arts for over 20 years.

“The menu (depending on the class) will be anywhere from 4 to 6 items that the class creates together. A dessert is part of almost every menu!” she exclaimed. “Each class is very hands-on and interactive. At the end of the class, all of the participants sit down together and enjoy the full meal! The best part: no dishes to clean-up and no grocery shopping. We do the dirty work for you!”

Lawrence said summer sessions will include classes like “Summer Cook-out Salads,” “Caribbean Cuisine,” and “Stuffed & Sauced: Mexican.”

Classes range from $40 to $75 per person depending on the menu, and the class schedule can be found at foodologytoledo.com/class-calendar.html .

Community cuisine

Recipes this week start with a smoothie you may find in a “Little Chefs” class taught by Hirsh, who noted this beverage is very customizable.

The Sunshine Smoothie blends together frozen peaches, mango, and pineapple, with a ripe banana, Greek yogurt, honey, and orange juice to form a sweet yet still nutritious beverage that your “Little Chefs” will love.

A Sprouted Chickpea and Spring Greens Hummus is up next, which Day recently taught guests during a “Foraged & Seasonal Cooking” class in April.

The hummus utilizes foraged spring greens adding a pop of brightness to the dip, alongside gently sauteed garlic, tahini, lemon, and more.

Butter Chicken is a dish you may find at Foodology’s “Indian Cuisine! - Adults Only” class, which features yogurt-marinated chicken thighs in a creamy tomato-based sauce with aromatics like garlic, ginger, and turmeric throughout the dish.

Community cooking classes can provide you with much more than just kitchen tips — they’ll make for memories, and recipes, to last a lifetime.

Sunshine Smoothie

Yield: 2 to 4 servings

Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

1 cup frozen mangos

1 cup frozen peaches

1 cup frozen pineapple

1 ripe banana

1 cup orange juice

1 to 2 cups of water

2 tablespoons honey

1⁄2 cup Greek yogurt (optional)

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend on high for 2 to 3 minutes until completely smooth.

If the smoothie seems to be too thick while blending, you can add water as needed, by ½ cup, to reach your desired consistency.

Pour into glasses, add straws, and enjoy!

Source: Kelly Rose Hirsh, adapted by Maddie Coppel

Sprouted Chickpea and Spring Greens Hummus

Yield: 5 to 6 cups of hummus

Soaking Time: A few days; Cook Time: 45 minutes; Blend Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

2 cups of dried chickpeas (or 5 cups of cooked chickpeas, cooled)

1 cup of olive oil

3 cups raw greens, or about 1 cup cooked greens

5 to 6 garlic cloves

1 cup of tahini

The juice of 2 large lemons

½ cup of plain yogurt

Salt to taste

Directions:

To sprout the chickpeas: pour 2 cups of dried chickpeas into a mason jar and soak in water for a couple of hours. Cover the jar with metal mesh or cheesecloth, then strain the water out of the beans. Let the jar sit sideways on your counter for the next few days, rewetting and draining the beans once each morning and night. When the “tails” on the beans are visible, the chickpeas are sprouted and ready to cook.

Cook your chickpeas in a pressure cooker for 30 minutes, adding enough water to submerge the chickpeas with an extra ½ inch water above the surface — I used my Instapot. Note: You can also cook on the stovetop for about 50 minutes to 1 ½ hours, or until tender.

Harvest your wild spring greens and rinse. Some tender spring greens are better raw than cooked — I like to keep my “raw” greens separate from my “cooked” greens. Dry off gently with a towel, or spin in a salad spinner.

Note: The harvested greens are instructions meant for students taking this 577 class. You can source spring greens at your local farmer’s market or grocery store when recreating this recipe at home, Day said she usually does a mix of raw and cooked greens.

Finely chop 5 to 6 large cloves of garlic. Add some oil to a heated pan and fry the garlic lightly for a couple minutes until fragrant.

When the garlic is starting to brown, add the greens you’d like to cook all at once. Don’t worry if they’re a bit overflowing in the pan, they will cook down quickly. Note: If the greens you have are better raw, you can skip this step.

Blend the chickpeas with the greens and garlic until well pureed and smooth. If the consistency seems dry still, try adding a couple tablespoons of the water from cooking the chickpeas (also known as aquafaba).

Hummus can be served with pita chips, carrot sticks, cucumber slices, or even be used as a sandwich spread.

Source: Samantha Day, adapted by Maddie Coppel

Butter Chicken

Yield: 3 to 4 servings

Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients:

For the marinade:

½ cup plain yogurt, full fat

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon turmeric powder

2 teaspoons garam masala

½ teaspoon chili powder or cayenne pepper powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon ginger, freshly grated

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 ½ pounds chicken thighs, cut into bite size pieces

For the curry:

2 tablespoons ghee or butter

1 cup tomato passata (tomato puree)

1 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoons sugar

1 ¼ teaspoon salt

To serve:

Basmati rice

Naan bread

Cilantro, roughly chopped for garnish

Directions:

For an extra smooth sauce, combine the marinade ingredients (minus the chicken) in a food processor and blend until smooth. Note: This is optional.

Mix the marinade with the diced chicken thighs in a bowl or zip-close bag. Cover and refrigerate overnight, or up to 24 hours (minimum 3 hours).

Heat ghee or butter over medium-high heat in a large frying pan. Take the chicken out of the marinade, but do not shake off the marinade from the chicken — but don’t pour the marinade left in the bowl into the pan, save it for later.

Place chicken in the pan and cook for around 4 to 5 minutes, or until the chicken is white all over. Note: The chicken doesn’t really brown because of the marinade.

Add the tomato passata, cream, sugar, and salt to the pan with the chicken. Also add any remaining marinade left in the bowl at this time. Turn the heat down to low and let simmer for 20 minutes until the sauce is bubbling and the chicken is cooked through. Do a taste test to see if it needs more salt.

Garnish with coriander/cilantro leaves, serve on top of basmati rice, with naan bread on the side.

Source: recipetineats , inspired by Foodology and adapted by Maddie Coppel