ThisWeek UA 04/21/2011
Taste the flavors of spring with LifeLong Learning & Leisure’s eight new spring session cooking classes.
“We were able to beef up our cooking courses thanks to the kitchen at the new Recreation Station,” LifeLong Learning & Leisure assistant Kate Erstein said.
The Recreation Station, at 4737 Coach Rd., previously was home to the Upper Arlington Fire Station 73 and now, as a city Parks and Recreation facility, the building has retained its large kitchen suitable as a cooking classroom.
Included in the new offerings are: a cheese making course, healthy eating courses, simple French cuisine, a wine tasting, olive oil tasting and a Vietnamese dining experience.
LifeLong Learning & Leisure used deal-of-the-day website Groupon (www.groupon.com) April 6 to market its spring food courses. The deal was $20 for $40 worth of classes.
The promotion sold out, Erstein said, and classes are being added to meet the demand from both the people who took advantage of the Groupon, as well as other returning and new students.
“I was interested in learning how to make cheese, so I put up a Craigslist ad for a cheese instructor,” Erstein said. “We are able to get a good diversity of instructors this way. Anyhow, the cheese course was so popular it sold out right away – we’re trying to schedule a second session now.”
Most of the food classes are open to a maximum of 15 students.
Taking advantage of the new cooking classroom, travel instructor Shawnie Kelley and her pastry chef sister, Mandy Jones, are looking forward to teaching both French cooking technique as well as the cultural importance of each dish.
“Our goal is to take the intimidation out of French cooking and show that it’s not all butter and heavy cream,” Kelley said. They will teach three courses: Great Crepe Escape, Provence on a Plate and The French Market.
A few of the class offerings will occur offsite, including a wine tasting with light finger foods at Gallo’s Kitchen & Bar, a beer tasting at Barley’s Smokehouse & Brewpub and two courses on meat selection, preparation and grilling at Huffman’s Market.
Lac Viet Vietnamese Restaurant will be the host of the spring session’s Diversity Dining program. The program features a different culture to explore each session and students enjoy a full meal with a presentation about the culture behind the food.
For more information on the spring food classes as well as other LifeLong Learning and Leisure spring courses, visit www.uaoh.net or call 614-583-5332.