Cooking and Nutrition Education 

Our teaching and processing kitchen offers a variety of programs! Each one encompasses our mission  to connect more people to fresh, locally sourced food through education and demonstration of sustainable food systems. If you’re interested in participating in one of these, email us! More details below!

Cook. Eat. Grow.

Cook. Eat. Grow. (CEG for short) is a cooking program we offer for neighborhood youth. These classes are designed around the three pillars of our teaching kitchen.

Stir It Up!

Cooking classes for a variety of ages and participants so people can gain kitchen confidence make food choices that are good for both our bodies and the food system..

Community Nutrition

Providing health education and cooking classes to individuals and groups in the community.

Vamos a Cocinar

Classes led in Spanish that focus on incorporating seasonal, local ingredients into culturally authentic recipes from Spanish speaking countries.

Cook. Eat. Grow.

Our CEG classes are designed around the three pillars of our teaching kitchen. 

  • Increase kitchen Confidence: Students will learn the skills necessary to be successful in their own kitchen! Participants will learn the names and uses for different kitchen tools. Our classes will also introduce and help kids to improve their knife skills- holding a knife, chopping, mincing, etc. Students will also learn how to measure for recipes, using the stove top and oven, and different techniques for preparing fruits and vegetables.
  • Discover seasonality of fruits and vegetables: Our focus on local produce in our cooking classes brings attention to the growing seasons for different fruits and vegetables. Participants will learn when tomatoes are freshest and which types of squash to use in November. They will also expand their knowledge of Kentucky agricultural products and how to adjust recipes for the season.
  • Explore personal food preferences: We love fresh fruits and vegetables and experimenting with different ingredients at FoodChain! This might mean we are cooking with something kids have never tried before or substituting a familiar ingredient for something unfamiliar. Through our cooking classes, students will have the opportunity to use all of their senses to experience food in a way that may be new to them. Experimenting with recipes is always encouraged and cooking techniques to discover what you like. Prepare to expand your palate!

 

Stir It Up! Cooking Classes

We offer privately scheduled cooking classes for a variety of ages and participants! Cooking classes focus on using local, seasonal ingredients and take place in FoodChain’s Teaching and Processing Kitchen.  The goal of these classes is to gain kitchen confidence and promote food choices that are healthy for both our bodies and the food system. Participants will learn or improve upon their kitchen skills as we discuss various techniques for prepping different foods, measuring for recipes, using the stove and oven, as well as how to incorporate fresh, local fruits and veggies into your cooking!

Some of the past recipes we’ve taught include: Carrot Ginger Soup, Baked cinnamon sweet potato and apples, and spaghetti squash yakisoba!

Community Nutrition

On a rotating basis, and as a way to help disseminate more information around healthier food preparation and the connection to local, seasonal goods, FoodChain offers classes to interested groups. Participants gain the knowledge needed to help develop healthy eating habits that promote wellness.

The interactive workshops cover a range of commonly requested health topics which include: eating for a healthy heart, nutrition for diabetes management, and healthy eating on a budget.

We’re grateful to have arranged these classes with partners like Community Action Council,  the Eldercrafters, and UK Dietetics. If you think your group might be interested in arranging something similar, email education@foodchainlex.org.

 

Vamos a Cocinar

Looking for field trip ideas for Spanish Class? Bring your students to FoodChain’s teaching kitchen for a fully immersive cooking experience! Here, students will participate in a cooking class conducted entirely in Spanish. They will learn about kitchen safety, sustainable food systems, as well as seasonality of fruits and vegetables. Students will further explore cultural connections by preparing a culturally authentic recipe.

 

Interested in…

Signing up for a class?

If you’re interested in signing up for or finding more information for any of our nutritional education opportunities, please email us at education@foodchainlex.org

Volunteering?

Our cooking and nutrition educational opportunities are a great way to help out and we love the extra hands! To find out how to get involved check out our volunteer page.

Recipes?

We’re working on getting together our most loved recipes that have come out of the kitchen (aka squash biscuits). Check back soon for some super yummy and nutritional eats!