Culinary Arts

From Garden to Table: Summertime Favorites

Nothing says summer like meals made with freshly grown vegetables, fruits, and herbs. Join Beth as she shares some of her favorite summertime recipes and the joy of cooking with seasonal ingredients.

Nibble on fresh vegetables and dip as you get started, then make a traditional broccoli salad with a homemade dressing. For the main course, you’ll prepare Beth’s grandmother’s Garden Vegetable Soup, a hearty recipe featuring potatoes, onions, fresh tomatoes, sweet corn, and fragrant herbs. Finish with something sweet: a peach streusel muffin made with fresh peaches, cinnamon spice, and a brown sugar streusel topping.

Participants will work together in teams so everyone gets hands-on experience in the kitchen. Along the way, Beth will share cooking and baking tips she has gathered through years of trying new recipes and baking for family, friends, and coworkers. You’ll leave with recipes for everything prepared and sampled in class, leftovers to enjoy at home, and the confidence to recreate these seasonal favorites in your own kitchen.

Class Note: Please bring a couple of small containers to take home samples of the broccoli salad and soup, along with a sandwich-sized ziplock bag (or similar container) for an extra peach streusel muffin.

577 Staff Instructor: Beth Phlegar

Lughnasadh: Breaking Bread for Harvest Season

Enjoy a seasonal meal together as we celebrate the end of summer harvest, known as Lughnasadh (Loo-nah-sah) in the Celtic tradition. We’ll start by making and baking beer bread together, followed by a delicious, shared feast of traditional foods. To represent the season, we’ll be featuring a homemade blackberry pork loin, a mushroom tarte, a warm apple pie, and tantalizing vegetable sides.

Throughout the class, we will explore the history of this cultural tradition while practicing gratitude and embracing the unique talents that weave communities together. No prior cooking experience is needed. Just come ready to enjoy, learn, and connect around the table.

Community Instructor: Hannah Steusloff

Making Cake Pops

Learn how to create your own cake pops from start to finish and make two dozen (24) to enjoy with family and friends at home. This month, we’ll be using white and chocolate cake.

During class, you’ll learn techniques for rolling cake balls, dipping them for a smooth finish, and decorating with creative details. Along the way, we’ll share tips for achieving the right texture, preventing cracks and slips, and creating cake pops that look just as good as they taste.

Class Note: If you have one, please bring a 9 x 13 inch airtight container to transport your cake pops home. A box will be provided if needed. Some samples and recipes may contain eggs, tree nuts, and/or peanuts.

Community Instructor: Jennifer Fisher

Pressure Canning

Dive into the world of pressure canning as your instructors demystify the process. You’ll learn the how-to of safely preserving foods and discover the satisfaction of enjoying your favorite seasonal flavors all year long.

Participants will experience hands-on practice in the kitchen, step-by-step demonstrations, and sample delicious pressure-canned goods. Everyone will take home a half-pint jar of the product we canned in class, along with informative handouts and the confidence to start pressure canning at home.

Community Instructors: Jan Szalkowski and Wendy Steusloff

Sourdough Bread Baking

Demystify the sourdough bread-making process in this hands-on, two-part class and learn how to create wholesome, homemade baked goods with confidence.

During the first class, we’ll kick things off by breaking down how sourdough bread baking works, removing the uncertainty that often comes with this time-honored craft. Everyone will get hands-on to mix up their own starter while exploring the customs and folklore of sourdough—and, of course, sampling fresh homemade bread. Each participant will take home their starter in a quart-sized glass jar along with detailed instructions for its care.

When you return for Part Two, you’ll bring your starter back to check its progress and share your starter stories. We’ll observe the “pull and fold” method for working with sourdough dough and answer all your questions. You’ll go home with a collection of favorite recipes from the instructors, including sourdough chocolate chip cookies, English muffins, crackers, and baguettes.

You’ll leave feeling confident, inspired, and ready to bake your own delicious sourdough creations at home.

Community Instructors: Wendy Steusloff and Jan Szalkowski

Baking with Oats: Breakfast & Beyond

Learn how to make three delicious recipes using one simple, versatile ingredient: oats. Participants will help prepare healthy granola, molasses oatmeal cookies, and an oatmeal fruit crumble bar while learning techniques for working with oats in a variety of recipes. We’ll sample each recipe in class, and everyone will take home a half batch of granola, several cookies, an 8-inch by 8-inch foil pan of oatmeal fruit crumble bars, and the recipes to make them again.

Class Notes: To help us honor 577’s commitment to sustainability, please bring a reusable container for taking your baked goods home. Some samples/recipes contain eggs & wheat.

577 Staff Instructor: Beth Phlegar

Explore the Medicinal Roots of Cocktails: Bitters

Explore the medicinal roots of cocktail culture in this hands-on workshop and discover why bitter flavors have long been valued for supporting digestion. Participants will make two blends together: one cocktail bitters and one digestive bitters.

Before cocktails were fancy and full of nonsense, they were medicine, and we’ll learn how bitters support digestion, calm the stomach, and bring your belly back online. Everyone will take home their samples, recipes, and the knowledge to keep the bitter magic going in your kitchen or home bar.

Community Instructor: Lily Kunning

Fire Cider: Spicy Roots and Kitchen Resistance

Learn the fascinating story behind the popular herbal concoction called Fire Cider as you craft your own 16-ounce jar of this fiery formula to take home and infuse. Participants will also receive recipes and explore variations, so everyone can keep the tradition alive in their own way.

Fire Cider is more than just a punchy vinegar tonic. It’s part immune support, part digestive aid, and part herbal folk hero. We’ll explore the fascinating story behind this fiery formula and how it became a symbol of preserving herbal traditions while learning best practices for making your own at home, including what to put in it, how to balance the heat, and how to use it when cold season hits.

Community Instructor: Lily Kunning