Culinary Arts

Canning 101

Learn the process of hot water bath canning from start to finish as your instructors demystify the steps and help build your confidence to try it at home. Participants will explore the many benefits of canning, observe a full demonstration, get tips on recommended supplies, sample canned goods, and take home a half-pint jar of a canned product.

Hot water bath canning is an ideal entry point for first-time canners. It’s a great way to preserve your garden or farm stand favorites, enjoy seasonal produce year-round, and create thoughtful, homemade gifts. You’ll leave class with the knowledge to begin canning right away and plenty of inspiration for future projects.

Class Notes: Some samples/recipes contain wheat and dairy.

Community Instructors: Wendy Steusloff and Jan Szalkowski

Summer Cookout Classics: Delicious Side Dishes

Learn how to whip up delicious, classic sides and make your next cookout unforgettable! We’ll start by indulging in a fresh fruit salad appetizer before we turn our focus and get hands-on in the kitchen to make potato salad, coleslaw, homemade baked beans, and cornbread muffins.

Everyone will enjoy sampling our sides in class, and along with leftovers, will take home the techniques and recipes for making sides as memorable as your grilled burgers or dogs.

Class Notes: To help us honor 577’s commitment to sustainability, please bring three (3) mason jar-sized or larger food containers for your leftovers.

Community Instructor: Hannah Steusloff

The Plant Powered Kitchen: Plant Proteins

Join local family physician and certified culinary medicine specialist, Dr. Humaira Lateef, to explore a flexible, evidence-based approach to eating more plants without giving up the foods you love. In this session, together we will learn about plant proteins as we prepare and sample mixed lentils with bulgar, served with naan and pickled red onions.

Culinary Medicine is where health and healing meet the art and science of food. It’s a vibrant field that recognizes the profound impact of what we eat on our overall well-being.

Class Notes: To help us honor 577’s commitment to sustainability, please bring a 5 to 7-oz. food container for your leftovers. We recommend everyone bring an apron and a hairnet or head covering.

Community Instructor: Humaira Lateef, MD, FAAFP, CCMS, DipABLM

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