COOKING CLASSES

Summary of Cooking Classes

1. One-hour mini cooking class (portable - perfect for office setting)
2. Full cooking class either half day, full day or evening (need a kitchen)
3. Employee wellness fairs
4. Weekend seminar:  Cool Cuisine: Exploring Culinary Art, Science and Artisan Foods

Class Descriptions

One-Hour Mini Cooking Class

Fashioned after her work with Kaiser Permanente's HealthWorks (corporate wellness program), Laura offers on-site culinary classes that include a mini cooking demo and tasting, perfect for an office setting. Class themes can be designed to fit individual needs. Popular topics include:

Quick Cooking for Optimal Health

Need more time? Learn cooking tips that reduce the amount of time you spend cooking. We'll discuss quick cooking and seasoning tips and techniques for vegetables and grains, why a sharp knife is one of the speediest tools, how to keep your knife sharp, and how to set up your kitchen for easy cuisine.

Higher Flavor Lower Fat

Learn to reduce the amount of fat in your cooking with tips, tricks and flavor agents guaranteed to season your food but slim your waist. Class covers how to heighten the flavors of foods without adding fat, how to make your own sauce, and reviews specific nonfat and low fat dairy options.

Eat More Vegetables!

The main reason people don't eat more vegetables is because they don't know how to cook them. Everyone, including kids, will enjoy eating more vegetables if they are correctly prepared and seasoned.  Learn about the energetics of vegetables and why we want to eat more. We'll discuss how to shop for, store and cook them with three easy techniques that will change your opinion of vegetables forever!

Great Grains

Whole grains are at the base of the USDA Food Pyramid, but what do we do with them and how do we season them? Observe five basic cooking techniques, taste a number of different types of grains, and learn how to individually season grain with the Condiment Plate (salt and pepper with a college education!)

Healthy Outdoor Grilling

In addition to learning some quick tips to make you even better at performing this hallowed backyard ritual, learn healthy grilling options and new foods, rubs and marinades to introduce into your repertoire. This class is best presented using an outdoor grill.

Healthy Holiday Parties

How many parties have you left feeling bloated and overloaded? Learn appetizers and entrees that can liven up the festivities and flavor while balancing out the health. Handout addresses party and menu planning, table display, appetizer absolutes, and time saving tips.

Additional Cooking Classes

Additional classes can be designed to fit your interest.

• Ah- Chew! Cold-Fighting, Immune-Building Foods
• The Global Warming Diet Meets a Cool Cuisine
• Soul Soothing Winter Casseroles
• Summer Cuisine - Fast and Sassy
• Spice it up! Sauces and Condiments
• Quick Chicken Recipes
• Super Soy! Tofu, Tempeh, Miso, and others
• Dinner Express, 30 Minutes or Less
• I Hate Cooking - Now What?
• Main Dish Salads
• Smoothies - Drink your vitamins!
• Cocktail Party - appetizer and specialty drinks
• Dairy Free but Creamy Anyways
• Kids Halloween Cooking Class
• Valentines Dinner and Breakfast in Bed ideas

Employee Wellness Fairs

Laura is available to present at employee wellness fairs. She can offer a selection of mini cooking classes, food tastings and pairings, and Q & A, which can be combined to fit any event or venue.

Weekend Seminar
Cool Cuisine: Exploring Culinary Art, Science and Artisan Foods

Join chef Laura Stec and Dr. Eugene Cordero, authors of Cool Cuisine - Taking the Bite out of Global Warming, along with select researchers, farmers or food artisans interviewed in the book, for a culinary vacation weekend seasoned with a little global science

Schedule At -A- Glance

Friday: A welcome "green" wine happy hour with presentation by co-author Dr. Eugene Cordero on The Global Warming Diet:  Food Climate Connections.

Sat morning: Farm-fresh, hands-on cooking class where students prepare lunch with chef Stec

Sat afternoon: Local farm tour

Sat dinner: Local organic fare prepared on site.

Sat evening presentation: Cool Cuisine - Taking the Bite out of Global Warming, with food tastings and guest appearances from folks interviewed in the book. Travel restrictions may require substitution of local farmers or food artisans.

Sun morning: Artisan cheese and local honey pairing class, combining lecture and tasting of fruit and vegetables highlighting bee pollinator crops.