These holistic food preparation and tasting classes teach basic cooking skills and techniques. Learn to apply them to foods like grains, legumes, greens, bone broths, and fermented foods. These classes have something to offer everyone, from beginners to more experience chefs. Students walk away with an enriched skill set in holistic cooking and how it benefits overall health.
*Please note that workshop names and availability varies depending on branch location.
The Holistic Culinary Certificate is 10 3-hour workshops (30 hours total). Please see below for individual workshop descriptions.
Learn the essentials of food safety, how to maintain a clean and organized kitchen, and the proper temperatures for cooking, cooling, storing, and reheating food. Basic knife skills will be demonstrated and practiced as students prepare a basic vegetable stock and garnishes. Learn tips for working efficiently and effectively along with the use of many standard tools and equipment found in a working kitchen.
You are introduced to a variety of grains and legumes and their nutritional benefits with a focus on optimal preparation with techniques such as soaking, sprouting, and fermenting of beans, nuts, grains, and seeds. You’ll be able to visually identify and name nutritional properties of a variety of ancient grains and legumes. Learn how to prepare them for optimal digestibility and gain confidence to expand the variety of your diet. A variety of dishes will be demonstrated and prepared.
This is a boot camp approach to the fundamental techniques used in raw food preparation as well as a discussion of the theory and nutritional pros and cons of this dietary paradigm. Hands-on practice will cover sprouting, dehydrating, juicing, raw “pasta”, nut milks, seed cheeses, and more to get you familiar with the products, tools, and recipes of raw cuisine.
Welcome to the world of pickled, fermented vegetables and fizzy, live culture kombucha beverages. Learn how to make and incorporate probiotic and enzyme-rich foods and beverages into the diet. Learn the importance of probiotic foods in the diet for digestive and immune health as well as food traditions and importance of fermented and cultured foods in traditional diets compared to modern diets. This class also introduces quality salt and the functions of salt in the diet. Make sauerkraut through hands-on preparation. The class also includes demonstrations and tasting of kimchi and kombucha.
This is the class for all you busy bees! Gain tools and insight on how to plan for and execute a successful week of healthy eating to incorporate personal tastes and healthy foods while considering time and budget. This class provides a template for creating meal plans for yourself and for case study (volunteer) clients. Make dishes which keep well in the fridge, are versatile, and can be batch-cooked and frozen. There will also be an interactive discussion of the benefits and limitations of eating locally and seasonally.
Picky eaters, allergies, food sensitivities – no problem! Learn how to create kid-friendly meals void of the most common allergens and sensitivities. Create meals that are appealing for kids, easy to prepare, lunch box friendly, and also great for the whole family. Learn about foods that can help with hyperactivity, concentration, sleep, and behavioural issues.
Athletes often require additional nutrients, calories, and protein to maintain muscle and performance. Learn how to create nutrient-balanced pre- and post-workout smoothies, homemade electrolyte drinks, and energy bars. Addressing the specific needs of people who need to adapt their diets for strength and performance will be applied to main meal preparation as well. A discussion on the specific dietary approaches to support both strength athletes and endurance athletes will be discussed.
Satisfy a sweet tooth with healthier alternatives and substitutions for commonly allergenic and trigger foods. The variety of sweet made can accommodate grain-free, raw, and vegan diets and even incorporates superfoods such as goji berries, maca, and raw cacao. See how to create a creamy texture without dairy and eggs. Nutrition information will be provided on a variety of natural sweeteners and how to use them in baking and raw desserts.
Learn how to make traditional bone broths to create a foundation for soups, stews, and sauces. Bone broths and vegetable broths are compared in preparation and nutrition qualities as students learn how to create delicious soups and stews using a versatile “recipe skeleton”. Beyond just how-to, learn the restorative benefits of bone broth and how to apply them to GAPS, paleo-type diets, and other health-giving protocols. Ethical sourcing of bones and animal products will be discussed and a local resource listing for finding quality meat and bones will be provided.
Discover how geography and climate have influenced the world’s major cuisines by providing not only different key ingredients, but also the herbs and spices which define their flavor profiles. Different cultures have developed cooking techniques and all have their inherent nutritional logic. Recipes selected to provide templates to prepare Indian, Mediterranean, or Southeast Asian dishes.
Kitchen techniques will be introduced as well as how to identify, prepare, and cook a wide variety of plants that are cultivated, foraged, and wild-harvested. Learn how to properly caramelize onions, braise hardy greens, roast root vegetables, sauté, and steam as the class prepares a plant-based feast.
