Exploring Culture Through Cooking

Feed your child’s curiosity! Join us for a weekly food adventure around the globe. This spring, travel with Kalamazoo Valley Community College in a six-part youth culinary academy geared to children ages 9 to 14.

Explore the culture and cuisine of different destinations while cooking recipes from that region. The series will cover everything from traditional food greetings (‘buon appetito’ in Italy) and dining etiquette (utensils optional), to learning how agriculture and geography determine flavors and cooking techniques.

Classes run on Wednesday evening from 5:45 to 7:15 p.m. April 18 to May 23 at the Culinary and Allied Health Building, 418 E. Walnut Street in downtown Kalamazoo. The course fee of $100 includes food at each session.

Budding foodies are welcome to explore international cooking traditions and celebrate diversity through the common language of food. Led by a culinary instructor with regional expertise, each week students will become immersed in the culture and cuisine of a featured nation.

Participants will “travel” to Thailand with Kalamazoo Valley’s Tip Maddux, farm lab coordinator at the Food Innovation Center. Maddux spends her days cultivating, harvesting, and also educating students and community members on the value of the food we grow. Maddux is an expert at growing and cooking with fragrant regional herbs and will share her skills in this class.

Exploring Halal foods will be Chef Nidal Awad. Awad and his team at Shawarma King on Drake Road live by the motto there is no love more sincere than the love of food. “That love is apparent, both in his food and in the hospitality he extends to his customers and the community,” said Program Coordinator Lizzie Luchsinger.

Another cooking tour will be led by Hristina Petrovska, featuring the taste of her homeland Macedonia. She will discuss the food, culture, and customs of Macedonia while introducing traditional foods like ajvar, a red pepper and eggplant-based relish. “Hristina is passionate about cooking and Kalamazoo, and she always inspires her audiences,” said Luchsinger.

Students will delve into Chinese cooking and culture with Xin Wang Liu, who, along with her husband Anson, own Kalamazoo’s Pacific Rim Foods.

Liu is also a local cooking teacher and expertly crafts traditional Chinese dumplings and buns. “One session with Liu, and your student will be folding dumplings like a pro!” Luchsinger said.

“Enroll your junior foodie today,” said Luchsinger, “We’re excited about celebrating the diverse traditions of our planet with one thing that brings us all together - food.”

For more information or to register, contact program coordinator Lizzie Luchsinger at mluchsinger@kvcc.edu or 269.353.1265 or go to www.kvcc.edu/community.