Osaka is considered by many as the food capital of the world. At this private invitation-only pop-up dinner experience, we'll take a fantasy foodie safari from Tokyo to Osaka on the Tokaido Shinkansen bullet train line while tasting everything Japan has to offer en route. Our six-course itinerary will include a a wide range of Japanese delights including Oshizushi (Pressed Sushi), Tsukemono (Sunomono and other pickled things), Maguro Zuke Don (a marinated tuna sashimi bowl), hand-made Gyoza (pot stickers), Okonomiyaki (a grilled savory pancake), and more. Along the way, we'll also enjoy sake, highball, beer, and sochu pairings ( see the entire menu ). Seating is extremely limited. For more information about how to score a seat at this event, please join the popup_dinners_cu Facebook group, follow @popup_dinners_cu on Instagram, or subscribe to my email newsletter . More information about upcoming pop-up events and cooking classes can always be found at www.cooking-with-p...

Due to a recent knee injury, there's a date change for one of the French "Deep Dive" cooking classes. The new schedule for this summer series is as follows: June 27: A Taste of Basque Country July 25: The Mediterranean Flavors of Provençal Cooking Aug 15: Classic Burgundy Wine Country Cuisine (note new date) All classes are on Tuesday evenings from 6 to 8:30pm and will take place at the Common Ground Food Co-op in Urbana. These unique dinner party-style cooking classes are part demonstration and part hands-on participation. Like a Food Network cooking show, you get to see how each dish is made but with one major difference -- you also get to eat it when it's done! In each class, you get to make at least one dish yourself as well. So come hungry and be prepared to feast on a three-course dinner before class is over. Since we'll be immersing ourselves in French culture this summer, each dinner party will start with a regional charcuterie board and a champagne toas...

"Hawaiian regional cuisine" can be a foodie wonderland of delightful Polynesian-influenced dishes like Huli Huli Chicken , a distinctively flavored sweet-and-sour grilled chicken dish. Start with an Asian-influenced soy-ginger-garlic marinade, add some sweet pineapple juice, a squeeze or two of citrusy lime juice, and you've got a perfectly balanced basting sauce for truly tasty grilled chicken.  Learn how to make this great summertime backyard barbecue dish, plus a very traditional roast pork dish, an authentic tuna poke bowl, and a very tropical coconut custard dessert at my "Taste of Hawaii" cooking class on June 29, 2023. This class is part of the fifth season of my "Flavor Principles of Ethnic Cooking" series at Urbana Park District's Phillips Recreation Center. This series is almost sold out, but there are just a few seats left for this luau-style dinner party which also includes an open bar with retro tropical tiki cocktails. Registration...