Spring may still feel far away, but registration for all Urbana Park District classes begin on Wednesday, December 3. Starting at 10:00 a.m., you’ll find direct registration links for every spring cooking class on my website: www.cooking-with-paul.com/upd-2026-spring.html This spring, we’re thrilled to welcome two guest chefs who will bring their cultural traditions—and treasured family recipes—into our kitchen. Guest Chef Maxim Krupskiy (Russia):  Maxim, a visiting scholar at the UI College of Law, will share three classic Russian home dishes, including the star of the menu: Ukha (Fisherman’s Soup). Traditionally cooked over an open fire with just-caught fish, this rustic, deeply flavorful broth embodies true Russian outdoor cooking. Guest Chef Thu Nguyen (Vietnam):  Thu returns with her personal recipe for Phở, the iconic Vietnamese beef noodle soup beloved around the world. As a first-generation immigrant and “boat person,” she...

A picture is worth a thousand words, so here’s a glimpse of our October 30 "cooking party," where guest chef Kayla Lammy  led a lively group of student cooks through a 2.5-hour, fully hands-on culinary adventure. We chopped, mixed, boiled, sautéed, kneaded, assembled, and baked our way to a feast that several students called the “best class they’ve ever attended.” Together, we made fresh mozzarella from scratch; fresh pasta with flour, eggs, and water; stuffed ravioli by hand; shaved Brussels sprouts into a roasted vegetable salad; and finished off the evening with a luscious "Dirty Chai Tiramisu" for dessert. It truly was a party to remember ( see even more pictures ).  Even if you missed the class, you can still cook along. All kitchen-tested recipes from every class—including all of Kayla’s dishes—are available on my website, organized by cuisine. There are now over 200 streamlined, easy-to-follow recipes ready for you to download anytime. Since la...