On July 10, guest chef Aliya Dosmanbetova led a cooking party with 10 students, and we made a delicious Kazakh feast! Aliya was a visiting scholar at the University of Illinois for the last 12 months, and as a parting gift for our community, she shared her favorite family recipes with us at this farewell dinner. We made a lamb pilaf from scratch with the help of a pressure cooker, then we whipped up a lovely fresh salad with tomatoes, onions, and peppers, and finally, we also fried up a big batch of Baursaks (Kazakh fried bread), which Aliya made from scratch with flour, milk, and sugar. If you missed this class and want to try out her recipes, they have been archived on my website .  Aliya also shared stories about her life back home, her country's culture and history, as well as her experiences here in America. We drank tea, cooked up a storm, and ate up everything that was cooked up that night. Aliya is now on her way back home, but she will take back some...

Our long-running Principles of Ethnic Cooking series at Urbana Park District's Phillips Recreation Center  is now in its third year. This is a hands-on cooking class series where all students will participate in the preparation of all the dishes on the menu. Do come hungry and thirsty because the tuition includes a multi-course dinner during the second half of the class when you will be eating everything you cooked that evening. Every season, we will explore three different ethnic cuisines, and this summer is no different. Here's this summer's schedule: June 5: Thai Night Market with Paul Young July 10: Taste of Kazakhstan with Aliya Dosmanbetova (sold out) August 7: Vegan Soul with Darlene Anderson In each of these classes, we will deconstruct ethnic recipes and break down the flavor principles of each culinary tradition. Learn how to make anything taste ethnic by following a few master recipes and utilizing simple flavor principles. By the end of the ...

  We're very excited to announce two new collaborations with guest chefs this coming summer. Aliya Dosmanbetova from Kazakhstan will join us on July 10 as our special guest chef. Aliya is a visiting scholar at the University of Illinois, and she loves to cook and share her culture. She comes from a big family where everyone cooked, and she has fond memories of helping her mom prepare large meals for many guests in their kitchen. “Cooking for me is more than just preparing food,” says Aliya. “It is a way for me to connect with my heritage, my family, and the memories that shaped me. In her cooking class, Aliya will share three favorite family recipes, including a luscious lamb pilaf. On August 7, Darlene Anderson will introduce us to a healthy vegan soul dinner featuring Kentucky Fried Tofu Nuggets. She swears that you won't be able to taste the difference between the hormone-injected mass-produced fast-food version and her healthy vegan homemade version. "It'...