Our fall season is almost finished, so it's time to start planning for spring. Here's a preview of the cooking classes we have planned for you next semester at Urbana Park District. Mark your calendar for December 3  if you want to be first to sign up for these spring cooking classes: On  February 12, 2026 , we will be celebrating Vietnamese Lunar New Year with guest chef  Thu Nguyen , a first-generation immigrant and " boat person " who forged a deep connection to her Vietnamese roots through food, family, and cultural engagement. Her passion for culinary arts blossomed in her twenties while living in Europe. Her journeys across more than 20 countries further enriched her palate and deepened her appreciation for authentic flavors. On March 5, 2026 , I will be presenting my version of Indian Delights where w e'll learn how to make a Garam Masala spice mix from scratch, then use this delightful seasoning to infuse a homemade Indian Goat Curr...

  This is Kayla Lammy, a University of Illinois grad student who is also my cooking partner and guest chef for our first ever "cooking workshop" and feast on Saturday, October 4, 2025. Our group chopped, grated, mixed, sauteed, boiled, baked, and grilled for 3 hours to prepare the ultimate German Oktoberfest banquet. Thanks to guest chef Kayla Lammy for developing the recipes and leading the workshop. Here's the final menu of what we put on our buffet table:  Kaltes Buffet (cold buffet): Black Forest ham, Braunscheiger (liver sausage), Landjaeger (smoked meat sticks), salami, Gebrannte Mandeln (candied almonds), Waffelröllchen (wafer rolls), Café Kranze (shortbread cookies), Kartoffelstäbchen (potato sticks) Homemade soft pretzels with Obatzda (beer cheese dip) German sausage platter with Kayla's venison bratwurst, weisswurst, knockwurst, sauerkraut, horseradish sauce, mustard, pickles, bread Spaetz...

  To label Singapore as the Asian food capital would be an understatement. Sure, this city-state has Michelin-starred restaurants, but only tourists eat there. The locals prefer to eat at hawker centers and food courts instead -- where the food is abundant, cheap, and really good. From "food opera" to "food republic" to "food village" to "food square," these eating palaces offer an endless variety of pan-Asian fare. From authentic traditional bites to exotic ingredients to creative fusion inventions, if you can dream it, you can find it here. Join us for an authentic Singapore hawker center feast with an all-vegetarian menu : Wood Ear Mushroom Salad : crunchy Chinese mushroom salad dressed with garlic, soy, and sesame Vada Sambar Chutney : popular south Indian savory donut snack served with lentil stew and coconut chutney Green Papaya Salad : zingy and spicy Thai salad dressed with a savory garlic-lime sauce Okonomiyaki :...