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...

Meet Kayla Lammy , our guest chef for Urbana Park District's first-ever Oktoberfest cooking workshop and feast. Kayla is currently a second-year master’s student in the Food Science and Human Nutrition department at the University of Illinois who also grew up in rural Illinois. For Kayla's family, hunting was a way they sustained themselves, and she grew up eating ground deer meat, or venison, as a substitute for ground beef in most recipes. On Saturday, October 4 , Kayla will share her family's special bratwurst recipe along with all the other traditional German festival favorites that you expect at an authentic Oktoberfest banquet. Here's what's on the menu: Homemade Soft Pretzels with Obatzda (beer cheese dip) Kayla's Venison Bratwurst with Sauerkraut (traditional home recipe) Spaetzle (German egg dumplings with caramelized onions) Rotkohl (red cabbage with apples) Bayrischer Kartoffelsalat (Bavarian warm potato salad) Apfelk...

On Saturday, October 4 , we will be hosting our first-ever cooking workshop and feast to celebrate Oktoberfest. We invented the "workshop" format because a 2.5-hour evening class is simply not enough time to celebrate an event like Oktoberfest. So we're planning a 4-hour "cooking party" on a Saturday afternoon where we get to make all the traditional festival dishes you expect from a real German Oktoberfest celebration. Featured on the menu will be guest chef Kayla Lammy's venison bratwurst recipe. Growing up in rural Illinois, hunting was a way Kayla's family sustained themselves. She grew up eating ground deer meat, or venison, as a substitute for ground beef in most recipes. "Hunting, when done respectfully, is a great way to connect with the land and have a deeper appreciation for where our food comes from," says Kayla. Join us and learn how Kayla's family makes their own special bratwurst. Here's what ...

On Saturday, October 4, we will be hosting our first-ever cooking workshop and feast to celebrate Oktoberfest. Originating in the Bavarian city of Munich in 1810, Oktoberfest is now celebrated all over the world. In Urbana, we will celebrate this festival season with a traditional German banquet and cooking class featuring traditional German recipes, and of course, German beer. German cuisine is known for its hearty and savory dishes and a long tradition of sausage-making as well as fermentation of vegetables like cabbage. But the highlight of this cooking workshop will be guest chef Kayla Lammy's Deer Bratwurst, modified from a recipe from her father. We will be making this sausage from scratch along with a feast of traditional German favorites. This is a four-hour hands-on cooking workshop for adults 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 full festival menu, and you w...

You may have met Brittany Heyen at one of our pop-up dinners in the past year. Brittany was the server and all-around helper who made sure the food arrived hot, your wine glasses were never empty, and your needs in the dining room were met. So when Brittany said she wanted to be the chef du jour and cook up some German dishes inspired by her grandmother's recipes, we absolutely said yes. And since the annual Oktoberfest season is upon us, we thought she should do it twice. First up is our  Oktoberfest Feast in Munich pop-up dinner on  Sunday, September 22 . As is our tradition, we'll be serving up a multi-course dinner complete with imported German beers and wines for one fixed price (unlike at restaurants, all taxes and tip are included as well). This time, 16 guests will be invited to celebrate Oktoberfest in a private party room in downtown Urbana where we'll create a Bavarian beer hall atmosphere with communal-style dining. Brittany's grandmot...

Mark your calendars! August 7 is only 3 weeks away, and that is when you can start registering for the 9th season of my long-running "Flavor Principles of Ethnic Cooking" classes. In this series, we travel around the globe to taste all the diversity that our wonderful world has to offer. Learn how to make anything taste ethnic by following a few master recipes and utilizing simple flavor principles. By the end of the series, you will be able to customize flavor profiles and adjust recipes like a pro. Here's what's on the menu: •  Persian Classics  (September 19): Dive deep into this ancient Middle Eastern cuisine inspired by the courts of ancient Persia (as Iran was called until the 1930s). Learn how to combine herbs and spices (like saffron) with nuts and dried fruit to make elaborate stews and rice dishes. Enjoy a silk road-inspired royal banquet that's both sophisticated and simple.  •  German Oktoberfest Feast  (October 10):...

  Plans are already in the works for our fall season of the "Flavor Principles of Ethnic Cooking" classes. We've got plans for two new classes and I'll be introducing a new guest instructor. Here's a preview of what's being planned: •  Persian Classics (September 19): Dive deep into this ancient Middle Eastern cuisine inspired by the courts of ancient Persia (as Iran was called until the 1930s). Learn how to combine herbs and spices like saffron with nuts and dried fruit to make elaborate stews and rice dishes. Enjoy a silk road-inspired royal banquet that's both sophisticated and simple.   •  German Oktoberfest Feast (October 10): Originating in the Bavarian city of Munich, Oktoberfest is the largest folk festival in the world. At this dinner party celebration, we'll be making festival favorites that are rich, hearty and robust, often balancing savory and tangy flavors. This session will be co-presented with Brittany Heyen ( @highinfi...

In July 2023, we launched a series of Sunday night pop-up dinners featuring gourmet meals from exotic destinations around the world. We are happy to announce that these special themed dinner parties will continue in 2024 with a brand new season of exciting new culinary adventures. We're lucky that Champaign-Urbana is home to an amazing variety of restaurants serving a broad range of international cuisines. Despite this abundance, we’re still missing a few important culinary traditions. Our goal is to fill in that gap with unique dining experiences not typically available locally. Here's what we've planned so far for this upcoming year: February 11 - Valentine's Dinner in Napa : A romantic five-course gourmet meal with wine pairings for every course March 17 - An Evening in Český Krumlov : An authentic five-course traditional Czech meal with wine and beer pairings April 14 - Mumbai Street Food Tour : A guided survey of all the best eats available in this vibrant India...