Thanks for your interest in New Pioneer cooking classes, demonstrations, and lectures!
Registration is required unless noted. You can register online using PayPal by clicking on the Event Calendar link at the left, or contact Genie Maybanks (319) 248-6408, gmaybanks@newpi.coop.
Classes are held at the Coralville New Pioneer Food Co-op unless otherwise noted. For a full refund, we request 48 hours notice.
Heal Yourself with Fresh Fruit and Vegetables
with Tammy Hamlin
Thurs., Feb. 2, 6:00-8:00 PM
$15/person
You’ve seen the movie sensation Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead though Netflix. Now you can lose weight and get a reboot on your life with a menu featuring fresh produce, fresh juice, and careful fasting. Tammy Hamlin, co-founder of the Spirit Lake, Iowa Community Juice Fast, was featured in the film Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead. This remarkable documentary follows several people in their successful attempt to drop weight, and regain health and vitality. Tammy will explain the approach, share her experiences, and prepare many fresh juices from fruits and vegetables for sampling.
Make Friends with Your Digestion
with Lisa Scranton, MS, RD, LD
Tues., Feb. 7, 6:00-8:00 PM
$15/person
Life is good when you have a pleasant and comfortable relationship with your digestion. Food intolerances and allergies, chemicals present in processed foods, and the hectic pace of modern life can cause intestinal distress and acid reflux. Join registered dietitian Lisa Scranton as she explains how to modify your diet to eliminate four of the most common irritants in our food supply. Those with sensitivities to gluten, dairy, excess fructose, and acidic foods will find this class helpful. Lisa will prepare Crispy Pan-Fried Chicken, as well as Miso-glazed Quorn for the vegetarians, Green Salad with Blueberry (no-acid) Dressing, Tomato-less Sauce over Gluten Free Pasta, and her daughter's prize-winning Vegan Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Muffins for dessert.
Authentic Italian Culinary Traditions
with Chef Gianluca Baroncini
Thurs., Feb. 9, 6:00-8:00 PM
$25/person
Chef Gianluca Baroncini’s passion for culinary excellence and love of authentic traditional Italian food comes from his childhood in Verona (famous for pasta), and studies in Bardolino (famous for risotto). During a successful career in award-wining Italian restaurants in Washington, D.C., he met wife Katja and together they moved to Iowa City, where she accepted a position teaching Italian. To our good luck, Gianluca opened Baroncini Ristorante Italiano in Iowa City in spring of 2011. Join us as Gianluca reviews and prepares both fresh and dried pasta and creates two easy sauces: Pasta Primavera and Pasta Carbonara. We’ll explore and sample Parmesan cheese, olive oil, and fine Italian wine. Salute!
Festive Valentine’s with Wine, Cheese, and Chocolate
with Jay Berry
Tues., Feb. 14, 6:00-8:00 PM
$20/person
Celebrate Valentine’s Day with a festive evening sampling cheese, wine, and chocolate. Join wine enthusiast Jay Berry as he explores pairing the bright and pleasing flavors of wine and cheese, and wine and chocolate. Which cheeses and chocolates best complement red, white, and sparkling wines? Enjoy yourselves discovering your favorites! Everyone is welcome.
Cajun Mardi Gras Party
with Sam Kron
Thurs., Feb. 16, 6:00-8:00 PM
$15/person
This year Mardi Gras, or “Fat Tuesday,” falls on February 21. By custom, this is the time to use up rich foods before the fasting and austerity of Lent, and over time, Mardi Gras has become the occasion for a party! Join Chef Sam Kron of Shelter House as he whips up his favorite Cajun Mardi Gras menu of Gumbo (filled with shrimp, chicken, veggies, and Andouille sausage), Crayfish Fritters, Braised Greens, and Key Lime Pie. Come see how to make a proper “roux,” discover a new kale recipe, and learn how to create your own lime pie from scratch. Fun beverages will be sampled, too.
Pizza from Scratch
with Chad Clark
Tues., Feb. 21, 6:00-8:00 PM
$15/person
Join Chad Clark as he prepares pizza, beginning with the dough and ending with a dazzling array of possible toppings. Chad will use an electric mixer to prepare the yeast-leavened dough. He’ll share his opinions on the best mix of cheese and discuss how to season the pizza sauce. Come learn how to make the best pizza ever at home – community acclaimed! – with the opportunity to use excellent ingredients and customize the pie to suit your crowd.
Traditional Turkish Cooking
with Resmiye Oral and Nukhet Yarbrough
Thurs., Feb. 23, 6:00-8:00 PM
$15/person
Resmiye Oral and Nukhet Yarbrough learned to prepare the traditional dishes of their native Turkey from their mothers. Join Resmiye and Nukhet as they demonstrate the preparation of family favorites Hunkar Begendi (an eggplant and lamb dish that translates as “The King Liked It”), Turkish Pilav (rice), Cacik (yogurt and cucumber), Turkish Green Beans, and the phyllo dough dessert Baklava. Featured spices and herbs include black pepper, mint, and garlic. Sample size portions will be served.
Veggie Sushi
with David Burt
Tues., Feb. 28, or Thurs., Apr. 19, 6:00-8:00 PM
$15/person
Dazzle your guests with platters of homemade sushi! Sushi Roll, also called Nori Maki, features seasoned rice and various fillings rolled up in sheets of toasted nori, a sea vegetable formed into paper-like sheets. The roll is then sliced crosswise to reveal the filling. Students will have a chance to try their hand under the supervision of instructor David Burt, Chef at The Red Avocado restaurant.
Julia Child’s Favorites
with Valerie Martin
Thurs., Mar. 1, or Thurs., Apr. 12, 6:00-8:00 PM
$20/person
Julia Child brought French cooking to America in the ‘50s. Now Valerie Martin demonstrates the preparation of three classic French favorites that Julia loved. Join Valerie as she prepares Poached Chicken in Tarragon White Wine Sauce (a good dinner party entrée, as it can wait patiently if guests linger over pre-dinner drinks), Ratatouille (a hearty vegetable stew, good hot or cold), and Crème Caramel, a delightful cousin of crème brûlée. Pleasing wine will accompany the samples of food.
Keep your Brain Young
with Dr. Terry Wahls
Tues., Mar. 6, 6:00-7:30 PM
$15/person
Channing Hall (Unitarian Universalist Society), 10 S. Gilbert St., at the SE Corner of Iowa and Gilbert St., Iowa City
Over 90% of Americans eat so poorly they do not have the minerals, vitamins, and essential fats necessary for their brains to do the biochemistry of life. Dr. Wahls spent four years dependent upon a tilt-recline wheelchair due to multiple sclerosis (MS). She used electrical stimulation of muscles and focused, intense nutrition to get out of her wheelchair. Dr. Wahls will talk about the foods to eat and the actions to take to protect and restore your brain. At this class you will learn strategies to lower the risk and or severity of dementia, depression, and other mental health or neurological problems using food and other non-drug means.
Hands-On: Pasta with a Rolling Pin
with Roxane Mitten
Thurs., Mar. 8, 6:00-8:00 PM
$15/person, class enrollment limited to 12
With the simple ingredients semolina flour, salt, water, and egg you can create amazing homemade pasta! Join pasta lover Roxane Mitten as she guides you through preparing your own fettuccini with only a counter and rolling pin. Roxane will share tips on how to achieve correct dough consistency, and how to roll the pasta to the desired thickness. Students will have the chance to try out simple shapes of ravioli and tortellini. Pasta will be accompanied by Roxane’s handmade sauces: Ginger Mint, Smoked Salmon in Cream Sauce, and a surprise third sauce based on local organic ingredients.
Sweet and Savory Crêpes
with Valerie Martin
Thurs., Mar. 22, or Tues., Apr. 17, 6:00-8:00 PM
$20/person
Valerie Martin’s grandmother came from Brittany, in the west of France. Crêpes are a featured food of this area, and Valerie learned as a young girl how to prepare the thin, egg-rich pancakes which may hold various fillings. Join Valerie as she demonstrates the preparation of the savory Cheese, Bacon, and Spinach Crêpe, and the sweet Lemon Blueberry Crêpe. Once you have mastered the art of preparing the delicate crêpe, many inventive fillings will be suggested, and you will be able to create your own favorites.
Capture the Summer in Jars
with Christine Peters
Tues., Mar. 27, 6:00-8:00 PM
$15/person
Dreaming about the bounty you will produce in your garden this summer? Start planning now how you will preserve the summer goodness! Join home canning enthusiast Christine Peters as she demonstrates safe and successful canning of tomato juice, apple sauce, beet relish, pickles, and green beans. Christine will use both a water bath canner and pressure canner, and explain when each is appropriate. Students will have a chance to sample some of Christine’s canning successes from 2011.
Indian Butter Chicken Dinner
with Pramod Sarin
Thurs., March 29, 6:00-8:00 PM
$15/person
Pramod Sarin comes from a family of excellent cooks. She learned to prepare dishes from her native region of Punjab, India. In this class, Pramod will demonstrate the use of traditional ingredients and contemporary cooking methods to prepare delicious and healthy Indian meals. Discover the appearance, scent, and flavor of spices favored in Indian cooking, as well how to release the flavor of the spices to season food. Pramod will prepare several dishes, including Butter Chicken, Eggplant Bhurtha, Potato Raita, and Rice Pulao. Samples of chai and beer will accompany the meal.
Raising Urban Chickens
with Misha Goodman
Thurs., Apr. 5, 6:00-7:30 PM
$15/person
Wouldn’t it be fun to gather eggs from your own backyard chickens? Would it make sense financially? How much work is involved? What are the positives and negatives? Join Misha Goodman of Iowa City Animal Services as she outlines what is needed for a suitable chicken house, laying nest boxes, and backyard enclosure. Misha will offer helpful tips on chick sources, proper feeding, keeping the hens safe from predators, and what to do with the chicken waste. Refreshments will be served.
Chicken in Mole
with Miriam Alarcon Avila
Tues., April 10, 6:00-8:00 PM
$15/person
Mole, one of the most famous dishes in Mexican cuisine, features a sauce made from dried chilies, chocolate, nuts, and spices. Join New Pioneer's lead cake designer Miriam Alarcon Avila as she demonstrates the preparation of Mexican Chicken with Red Mole Sauce, accompanied with Mexican Rice. For dessert Miriam will prepare Fried Banana with Cream, a traditional recipe made with sweet plantain. We will sample beer and wine that complement the meal.
Best Wine Values from Around the World
with Jay Berry
Tues., April 24, 6:00-8:00 PM
$20/person
The chilly weather suggests red wine but spring, we hope, is just around the corner, so we will include both red and whites in this light-hearted sampling featuring the best wines under $20 from around the world. Local wine enthusiast Jay Berry will share his insights and enthusiasm as we sample excellent values in wines from France, Argentina, Australia, and Spain. We will offer samples of cheese that complement the wines. Look for special prices on your wine class favorites this night only!
Pickles Gone Wild/Homemade Kombucha
With Roxane Mitten
Thurs., April 26, 6:00-8:00 PM
$15/person
Fresh pickled vegetables are tasty and easy to make. Kombucha is mysterious and very popular. Join live culture enthusiast Roxane Mitten as she talks about the biology of fermentation for these two types of products, and explains how to do it yourself. Perhaps you have seen a crock or big jar with a plate holding the food under a brine? Friendly microorganisms make the veggies more tender, more flavorful, and even boost your digestion. Roxane will demonstrate the preparation of Pickled Mixed Vegetables, Gari (Japanese pickled ginger for sushi), and Kombucha with secondary ferment of fruit juice creating good color, flavor and effervescence. We will also sample featured cultured foods from the Co-op shelves.