Cooking Classes

Cooking Classes

The Flatlander classroom has enabled us to fulfill our third end of being an educational resource in the community, as well as allowed us to bring our friends and neighbors together for new experiences. We have both in-person cooking classes as well as virtual cooking classes that come with a meal kit to cook along in your own kitchens.

 

Common Ground offers a range of cultural cuisine cooking classes and cocktail classes every month. We have a wonderful team of community teachers who will walk you through every step of making a meal. Register for some of our upcoming classes below and sign up for our newsletter to be alerted to just released classes.

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Italian Virtual Cooking Class & Meal Kit

Learn how to make Panzanella, Asparagus Brie Risotto, and Lemongrass Panna Cotta with Blueberry Sauce! This class will be taught by cooking instructor, Julia Paniago. Tune in for the Zoom live class and cook along in your kitchen using the pre-portioned meal kit and enjoy a delicious dinner and dessert by the end of class.

 

The menu includes:

• Panzanella - a flavorful appetizer with toasted cubed sourdough bread, tomatoes, shallot, basil, and a homemade lemon garlic vinaigrette
• Asparagus Brie Risotto - a creamy arborio risotto made with chicken broth, white wine, shallots, thyme, and served with melted brie and asparagus
• Lemongrass Panna Cotta with Blueberry Sauce - an Italian custard set with gelatin and sweetened cream topped with a homemade blueberry sauce

 

$50/$45 owner

 

SOLD OUT

 

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Bourbon & The Whiskey Sour In-person Cocktail Class

Join us for our next cocktail class with Katie Carillo and learn all about Bourbon & The Whiskey Sour! A Whiskey Sour is a classic cocktail made with whiskey or bourbon, simple syrup, lemon juice, Angostura bitters, and an optional egg white for a creamy mouthfeel. 

 

This class will consist of a charcuterie plate, lessons on the history and making of bourbon and The Whiskey Sour, a tasting of 3 bourbons, and a demonstration on how to make the classic cocktail. Students will then make their own Whiskey Sour using a unique combination of ingredients from the Co-op including citrus fruit, herbs, spices, and fresh fruits.

 

$45/$40 owner

 

Register

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Smart Meals Class SeriesCommon Ground is partnering with OSF Healthcare to offer a free class series for seniors over 55!

 

Smart Meals is a program designed to provide awareness and education on buying affordable, healthy foods that can be easily prepared at home. OSF dieticians have created Smart Meal Kits with shelf-stable ingredients that can be cooked into a full meal, or supplemented with additional ingredients. Each kit also includes a recipe card, a shopping list, and other educational materials. Each Smart Meal recipe is uniquely created by a registered OSF dietitian. All meals are high in fiber and low in fat and sodium.

 

Each cooking class in the series will demonstrate how to make one Smart Meal kit, as well as fresh additions and recipes using local and organic food from Common Ground Food Co-op. Students will learn about a different nutritional topic catered to the meal, and then have the chance to sample all the food. At the end of the class, students will receive an additional Smart Meal kit to take home with them!

 

Classes in the series:

• Wednesday, April 17th: Tex-Mex Tostadas with Chips & Guacamole
• Wednesday, May 22nd: Mandarin Orange Chicken and Green Chile Peanut Sauce with Cucumber Salad
• Wednesday, June 26th: Perfect Pumpkin Chili with Homemade Cornbread (Vegan!)

 

SOLD OUT

 

 

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Previous Cooking Class Videos & Recipes

• Springtime Soup & Spanakopita Cooking Class with Carl Reisman

• Whole Grain Valentine's Cookies with Hannah Fink
• Indian Afternoon Tea Party with Sirisha Bhandaru

• Holiday Brunch Cooking Class with Adam Wiznewski

• Fall Cupcakes with Heidi Leuzler

• Moroccan Cooking Class with Hind Mahouer

• Summer Harvest with Sola Gratia Farm

• Indian Thali with Sirisha Bhandaru

• Caprese Cooking Class with Kat Keys

• Ayurveda Cooking Class with Jodi Adams

• Ukrainian Cooking Class with Marina K.

• Indian Sambar Cooking Class with Sirisha Bhandaru

• Fermentation with Katie Adams and Sarah Buckman

• Southern Cooking Class with Ann Swanson of Hendrick House
• Magick of Soul Food with Desiree Draine

• Nigerian Edikaikong Soup & Eba with Tutu Fabusoro
• Summer Harvest with Sola Gratia Farm

• Mikate ya Mofa, Samaki wa Nazi & Pilipili with My Swahili Kitchen
• Veggie Chat, Palak Paneer, & Rose Petal Chocolate Bark with Sirisha Bhandaru
• Tomato Egg Drop Soup, Sichuan Style Green Beans, Smashed Cucumber Salad & Fish Fragrant Eggplant with Huan Song
• Cheesemaking: Mozzarella & Mascarpone with Anna Barnes of Jubilee Cafe
• Indian Thali with Sirisha Bhandaru
• Homemade Linguine, Roasted Tomato Sauce & Autumn Vegetable Salad with Celia from Janie's Mill
• Crepe Suzette & Galette Bretonne with Quentin Rizzardi
• Plum Jam & Plum Torte with Heidi Leuszler of Berries & Flour
• Elderberry Syrup & Fire Cider with Joan Jach of Old Town Flowers CU
• Lemon Ricotta Pancakes with Browned Butter Blackberry Syrup, Cheesy Grits & Sweet Potato Hash with Liz Sands of Common Ground
• Naturally Wild & Fizzy Sodas with Katie Adams
• Perennial Cocktails: Simple Syrup, Shrub & Bitters with Liz Sands of Common Ground 
• Fruit Leather: Preserving & Snacks with Jeff Hake of Funk's Grove
• Asparagus Quiche with Hazelnut Crust with Sarah Buckman of Common Ground
• Kids Brunch: Animal French Toast & Berry Smoothies with Mackensie Archibald of Common Ground
• Shrimp Wontons in Chili Oil with Huan Song
• Ghormeh Sabzi and Tahdig e Nan with Darya Shahgheibi
• Choux a la Creme with Quentin Rizzardi

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Education

Learn with Us!

 

Common Ground Food Co-op strives to serve as an educational resource on food issues. 

 

The Co-op works hard to serve our community, from recipes to classes to our Grow On program for kids and in-store information about our farms, our products, and the food system. We work with local teachers and schools to come up with food curriculum that exciting for all ages.

 

Our classroom is a great and vibrant space that is used for cooking classes, staff meetings, and as a space where folks gather to share food and build community.

 

Check out our class calendar! You can sign up for classes online or in person at the registers with our staff. 

 

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Teach a Class

We believe in vibrant community education.

 

Community education creates a positive learning experience for the community members who participate in classes. Our education is accessible and varied in topic and perspective; however, due to COVID, our educational programming has become more limited and we ask that all classes are relevant to cultural cuisines, Co-op mission, and promote the products in store. We offer a supportive learning experience to experienced and novice teachers and learners. If you are interested in teaching a class please contact our Marketing Manager by email or by phone at  (217) 352-3347 about the application process. 

 

Apply to be a Co-op Teacher

Individual Class Proposal Forms

 

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Request a Store Tour!

 

If you would like to bring in a group or class to the Co-op to learn about our local farms or food systems, schedule a store tour with us. We host engaging tours geared for all ages!

 

Request a Store Tour