Learn jerky making from the masters at Louie’s Finer Meats? Yes, please!
Community. Cooking. “How we feed ourselves matters.” That’s the focus of the Farm Table Foundation, a restaurant, event facility, and educational hub with a mission of locally sourced food in downtown Amery. Cooking classes are a regular part of The Farm Table’s work, and now, they’re bringing the classes to you. Learn to make jerky from the masters at Louie’s Finer Meats. Make new dishes from around the world. Or indulge in a new type of comfort food. Whether you make it a date night, or just learn some new techniques in one of these affordable virtual classes, you’ll be supporting an entire chain of local businesses in the process.
“You Are What You Eat: Storytelling Through Food”
This five-part series brings together three instructors and can be purchased as a whole, or individually, from $25 to $100. Farm Table says, “In each class you’ll learn some new recipes and think about how the recipes you cherish tell part of your story and reflect your identity and culture. You will also learn about, and consider, how those recipes, those ingredients, connect to personal and environmental health. And, together, our instructors will explore and discuss how food, environment, and culture are fundamental elements of equity and justice, and how each of them navigates the ongoing inequities of our world and our food system through their work, their cooking, and their communities.”
- February 23, 6:30-8 PM: Led by all three of our instructors: Lachelle Cunningham, Suan Kregel, and Jenny Breen.
- March 9, 6:30-8 PM with Jenny Breen–Regenerative Cooking: Food as Medicine for People and the Planet.
- March 23, 6:30-8 PM with Lachelle Cunningham–American Soul Food Healing.
- April 6, 6:30-8 PM with Suan Kregel–Start with Stir Fry: Twenty Minutes to a Nourished Body & Community
- April 20, 6:30-8 PM: Our three instructors—Lachelle, Suan, and Jenny —will come back together to share what they’ve learned about each other and invite you to inquire, explore, and share how you connect to our stories. And they’ll prepare a surprise dish together!
“Khao Soi: Thai Comfort Food”
Khao soi, a one-dish meal from Thailand.
Thursday, March 4, 6:30 to 7:45 p.m. ($10-$20)
Learn how to make all the elements of the delicious one-dish meal, Khao Soi, with Farm Table’s chef, Sarah Mittelstadt. This is Sarah’s second class on Thai cooking. She has been to Thailand a few times, including a six-month stint where she fell in love with the food and the people. Learn how to make all the elements of the delicious one-dish meal, Khao Soi: a coconut broth curry with rich egg noodles, stewed chicken, and fun toppings like crispy egg noodles, pickled mustard greens, and sliced shallots. The bulk of the class will go in-depth on how to make the curry paste, but also cover making the broth, cooking the chicken, and preparing the garnishes.
“Dinner Pies”
Thursday, March 11, 6:00-7:30 p.m. ($10-$20)
Join local culinary and cultural expert, Terry Kelzer, to learn three different dinner pies and crusts just in time for St. Patrick’s Day! Three specialties from the British Isles: Cheddar, Leek, and Potato Pie; Melton Mowbray Style Pork Pie; and a Guinness and Beef Pie. Any one of these would be a great option to try for a very special St. Patrick’s Day dinner—instead of the more traditional corned beef and cabbage or Irish stew. This class, with these three classic pies with three different fillings, will include demonstrations of three different pastry crusts: a quick puff pastry, a flaky cream cheese pastry, and a hot water pastry.
“Jerky Making”
The award-winning staff of Louie’s Finer Meats in Cumberland will teach you how to make jerky like the pros in a one-night virtual course.
Tuesday, March 16, 6:30-8:00 p.m. ($15-$25)
Learn how to make your own jerky at home with the experts from Louie’s Finer Meats! Whether you have a freezer full of venison, or won a recent meat raffle, or just want to learn how to make DELICIOUS jerky, this class is for you! Taught by two of our area’s best, Louie and Louis Muench of Louie’s Finer Meats in Cumberland, you’ll learn about the fundamentals of making your own jerky. Various seasonings, cooking, meat preparation and selection, and food safety will be covered. And there will be time for questions and answers.
Register through any of the above courses by visiting the Farm Table website. The Farm Table Foundation is committed to making their courses affordable, expressing on the foundation’s website, “Farm Table Foundation is a nonprofit with a mission to grow local food culture through education, research, and training. Our ticket prices for our programs reflect living wages for our staff, supporting knowledgeable and qualified instructors, and paying local farmers a fair price for the produce and proteins we source from them. If you find that price is a barrier to attending one of our classes or events, please reach out to programdirector@farmtablefoundation.org.”
