Learn how to create a balanced meal using Alaska’s abundant seafood resources with SEARHC registered dietitian Katie Carroll. This class takes place from 6-8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 13, at the Sitka Kitch community rental commercial kitchen, now located at the Sitka Lutheran Church (224 Lincoln Street, enter through the alley off Harbor Drive by the old Bev’s Flowers & Gifts location).

This class costs $40, and serves as a fundraiser for the Sitka Kitch. The class registration deadline is 11:30 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 10.

Katie plans to teach students how to cook a pesto spaghetti squash “pasta” with crispy salmon as a main course, with an artichoke, tomato, spinach flatbread appetizer. She said few people have used spaghetti squash, so she hopes the dish will be new and interesting.

“Living in Southeast Alaska, we have an abundance of seafood and most of us are familiar with how to cook it,” Katie said. “As a dietitian, however, I find many people struggle to create a balanced meal with the right amount of produce, fat, and healthy carbohydrates that are the foundation of a well rounded meal. This class will discuss building balanced plates using seafood and cook a produce packed seafood dish full of flavor.”

Katie grew up in Nashville, Tenn., and lived there until she moved to Knoxville to complete her undergraduate degree at the University of Tennessee with a B.S. in Nutrition. She then worked for two years for East Tennessee (Women, Infant, Children) WIC as a nutrition educator and Certified Lactation Counselor. She completed her Dietetic Internship through Priority Nutrition Care out of Boston, Mass., where she focused on clinical dietetics and after completion became a registered dietitian.

“I believe in a lifestyle approach to health where no one size fits all,” Katie said. “Outside of work I enjoy hiking, dancing, reading and cooking.”

The registration deadline for this class is 11:30 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 10, so register now since space is limited. We need at least eight students to register and pre-pay to make this class happen. The class costs $40, which is part of our new all-inclusive fee system (you no longer have to pay a class fee to register, then a separate food/supply fee). You can register and pre-pay using credit/debit cards or PayPal on our EventSmart page, http://sitkakitch.eventsmart.com(click on class title). For those wanting to pre-pay with cash or check, please call Chandler O’Connell or Clarice Johnson at Sitka Conservation Society (747-7509) to arrange a payment. For more information about the class, contact Jasmine Shaw at 747-9440. We do offer one potential scholarship spot per class for people with limited incomes, so long as we have enough students registered to make the class happen. Contact Chandler at SCS for more details about the scholarship. This class is a fundraiser for the Sitka Kitch.

Students should enter the Sitka Lutheran Church through the back entrance (through the alley off Harbor Drive by the old Bev’s Flowers and Gifts location). The door on the right should be open for students to enter. Please do not park in the church’s back parking lot. Please use the public parking lots off Harbor Drive.

The Sitka Kitch also has a new class cancelation policy. If you register for a class, then find out you can’t attend, please email us at sitkakitch@sitkawild.org and we may be able to help fill your slot through our waiting list. If you cancel from the class at least five days in advance (eg, by Wednesday for a Monday class), you are eligible for a partial refund of your class fee, minus $5 for processing (in this case, $35). If you need to cancel with less than five days advance notice, there is no refund.