November is Diabetes Awareness Month, and Kate DesRosiers, who has Type 1 diabetes and operates Rainforest Rose Creations at the Sitka Farmers Market, will teach two diabetes-friendly dessert classes this month at the Sitka Kitch.

Kate will teach students how to make a date caramel carob “AIP Twix” bar n her first class, from 3-5 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 2, at the Sitka Kitch community rental commercial kitchen (located at the Sitka Lutheran Church kitchen, 224 Lincoln Street, enter back door through alley off of Harbor Drive). Her other class is Nov. 16.

Over the past 29 years of living with Type 1 diabetes, Kate has experimented with and tested out hundreds of lower carbohydrate food and recipes. She focuses on gut balance and foods that work best for her body for optimal health and feeling good in her own experiences with autoimmune chronic illness. In addition to operating Rainforest Rose Creations, Kate also instructs weekly Zumba classes and is a skin care consultant with Rodan + Fields.

In this class, Kate will teach a recipe for those who are addicted to candy bars but need to cut down on sugar? Looking for healthy yet delicious snacks? Whether you are focusing on learning healthier recipes, or just looking to expand your social network of those geared towards health and wellness, this class might just be the one for you. In this class we will learn how to make Kate’s famous date caramel carob “AIP Twix” bar.

The registration deadline is 11:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 31. Space is limited, so register early to secure your place in the class. 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 the week before 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.