March 23, 2016 by Charles Bingham

Scenes from the third Basic Culinary Skills class at the Sitka Kitch

Students made crab stock, Italian tomato sauce, a balsamic vinaigrette, and an alfredo sauce March 21 during the third of four Basic Culinary Skills classes offered on Mondays in March at the Sitka Kitch community rental commercial kitchen.

The class series is designed to help people gain the kitchen skills they need for restaurant jobs, but many of the students are taking the series to improve their home kitchen chops.

These classes are taught by Kathy Jones, executive chef at the Westmark Sitka Hotel and the Totem Square Inn, with assistance by her sous chef, Barbara Palacios. The classes are modeled after a similar basic culinary skills program Chef Kathy knows from Indianapolis offered by a food relief nonprofit called Second Helpings.

In the first class (March 7) the students worked on chopping skills, and also learned about basic kitchen sanitation and a variety of kitchen tools. The second class (March 14) featured basic cooking techniques, basic nutrition, and sauces, soups and stocks Part 1 (making a cucumber raita, mushroom ragout, and a Caesar dressing).

The third class on March 21 focused on sauces, soups and stocks Part 2, salads, and measurements. The fourth class on March 28 will focus on poultry, meats, and the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) safe food handler’s card.

The Basic Culinary Skills class series is supported by a grant from the Northwest Farm Credit Services rural community grant program.

The Sitka Kitch was a project of the 2013 Sitka Health Summit, and the project is coordinated by the Sitka Conservation Society in partnership with the Sitka Local Foods Network. The Sitka Kitch can be rented to teach cooking and food preservation classes, by local cottage food industry entrepreneurs who need a commercial kitchen to make their products, and for large groups needing a large kitchen for a community dinner. To learn more about how to rent the Sitka Kitch, please go to the website at http://www.sitkawild.org/sitka_kitch.

For more information about the Sitka Kitch and the classes, please email sitkakitch@sitkawild.org. You also can go to our class registration page at https://sitkakitch.eventsmart.com/ to see all of the available classes (click on the class titles to register).

A slideshow of scenes from the third class of the series can be found below.

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March 16, 2016 by Charles Bingham

Scenes from the second Basic Culinary Skills class at the Sitka Kitch

Students made cucumber raita, mushroom ragout, and a Caesar dressing during the second of four Basic Culinary Skills classes offered on Mondays in March at the Sitka Kitch community rental commercial kitchen.

The class series is designed to help people gain the kitchen skills they need for restaurant jobs, but many of the students are taking the series to improve their home kitchen chops.

In the first class the students worked on chopping skills, and also learned about basic kitchen sanitation and a variety of kitchen tools. The second class featured basic cooking techniques, basic nutrition, and sauces, soups and stocks Part 1. The cucumber raita is a sauce used in Indian dishes to cool spicy dishes, and it goes well with fish, vegetables and can be used as a dip. The mushroom ragout goes well with game meat (venison, goat, lamb, etc.).

The third class on March 21 will focus on sauces, soups and stocks Part 2, salads, and measurements. The fourth class on March 28 will focus on poultry, meats, and the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) safe food handler’s card.

The Basic Culinary Skills class series is supported by a grant from the Northwest Farm Credit Services rural community grant program.

A slideshow of scenes from the second class of the series can be found below.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

March 8, 2016 by Charles Bingham

Scenes from the first Basic Culinary Skills class at the Sitka Kitch

Students chopped a lot of potatoes during the first of four Basic Culinary Skills classes offered on Mondays in March at the Sitka Kitch community rental commercial kitchen.

In addition to working on chopping skills, the students also learned about basic kitchen sanitation and a variety of kitchen tools. There are three more classes in the series, and students will do more cooking in them. The series is designed to help people gain the kitchen skills they need for restaurant jobs, but many of the students are taking the series to improve their home kitchen chops.

These classes are taught by Kathy Jones, executive chef at the Westmark Sitka Hotel and the Totem Square Inn, who was assisted by her sous chef, Barbara Palacios. The classes are modeled after a similar basic culinary skills program Chef Kathy knows from Indianapolis offered by a food relief nonprofit called Second Helpings.

Basic Culinary Skills 2 — 6-8:30 p.m., Monday, March 14, this class will focus on basic cooking techniques, basic nutrition, and sauces, soups and stocks part 1.
Basic Culinary Skills 3 — 6-8:30 p.m., Monday, March 21, the class will focus on sauces, soups and stocks part 2, salads, and measurements.
Basic Culinary Skills 4 — 6-8:30 p.m., Monday, March 28, the class will focus on poultry, meats, and the Alaska DEC safe food handler’s card.

The Basic Culinary Skills class series is supported by a grant from the Northwest Farm Credit Services rural community grant program.

A slideshow of scenes from the first class of the series can be found below.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

March 1, 2016 by Charles Bingham

Scenes from the last Winter Cooking From Scratch series class at the Sitka Kitch — Homemade Empanadas

Baked salmon and deep-fried cheese empanadas were on the menu during the final class in the Winter Cooking From Scratch series Monday, Feb. 29, at the Sitka Kitch community rental commercial kitchen. This class on cooking homemade empanadas was taught by Barbara Palacios, the sous chef at the Westmark Sitka Hotel.

This was the fourth class in the Winter Cooking From Scratch series, which saw a variety of local chefs teach the classes. The first class in the series (Homemade Pasta) was taught by Edith Johnson (formerly chef of the Fly-In Fish Inn and now with the Sitka Hotel), and the second class (Ancient Grains and Gut Health) was taught by Dr. Julien Naylor, an internal medicine specialist who also is a trained chef. A third class (Sauces and Dressings) taught by Kathy Jones (executive chef at the Westmark Sitka Hotel) was postponed and will be rescheduled for a later date. In addition, the Sitka Kitch recently hosted a special fundraising class (Quick and Easy Thai Cooking) taught by local health program manager Nancy Knapp.

The Sitka Kitch was a project of the 2013 Sitka Health Summit, and the project is coordinated by the Sitka Conservation Society, in partnership with the Sitka Local Foods Network. The Sitka Kitch, which is located in the First Presbyterian Church (505 Sawmill Creek Road), can be rented to teach cooking and food preservation classes, by local cottage food industry entrepreneurs who need a commercial kitchen to make their products, and for large groups needing a large kitchen for a community dinner.

The Sitka Kitch also is offering a Basic Culinary Skills class series taught by Westmark Hotel executive chef Kathy Jones in March, and there is still room for students to take those classes. The Basic Culinary Skills series is designed to help people who want to find work in the restaurant or catering fields improve their kitchen skills (these classes also will be open to people who want to improve their home cooking skills).

A slideshow of scenes from the homemade empanadas class is posted below:

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

February 24, 2016 by Charles Bingham

• Scenes from the Quick and Easy Thai Cooking class at the Sitka Kitch

Students learned how to cook Thai food while also raising funds for a portrait to honor William Stortz during the special Quick and Easy Thai Cooking class taught by Nancy Knapp on Tuesday, Feb. 23, at the Sitka Kitch community rental commercial kitchen.

The students learned how to cook kaeng paneng moo (a curry dish with pork in it, for this class) and tom kha gai (a chicken soup), and also learned how they could add vegetables from their home gardens or local stores to the dishes. Cooks can substitute tofu or similar products for the meat to make vegetarian versions of the dishes. The instructor, longtime Sitka resident and health program manager Nancy Knapp, has worked in Thailand and Laos and brought that experience to the classes.

William Stortz

The class served as a fundraiser to purchase a portrait of William Stortz, painted by Sitka artist Steve Lawrie. William Stortz was one of the three people who died in the August 2015 landslide, and the portrait will hang in the new art gallery bearing his name in the city offices. William was working as the city building inspector when the landslide happened, and before that he spent many years working for the facilities department at the SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium (SEARHC). There also was a donation can where people could donate, and Nancy Knapp donated her instructor fee to the cause.

The Sitka Kitch was a project of the 2013 Sitka Health Summit, and the project is coordinated by the Sitka Conservation Society, in partnership with the Sitka Local Foods Network. The Sitka Kitch can be rented to teach cooking and food preservation classes, by local cottage food industry entrepreneurs who need a commercial kitchen to make their products, and for large groups needing a large kitchen for a community dinner.

In addition to this special class, the Sitka Kitch has one class left in its winter Cooking From Scratch class series taught by local chefs in February (on homemade empanadas), but that class is full and already has a waiting list. The Sitka Kitch also is offering a Basic Culinary Skills class series taught by Westmark Hotel executive chef Kathy Jones in March, and there is still room for students to take those classes. The Basic Culinary Skills series is designed to help people who want to find work in the restaurant or catering fields improve their kitchen skills (these classes also will be open to people who want to improve their home cooking skills).

A slideshow of scenes from the Thai cooking class is posted below:

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

February 16, 2016 by Charles Bingham

• Sitka Kitch to offer Basic Culinary Skills classes in March for those seeking restaurant work

Are you seeking work in the restaurant or catering industry this summer but feel you need to beef up your skills? The Sitka Kitch community rental commercial kitchen will offer a series of four Basic Culinary Skills classes in March designed to help you develop the skills you need to work in the field.

These classes will be taught by Kathy Jones, executive chef at the Westmark Sitka Hotel and the Totem Square Inn. They are modeled after a similar basic culinary skills program Chef Kathy knows from Indianapolis offered by a food relief nonprofit called Second Helpings.

The classes take place from 6-8:30 p.m. on each Monday in March (March 7, 14, 21, and 28) at the Sitka Kitch, which is located inside the First Presbyterian Church (505 Sawmill Creek Road). Each class costs $25, plus a small materials fee. There is a $20 discount for those students who register for all four classes and pay at the first class. To learn more about each class, click the class titles below (which will take you to our registration page; you pay with cash or check at the class, with checks made out to the Sitka Conservation Society).

Since class size is limited, we ask anybody who can’t make the class to please let us know so we can let someone from the waiting list into the class. Registration for each class closes at 5 p.m. the Friday before each class so supplies can be purchased, or the class can be canceled if not enough people sign up, so please register early.

Basic Culinary Skills 1 — 6-8:30 p.m., Monday, March 7, this class will focus on basic kitchen sanitation, beginning knife skills and basic kitchen tools.
Basic Culinary Skills 2 — 6-8:30 p.m., Monday, March 14, this class will focus on basic cooking techniques, basic nutrition, and sauces, soups and stocks part 1.
Basic Culinary Skills 3 — 6-8:30 p.m., Monday, March 21, the class will focus on sauces, soups and stocks part 2, salads, and measurements.
Basic Culinary Skills 4 — 6-8:30 p.m., Monday, March 28, the class will focus on poultry, meats, and the Alaska DEC safe food handler’s card.

The Basic Culinary Skills class series is supported by a grant from the Northwest Farm Credit Services rural community grant program.

In addition to the Basic Culinary Skills class series, there still are spots open in the Sitka Kitch’s winter Cooking From Scratch series of classes in February. All of the classes are open to the general public.

February 12, 2016 by Charles Bingham

• Quick and Easy Thai Cooking class to raise funds for William Stortz portrait

Want to learn how to make quick and easy Thai food in less than one hour from ingredients you can buy at your local grocery store or grow in your garden?

Longtime Sitka resident Nancy Knapp, a health professional who spent many years in Thailand and Laos, will teach this class, which takes place from 5:30-7 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 23, at the Sitka Kitch community rental commercial kitchen (inside the First Presbyterian Church, 505 Sawmill Creek Road). Students should bring three containers to the class, one each for rice, tom kha gai, and kaeng penang moo. Students will take home dinner for two people to eat later. These dishes will be non-vegetarian, but tofu or tempeh can be used to replace the chicken or pork when cooking.

William Stortz

This class will serve as a fundraiser to purchase a portrait of William Stortz, painted by Sitka artist Steve Lawrie. William Stortz was one of the three people who died in the August 2015 landslide, and the portrait will hang in the new art gallery bearing his name in the city offices. William was working as the city building inspector when the landslide happened, and before that he spent many years working for the facilities department at the SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium (SEARHC). There also will be a donation can where people can donate, and Nancy Knapp will donate her instructor fee to the cause.

Space is limited to 10 students, so please register early. You can register by clicking this link (you will pay by cash or check at the class). Registration ends at noon on Sunday, Feb. 21, so the instructor has time to purchase supplies. The class fee is $30 per student (not including a possible materials fee split between students), and students will pay by cash or check at the class. Email sitkakitch@sitkawild.org for more information.

The Sitka Kitch was a project of the 2013 Sitka Health Summit, and the project is coordinated by the Sitka Conservation Society, in partnership with the Sitka Local Foods Network. The Sitka Kitch can be rented to teach cooking and food preservation classes, by local cottage food industry entrepreneurs who need a commercial kitchen to make their products, and for large groups needing a large kitchen for a community dinner.

In addition to this special class, the Sitka Kitch is offering a winter Cooking From Scratch class series taught by local chefs in February and a Basic Culinary Skills class series taught by Westmark Hotel executive chef Kathy Jones in March. The Basic Culinary Skills series is designed to help people who want to find work in the restaurant or catering fields improve their kitchen skills (these classes also will be open to people who want to improve their home cooking skills).

February 12, 2016 by Charles Bingham

• Scenes from the second winter Cooking From Scratch series class — Ancient Grains and Gut Health

Amaranth, spelt, millet, quinoa, farro, teft, barley and Kamut® were among the topics of the Feb. 15 second class of the Sitka Kitch‘s winter Cooking From Scratch series — Ancient Grains and Gut Health.

Taught by local internal medicine specialist and former chef Dr. Julien Naylor, students learned how these ancient grains can be used in everyday cooking and how they can improve a person’s gut health (reducing cholesterol, adding fiber, reducing diabetes and heart disease risks, etc.). The students made a variety of dishes using these grains, then sat down to a meal.

This was the second of a series of four winter Cooking From Scratch classes at the Sitka Kitch community rental commercial kitchen in February. The first class was making homemade pasta taught by chef Edith Johnson on Feb. 1. The other two classes are:

Sauces and Dressings — 6-8:30 p.m., Monday, Feb. 15, taught by Kathy Jones (executive chef at the Westmark Sitka and Dock Shack). This class is focused on preparing homemade sauces and dressings to help you lower your food costs and increase flavor. Registration closes at noon on Feb. 13. (NOTE: We canceled this class on Feb. 13 because we didn’t reach our minimum number of students.)
Homemade Empanadas — 6-8:30 p.m., Monday, Feb. 29, taught by Barbara Palacios (sous chef at the Westmark Sitka). A favorite food of Latin America, Barbara will draw on her Chilean background to teach this delicious homemade empanada class. Empanadas can be savory or sweet, and filled with meats, vegetables or sweet ingredients. In this class, students will make salmon (baked) and/or cheese (deep-fried) empanadas. Registration closes on Feb. 27.

Each class costs $20, plus a food and equipment fee split between students (usually about $5-$10). All of the classes will be taught at the Sitka Kitch, which is located in the First Presbyterian Church (505 Sawmill Creek Road). To learn more about each class, click the class titles above (which will take you to our registration page; you pay with cash or check at the class, with checks made out to the Sitka Conservation Society).

Since class size is limited, we ask anybody who can’t make the class to please let us know so we can let someone from the waiting list into the class. Registration for each class closes at noon the Saturday before each class so supplies can be purchased (except for the ancient grains class, which closes on Saturday). If we don’t have enough people sign up, we may have to cancel the class, so please register early.

The Sitka Kitch was a project of the 2013 Sitka Health Summit, and the project is coordinated by the Sitka Conservation Society, in partnership with the Sitka Local Foods Network. The Sitka Kitch can be rented to teach cooking and food preservation classes, by local cottage food industry entrepreneurs who need a commercial kitchen to make their products, and for large groups needing a large kitchen for a community dinner. To learn more about how to rent the Sitka Kitch, please go to the website at http://www.sitkawild.org/sitka_kitch.

For more information about the winter Cooking From Scratch class series, please email sitkakitch@sitkawild.org. Also, watch for information soon on our Basic Culinary Skills class series in March, which is designed to help people who want to find work in the restaurant or catering fields improve their kitchen skills (these classes also will be open to people who want to improve their home cooking skills).

A slideshow of photos from the ancient grains and gut health class is posted below.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

February 2, 2016 by Charles Bingham

• Scenes from the first winter Cooking From Scratch series class — Homemade Pasta

Spaghetti, fettuccini, farfalle, and pappardelle were among the topics of the Feb. 1 first class of the Sitka Kitch‘s winter Cooking From Scratch series — Homemade Pasta.

Taught by local chef Edith Johnson, students learned how to make a basic egg, olive oil and flour pasta recipe, then learned about the different types of pasta and how they are used.

This was the first of a series of four winter Cooking From Scratch classes at the Sitka Kitch community rental commercial kitchen in February. The other three classes are:

Ancient Grains and Gut Health — 6-8:30 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 9, taught by Dr. Julien Naylor (an internal medicine specialist and chef). This class is focused on how to prepare ancient grains and include more of them in your diet to improve gut health. Registration closes on Feb. 6.
Sauces and Dressings — 6-8:30 p.m., Monday, Feb. 15, taught by Kathy Jones (executive chef at the Westmark Sitka and Dock Shack). This class is focused on preparing homemade sauces and dressings to help you lower your food costs and increase flavor. Registration closes on Feb. 12.
Homemade Empanadas — 6-8:30 p.m., Monday, Feb. 29, taught by Barbara Palacios (sous chef at the Westmark Sitka). A favorite food of Latin America, Barbara will draw on her Chilean background to teach this delicious homemade empanada class. Empanadas can be savory or sweet, and filled with meats, vegetables or sweet ingredients. In this class, students will make salmon (baked) and/or cheese (deep-fried) empanadas. Registration closes on Feb. 26.

Since class size is limited, we ask anybody who can’t make the class to please let us know so we can let someone from the waiting list into the class. Registration for each class closes at 5 p.m. the Friday before each class so supplies can be purchased (except for the ancient grains class, which closes on Saturday). If we don’t have enough people sign up, we may have to cancel the class, so please register early.

A slideshow of photos from the homemade pasta class is posted below.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

January 24, 2016 by Charles Bingham

• Sitka Kitch to offer Basic Culinary Skills classes in March for those seeking restaurant work

Chef Kathy Jones holds up a fresh king crab.

Basic Culinary Skills 1 — 6-8:30 p.m., Monday, March 7, this class will focus on basic kitchen sanitation, beginning knife skills and basic kitchen tools.
Basic Culinary Skills 2 — 6-8:30 p.m., Monday, March 14, this class will focus on basic cooking techniques, basic nutrition, and sauces, soups and stocks part 1.
Basic Culinary Skills 3 — 6-8:30 p.m., Monday, March 21, the class will focus on sauces, soups and stocks part 2, salads, and measurements.
Basic Culinary Skills 4 — 6-8:30 p.m., Monday, March 28, the class will focus on poultry, meats, and the Alaska DEC safe food handler’s card.

The Basic Culinary Skills class series is supported by a grant from the Northwest Farm Credit Services rural community grant program.