Holly Marban

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Sitka Kitch to host virtual Cozy Seasonal Salads class with SEARHC health educator Holly Marban

Cooler temperatures mean we’re craving comfort food. Enjoy a night of inspiration to celebrate seasonal vegetables and warm, cozy flavors without tipping the scale.

SEARHC Health Educator Holly Marban, MS, will teach a virtual class, Cozy Seasonal Salads, from 5:30-7 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 10, using Zoom. Due to the recent spike in local COVID-19 cases, the Sitka Kitch community rental commercial kitchen is back to teaching virtual classes. This class is a fundraiser for the Sitka Kitch, and it is sponsored by the SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium (SEARHC), in partnership with the Sitka Kitch.

Holly works in the SEARHC Health Promotion Department as the clinical program coordinator for the SEARHC WISEWOMAN Women’s Health Program in Sitka, where she supports women in making healthy lifestyle changes to reduce cardiovascular risk factors and prevent breast and cervical cancers. Holly holds a master’s degree in nutrition, has a background in health and wellness coaching, and feels passionate about good food and cooking. She enjoys sharing her love of food, nutrition, and wellness with others through cooking classes, community presentations, or individual coaching.

A nutrition educator and certified health coach, Holly will walk you through creative salad recipes that you can feel good about adding to your workweek lunch rotation or proudly displaying on your holiday dinner table. These recipes are full of winter greens and sweet-savory roasted vegetables, brightened with fresh herbs, sparkling with dried fruits or toasted nuts and seeds, and elevated by a balanced and flavorful dressing. Cook along from the comfort of your own kitchen.

Holly plans to teach three different salads in this class. The menu includes:

  • Winter tabbouleh salad with roasted squash, walnuts, and chard
  • Citrus, fennel, and radicchio salad
  • Kale salad with winter squash, pumpkin seeds, and roasted shallot vinaigrette

The cost per person for this virtual class is $30 (our regular price for in-person classes is $40). This includes a package of most of the ingredients (students will need to provide some staple items), plus access to the class. Ingredients will be delivered to your door, so make sure to give us your home address with your other contact information when you register. Some ingredients will be measured out in smaller portions.

Please have the following staple ingredients at home, as they will not be included in the ingredients delivery — salt, pepper, olive oil, Dijon mustard, vinegar (apple cider, white wine, red wine). You also can have the following optional ingredients if you’d like — feta cheese, goat cheese, and/or one avocado.

Current (paid) members of the Sitka Food Co-Op are now able to attend the online classes for $20 each (the co-op will cover the other $10 of your class fee). Please use the Sitka Food Co-Op ticket when you register and send an email to sitkafoodcoop@gmail.com letting them know you’re in the class. (NOTE, Only one person per Co-op household may use the Co-op discount per class. Please name that person when you register so the name can be checked against the Co-op membership list.)

Also, registered SEARHC WISEWOMAN participants may sign up for the class for the discounted rate of $5 (the WISEWOMAN program will cover the other $25).

The registration deadline is 11:30 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 7. Space is limited, so register early to secure your place in the class. You can register and pre-pay using credit/debit cards or PayPal on the Sitka Kitch EventSmart online registration 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.

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, $25). If you need to cancel with less than five days advance notice, there is no refund.

 

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Scenes from the Sitka Kitch Indian cooking class with Mohan Arul

Students learned how to cook chicken biriyani during the Sitka Kitch’s Cooking Around The World class Indian Cooking With Mohan Raj Arul on Tuesday, Feb. 19, at the new Sitka Kitch location in the Sitka Lutheran Church. This class was originally scheduled for Jan. 15, but was postponed after Mohan had to return to India after a death in the family.

Biriyani — which Mohan said is the spelling in southern India, while biryani is the spelling in northern India and Pakistan — is a popular dish featuring chicken, lamb or vegetables mixed with spices and basmati rice.

The Sitka Kitch has a few upcoming events on its schedule. They include (clicking on the date takes you to the registration pages for the classes, clicking the other link takes you to the story on this website):

A slideshow of images from the Indian cooking class is posted below.

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Scenes from the Sitka Kitch potluck dinner and silent auction fundraiser on Feb. 17

The Sitka Kitch hosted a potluck dinner and silent auction fundraiser on Sunday, Feb. 17, at the new location of the Sitka Kitch community rental commercial kitchen (inside Sitka Lutheran Church).

The event served two purposes — it was an introduction to the new space, and it provided a meal to people staying over from the just-concluded Southeast Alaska Farmers Summit. In addition to a variety of potluck food, the event featured a silent auction and a Sitka Kitch trivia contest with the winners getting chocolate-covered strawberries.

The Sitka Kitch has a few upcoming events on its schedule. They include (clicking on the date takes you to the registration pages for the classes, clicking the other link takes you to the story on this website):

A slideshow of images from the fundraiser is posted below.

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Sitka Kitch, SEARHC host Celebrate Food Demonstration: Easy Plant-Based Sauces and Dressings to Liven Up Your Meals

SEARHC Health Educators Holly Marban and Heleena van Veen will teach students how to liven up their meals with sauces and dressings that are packed with flavor and are a breeze to prepare during a Celebrate Food Demonstration at the Sitka Kitch community rental commercial kitchen.

This FREE food demonstration takes place from 5:30-6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 12, at the Sitka Kitch, now located at Sitka Lutheran Church (enter through the back door, go through the alley by Bev’s Flowers & Gifts off Harbor Drive, please park in public street parking places).

Elevate your food in minutes with these simple recipes. Students will learn how to make fresh basil pumpkin seed pesto, lemon tahini dressing, roasted red pepper romesco sauce, and a Thai almond butter sauce. All sauces will be served with small tasting portions of fish and vegetables. This free event is open to the public and is in celebration of National Nutrition Month.

Since this is is a free food demonstration and not a regular Sitka Kitch class, you do not need to pre-register in order to attend. But pre-registering does give us an idea of how many people plan to attend.

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Sitka Health Summit planning day set for Thursday, Oct. 4

The 12th annual Sitka Health Summit planning day is planned for 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 4, in Room 229 on the University of Alaska Southeast Sitka Campus. All ideas and people are welcome, and lunch is provided.

Participants will brainstorm, evaluate and select two community wellness goals to pursue over the next year, and then plan steps to launch the new initiatives. The two chosen community wellness goals will be eligible for $2,000 in seed money. This year’s theme is “Working Toward an Equitable Future.”

There have been several food-related Sitka Health Summit community wellness goals over the years, such as starting a local foods/farmers market, compiling the Sitka Community Food Assessment, planting fruit trees around town, launching the Fish to Schools program, starting the Sitka Kitch community rental commercial kitchen, and more. Other past Sitka Health Summit community wellness goals include building an ADA-accessible community playground and becoming a more walk-friendly and bike-friendly community, among other projects. In 2017, Sitka residents chose reducing Sitka’s carbon emissions and starting a series of trauma-informed community conversations as the two Sitka Health Summit projects.

“The Sitka Health Summit planning day provides a great chance to turn a good idea into a practical goal that has funding and support,” said Doug Osborne, Sitka Community Hospital health promotion director. “For 12 years, the motto has been all ideas and all people are welcome. If you can’t make it, but would like to submit an idea for consideration, please call me at 747-0373 so it can be shared on the big day.”

The Sitka Health Summit is coordinated and funded by a coalition of local groups that includes the SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium (SEARHC), Sitka Community Hospital, Sitka Conservation Society, Sitka Counseling and Prevention Services, and the University of Alaska Southeast Sitka Campus. Additional support is provided by the State of Alaska Division of Public Health-Section of Public Health Nursing, Southeast Radiation Oncology Center, White’s Pharmacy, the Sitka Food Co-Op, ALPS Federal Credit Union, Sitka Vision Center, Dr. Marley’s Family Dentistry, the Sitka Community Hospital Foundations, and the Sitka Health Summit Coalition.

For more information about the Sitka Health Summit, contact Loyd Platson at 747-3636, or go to the website at http://www.sitkahealthsummit.org or the Sitka Health Summit page on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/SitkaHealthSummit.

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Scenes from the Fermentation Workshop With Sandor Katz held July 9 at the Sitka Kitch

Students learned how to make sauerkraut using a variety of fresh vegetables during the Fermentation Workshop With Sandor Katz held Monday, July 9, at the Sitka Kitch community rental commercial kitchen.

Katz, author of Wild Fermentation: The Flavor, Nutrition, and Craft of Live-Culture Foods, is a nationally recognized food writer and fermentation guru. He has been traveling through Southeast Alaska (Sitka, Juneau, Haines, and Gustavus) to offer community education and workshops about the fermentation of vegetables. The trip was coordinated by the SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium (SEARHC), which offered a reduced fee to the class (the workshop sold out within a couple of days of it being offered, even though the class size was nearly double the usual size of a Sitka Kitch class).

The workshop included:
  • a discussion of “what is fermentation?”
  • why fermentation is practiced worldwide
  • the many practical benefits of fermentation
  • functional concepts about fermentation
  • instruction on how to make sauerkraut with a variety of vegetables
  • information about what to do with sauerkraut at home and how long to store it
  • troubleshooting any problems with home fermentation

Students left with their own jar of kraut, plus a wealth of knowledge on safe home fermentation practices.

A slideshow of scenes from the Fermentation Workshop With Sandor Katz is posted below.

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Sitka Kitch to host fermentation workshop with Sandor Katz on July 9

Sandor Katz, author of Wild Fermentation: The Flavor, Nutrition, and Craft of Live-Culture Foods, is a nationally recognized food writer and fermentation guru. He will be traveling through Southeast Alaska (Sitka, Juneau, Haines, and Gustavus) to offer community education and workshops about the fermentation of vegetables.

Sandor’s trip to Southeast Alaska includes a fermentation workshop from 5:30-8 p.m. on Monday, July 9, at the Sitka Kitch community rental commercial kitchen (505 Sawmill Creek Road, inside First Presbyterian Church). This class costs $15 per student, and is sponsored by SEARHC, with hopes of making community food education accessible to all. There is no food/supply fee for this class.

Join this hands-on fermentation workshop with a true fermentation expert to learn how to ferment vegetables at home easily and safely to create a delicious, nutrient-packed superfood.

The workshop will include:
  • a discussion of “what is fermentation?”
  • why fermentation is practiced worldwide
  • the many practical benefits of fermentation
  • functional concepts about fermentation
  • instruction on how to make sauerkraut with a variety of vegetables
  • information about what to do with sauerkraut at home and how long to store it
  • troubleshooting any problems with home fermentation

Students will leave with their own jar of kraut, plus a wealth of knowledge on safe home fermentation practices.

Note: Please bring a chef’s knife and vegetable grater if you have them. Some knives and graters will be provided if students don’t bring these supplies from home.

Class space is limited, so register early. The registration deadline is 11 p.m. on Saturday, July 7.

Register online at https://sitkakitch.eventsmart.com (click on the class title) and pre-pay using credit/debit cards or PayPal. To pre-pay by cash or check, contact Chandler, Claire, or Clarice at 747-7509 to arrange payment. For more information about the class, contact Holly at 966-8938 or holly.marban@searhc.org.

This is one of several classes hosted by the Sitka Kitch this summer. The Sitka Kitch will host a rescheduled Starting A Cottage Foods Business class from noon until 2 p.m. on Wednesday, June 13, at the University of Alaska Southeast Sitka Campus. There will be a Rambunctious Rhubarb class with Lisa Sadleir-Hart from 6-8:30 p.m. on Monday, June 25, at the Sitka Kitch. The Sitka Kitch also will host a three-class Baking With Betsy series from 6-8:30 p.m. on Tuesdays, July 3 (savory breads), July 10 (sweet breads), and July 17 (baking with alternative sweeteners), at the Sitka Kitch. We’re also waiting to hear details on a couple of other potential classes later this summer, so watch for updates.

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Scenes from the final Seasonal Cooking class: Puerto Rican Cooking With Nina Vizcarrondo at the Sitka Kitch

Students learned how to make a variety of dishes during the Puerto Rican Cooking With Nina Vizcarrondo class on Wednesday, May 2, at the Sitka Kitch community rental commercial kitchen. This was the eighth and final class of the Seasonal Cooking class series at the Sitka Kitch.

Nina is a former U.S. Coast Guard chef and is the current Sitka Farmers Market manager. She taught students how to make sofrito, a guava paste/cheese appetizer, yucca, bacalaitos (featuring desalted cod or pollock), pastellilo de carne (similar to an empanada with a meat filling), arroz con gandules (rice, African pigeon peas, and veggies), piña coladas (non-alcoholic), and flan.

While this was the final class in the Seasonal Cooking series, the Sitka Kitch recently announced a Baking With Betsy class series over three consecutive Tuesdays in July. Professional baker and culinary arts instructor Betsy Peterson Sanchez, who will be visiting her daughter Claire in Sitka, will lead the three classes.

The classes in the Baking With Betsy series are:

Class space is limited, so register early. The Baking With Betsy classes cost $27.50 per person, plus a food/supply fee split between the registered students. Thanks to a donation from Sea Mart Quality Foods, we should be able to reduce the food/supply fees for this series.

Register online at https://sitkakitch.eventsmart.com/ (click on class title) and pre-pay using credit/debit cards or PayPal. To pre-pay by cash or check, contact Chandler, Claire, or Clarice at 747-7509 to arrange payment. For more information about the class series, contact Jasmine at 747-9440. Space is limited in each class, and we need at least eight students registered to make the class happen. The registration deadline is 11 p.m. on the Saturday before each class.

A slideshow of scenes from the Puerto Rican cooking class is posted below.

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Sitka Kitch hosts two classes in partnership with UAF Cooperative Extension Service

The Sitka Kitch is hosting two food and home skills classes this month in partnership with the Juneau office of the University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Service. The first class is Naturally Clean Home Products, and the second class is Starting a Cottage Foods Business. Both classes will be taught by videoconference in Sitka with Sarah Lewis teaching in Juneau.

  • Naturally Clean Home Products — 1-3 p.m., Saturday, April 7, Videoconference with Sarah Lewis of Juneau office of UAF Cooperative Extension Service. This class will teach you how to reduce your use of harsh, chemical cleaners but still be able to do deep cleaning. Students need to bring five 32-ounce spray bottles and a 20-ounce jar with lid (or six quart canning jars to store products to take home and then transfer to spray bottles). Class fee is $20, no supply fee.
  • Starting A Cottage Foods Business — 1-3 p.m., Saturday, April 14, Videoconference with Sarah Lewis of Juneau office of UAF Cooperative Extension Service. Learn about state laws regarding home food businesses, and get ideas for businesses you might take to the Sitka Farmers Market or local trade shows. Tours of the Sitka Kitch and rental information will be available. Class fee is $10, no supply fee. The Sitka Local Foods Network offers class participants half-off the registration fee for their first Sitka Farmers Market in 2018.

You can register online and pre-pay using credit/debit cards or PayPal at https://sitkakitch.eventsmart.com (click on the class title to register). To pre-pay by cash or check, contact Chandler, Claire, or Clarice at 747-7509 to arrange payment. For more information about the class series, contact Jasmine at 747-9440.

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Sitka Kitch offers Herring Appreciation With Renée Trafton class April 3 as part of Seasonal Cooking series

Renée Jakaitis Trafton, the chef-owner of the Beak Restaurant, will teach the fifth class in the Sitka Kitch‘s new class series, Seasonal Cooking, from 6-8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 3, at the Sitka Kitch community rental commercial kitchen. The class is called Herring Appreciation With Renée Trafton.

Renée will teach students how to make a herring egg salad and sushi. Due to the vagaries of the seasons in Sitka, this class will be moved to April 10 if the herring are running late (students will be notified and refunds will be available for students who can’t make the later date).

The next classes in the Seasonal Cooking class series are:

  • National Nutrition Month Healthy Cooking Demonstration — 5:30-7 p.m., Tuesday, March 27, Free event with SEARHC health educator Heleena Van Veen, health educator Holly Marban, registered dietitian Jessica Holland and diabetes nurse Kelly Lakin. This year’s National Nutrition Month theme is “Go Further With Food,” so students will learn creative ways to use leftovers and how to store food so it doesn’t spoil.
  • Herring Appreciation With Renee Trafton (Beak Restaurant) — 6-8:30 p.m., Tuesday, April 3 (alternate date is April 10 if herring running late), Celebrate the return of herring to Sitka by making herring egg salad and sushi.
  • Naturally Clean Home Products — 1-3 p.m., Saturday, April 7, Videoconference with Sarah Lewis of Juneau office of UAF Cooperative Extension Service. This class will teach you how to reduce your use of harsh, chemical cleaners but still be able to do deep cleaning. Students need to bring five 32-ounce spray bottles and a 20-ounce jar with lid (or six quart canning jars to store products to take home and then transfer to spray bottles). Class fee is $20, no supply fee.
  • Starting A Cottage Foods Business — 1-3 p.m., Saturday, April 14, Videoconference with Sarah Lewis of Juneau office of UAF Cooperative Extension Service. Learn about state laws regarding home food businesses, and get ideas for businesses you might take to the Sitka Farmers Market or local trade shows. Tours of the Sitka Kitch and rental information will be available. Class fee is $10, no supply fee. The Sitka Local Foods Network offers class participants half-off the registration fee for their first Sitka Farmers Market in 2018.
  • Puerto Rican Cooking With Nina Vizcarrondo — 6-8:30 p.m., Wednesday, May 2, Learn how to cook sofrito with recao, empanadas or pastelon, and arroz con gandules from Nina, a former U.S. Coast Guard chef and the current Sitka Farmers Market manager.

Class space is limited, so register early. This class costs $27.50 per person, plus a food/supply fee split between the registered students. The Herring Appreciation class registration deadline is 11 p.m. on Saturday, March 31.

You can register online and pre-pay using credit/debit cards or PayPal at https://sitkakitch.eventsmart.com (click on the class title to register). To pre-pay by cash or check, contact Chandler, Claire, or Clarice at 747-7509 to arrange payment. For more information about the class series, contact Jasmine at 747-9440.