Sign Up Now for Oakand Asian Cooking Classes

Last year I had the extraordinary chance to participate in a remarkable series of cooking classes at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center (OACC) in downtown Oakland.

Program director April Kim has put together this year's line up of classes focusing on fresh, seasonal traditional dishes of Oakland's Asian communities. The classes promise to be just as rewarding (and tasty.)

To register, please call April Kim (510) 637- 0462. To see my photos, write ups and slide shows from last year's classes, click here.

Here's the info from the OACC:

"This series of eight Asian culinary workshops will focus on traditional food culture driven by seasonal and local ingredients. The aim of these workshops is to keep traditional culinary practice and food culture alive and thriving, focusing on the oral passing of knowledge and personal story telling; fostering the kind of dialogue that only happens in the kitchen. Each workshop will be followed by lunch provided by OACC and featuring the freshly made seasonal dish."

The OACC is asking for a $5-$30 donation per class to cover the cost of the food and materials, but will offer scholarships if needed. Registration is limited to 15 participants per workshop, and is on a first come first served basis.

The Workshops:

May 2, 10:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. Fresh Bamboo Soup and Watercress Salad, Laos, by Sokham Senthavilay (She is shown in the photo above teaching last year's class on larb, green papaya salad and sticky rice.)

May 16, 10:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. Banh Xeo and Spring Herbs, Vietnam, by Thy Tran of the Asian Culinary Forum and Wanderingspoon.com

June 6, 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Demystifying Chinese Greens, China, by Linh Phu, former Chef at Millennium Restaurant in San Francisco. Please note that this workshop will begin in the grocery stores of Oakland Chinatown to see and talk about the greens and then move to the OACC kitchen. Limited to 10 participants.

July 18, 10:00 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Riot of Summer Vegetables and Korean Sides, Korea, by Cecilia Hae Jin Lee, author of Eating Korean

July 25, 10:00 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Green Curry from Scratch, Thailand, Chat Mingkwan, author of The Best of Regional Thai Cuisine and Buddha’s Table-Thai Vegetarian

More workshops will be scheduled in the fall and winter.

FYI: The OACC also sponsors a regular series of fruit and vegetable carving classes. For more information on those and other OACC classes, please click here.

UPDATE: Some of the classes have been so popular, extra sessions have been added. Contact April for more info or to get on the mailing list for the next series.