Art Workshop - The Crossroads of Spice

Ox-Bow’s Head Chef and “Spice Queen” Erin Chapla takes students on a fragrant tour of the Spice Islands of Southeast Asia. With maps and slides, this course will delve into the fascinating history of the spice trade, tracing the cultural influences that make this region the crossroads of many of the world’s finest culinary traditions, including Indian, Chinese, Thai, and European cuisines. Students will experience the scents and tastes of fresh herbs and spices, some new and some familiar, enlivened by the context of their stories. Chef Erin will share recipes and techniques as she demonstrates a Malaysian spice paste preparation, and show students how to perfume their own cooking with a few simple spice blends that transcend their ingredients. Class will culminate in a sampling of dishes that illuminate the Spice Islands as a delicious melting pot.

ERIN CHAPLA currently serves as Ox-Bow’s Head Chef; she’s been spicing your food in the Ox-Bow kitchen for 15 years. Her enduring love of Asian cuisine has been nurtured by extensive travel, as she honed her skills cooking and eating across south & east Asia for several years. She now lives with her family on their 5-acre permaculture homestead in the Allegan woods, where she tends an ambitious garden, an unruly flock of chickens, and two wild little girls.