Cooking Workshop - Seasonal Improvisation

Back by popular demand, this fun, spontaneous workshop will once again put Chef Erin on the spot to develop delicious dishes with a few kitchen staples and a wagonload of seasonal goodies fresh from the farmer’s market. Together, we will examine the morning’s bounty, highlighting a few favorite local growers as we discuss what’s in season and the possibilities for each ingredient. We will cover some kitchen tips and techniques, talk about various flavor profiles and how to construct menus within them, and learn some loose, improvisational recipes as we work together to prepare a produce-forward lunch. Last year’s menu landed on an arugula and quinoa salad with fresh basil; perfect tomatoes and grilled sweet corn; a mustardy green salad of heirloom beans and new purple potatoes; and grilled peaches and sweet potatoes tossed in a fresh cherry vinaigrette—who knows what we’ll end up with this time!

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.