Rediscover the joy of playing with food through this upcoming workshop series

Published 11:00 am Wednesday, January 22, 2025

Sometimes, the key to success in the kitchen is as easy as remembering how to play.

At a workshop series that kicks off next month, experienced culinary educator Suzanne Landry hopes to inspire students to think outside the box, using their tongues to experiment with flavor.

Central Oregon Locavore, Bend’s indoor farmers market, and School of Ranch, a nonprofit conducting community workshops, are partnering to create a series on preparing local foods, starting with “Soups from Scratch: Warming up Seasonal Local Foods” on Feb. 22 at Redmond’s OSU Extension Service.

Landry is an educator with a passion for nutrition. She has taught cooking classes for nearly 40 years, consulted on food development for corporations such as Nabisco and worked as a private chef for Hollywood celebrities. She’s also the author of “The Passionate Vegetable” and “Fresh Food Matters.”

“I came to Bend in my retirement years, but I haven’t retired yet because I love inspiring people to eat healthier,” Landry said. “It’s always my intent when I teach cooking classes to inspire people to get back in the kitchen and play and not be afraid of cooking.”

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Embracing culinary creativity

Shoppers tend to shy away from purchasing a whole chicken, Landry said.

Landry will teach attendees how to break a whole chicken into parts, using components to make stock full of collagen, proteins and minerals.

Landry will also instruct participants how to identify flavors, such as salty or sweet and bitter or pungent, to create balance in a dish. Students will walk away with knowledge on how to create two types of soup with seasonal produce, along with cooking techniques and knife skills designed to enhance the natural flavors of ingredients.

“People are under the impression that if they just knew what herbs and spices to put in something, it would make the dish. There’s so much more to building flavor than just the herbs and spices,” Landry said.

Building flavor, rather, results from nuances throughout the cooking process, which involves cooking time and the order in which ingredients are added.

Students won’t only learn to create a recipe in this upcoming workshop series, but also about the building blocks of leading a healthful lifestyle and the benefits particular ingredients have on the body.

The next workshop in the series is scheduled for the spring.

“People are under the impression that if they just knew what herbs and spices to put in something, it would make the dish. There’s so much more to building flavor than just the herbs and spices.”

— Suzanne Landry

If You Go

What: Soups from Scratch: Warming Up with Seasonal Local Foods

When: 10 a.m.-1 p.m Feb. 22

Where: OSU Extension Service, 3800 SW, SE Airport Way, Building 4, Redmond

Cost: $40 plus $8 for supplies

Contact: schoolofranch.org or 650-224-6750