Joseph Regenstein, Jr. School of the Chicago Botanic Garden

Culinary Classes

If you are new to the kitchen or would like to improve your cooking skills, try our terrific selection of culinary classes that provide the practical, delicious and learner-friendly training you seek. Courses are continually updated to showcase bountiful herbs, fruits and vegetables as they come into season.

Click here to view Baking Series classes below.

Click here to view "Triple Play" cooking series classes below.

Comfort Foods for Cold Winter Days

The coming of the new year means the beginning of Chicago's cold weather season, and a culinary focus on pantry-stable foods and meats. We will discuss balsamic braises of duck and beef and also consider potato-, rice-, and bean-oriented dishes. In class we'll sample and prepare duck and beef dishes as well as root vegetables braised in sweet balsamic vinegar and served with potatoes fried in garlic and rosemary olive oil.

Richard P. Petrocelly, Founder and CEO, Olive Tap Olive Oil Tasting Emporiums, Long Grove, IL
Wed., Dec. 10, 1 – 3 p.m.
Fruit & Vegetable Garden Demonstration Kitchen
CUL0153 $59/$74

Chinese Cooking: Popular Appetizers

In this class you will make some of the most popular Chinese appetizers — spring rolls, crab rangoons, and pot stickers — that are delicious and fun to make. They are perfect for celebrating Chinese New Year. Learn how to make them step-by-step while you cook with Ying. Samples and recipes will be provided.

Ying Stoller, Author and Chef, Ying's Kitchen
Thurs., Jan. 22, 1:30 – 3:30 p.m.
Fruit & Vegetable Garden Demonstration Kitchen
CUL0011 $59/$74

Super Bowl Appetizers That Wow!

Wow your friends and family at your Super Bowl party with four simple appetizers that are sure to titillate your taste buds! Simple preparations for favorites such as Spanish Tapa Patatas Bravas and two-ingredient garlic bread will have you well on your way to impressing your guests. Easy-to-make goat cheese pizza and flank steak blue cheese skewers with red wine sauce will have you spending more time enjoying your party and less time in the kitchen!

Brandon Sparling, Culinary Instructor
Sat., Jan. 24, 1 – 3 p.m.
Fruit & Vegetable Garden Demonstration Kitchen
CUL0001 $59/$74

Mardi Gras Cooking Party

Get together with friends and family to celebrate Mardi Gras this year. This demonstration class will give you the tools you'll need to make the finest Jambalaya recipe you will come by. Class includes samples of Cajun rice, corn bread, black beans, and jambalaya. Recipes are included.

Chef Michael Niksic, The Food Mercenary
Tues., Jan. 27, 7 – 8 p.m.
Linnaeus Room
CUL0021 $19/$24

Chocolate Chocolate!

Chocoholics unite! In this fun lecture, you will get a serious dose of chocolate tasting, handling, and general information. Indulge in one of life's real treats. We'll experiment with domestic and imported, familiar and not, commercial and handmade chocolates, semi-sweet, dark, milk, white, bittersweet, and cocoa. Recipes and ideas are provided.

Chef Michael Niksic, The Food Mercenary
Tues., Feb. 10, 7 – 8 p.m.
Linnaeus Room
CUL0031 $19/$24

More Comfort Foods for Cold Winter Days

As the cold edge of winter really sets in, we rely on warming comfort foods and continue our culinary focus on pantry-stable foods and meats. In class we will demonstrate the preparation of a hearty and very popular osso bucco (Italian-style braised veal shanks) served with a classic risotto Milanese. Participants will learn the basics of braising and risotto preparation. Samples and recipes will be provided.

Richard P. Petrocelly, Founder and CEO, Olive Tap Olive Oil Tasting Emporiums,
and Mary Rose Hoover, Owner, Cucina Della Rosa Cooking School
Wed., Feb. 18, 1 – 3 p.m.
Fruit & Vegetable Garden Demonstration Kitchen
CUL0041 $59/$74

Chinese Cooking: Lettuce Wraps and Kungpao Chicken

Let's cook something new with Ying! She will demonstrate how to make delicious lettuce wraps, kungpao chicken, and almond tofu fruit cocktail (it's not like regular tofu, it's more like gelatin) for dessert. Samples and recipes will be provided.

Ying Stoller, Author and Chef, Ying's Kitchen
Thurs., Feb. 19, 1:30 – 3:30 p.m.
Fruit & Vegetable Garden Demonstration Kitchen
CUL0051 $59/$74

Chinese Cooking: Restaurant-Style Soups

It's soup time! This is the perfect season to learn how to make great-tasting Chinese soups. Learn the secrets of egg drop, wanton, and hot and sour soups as you cook with Ying. You will be amazed how easy it is to simmer a great Chinese soup. You'll learn everything you need to prepare it in your own home. Samples and recipes will be provided.

Ying Stoller, Author and Chef, Ying's Kitchen
Tues., Mar. 17, 1:30 – 3:30 p.m.
Fruit & Vegetable Garden Demonstration Kitchen
CUL0061 $59/$74

Italian Cooking: Fresh Homemade Pasta

Making fresh pasta at home may sound intimidating or messy, but it's easier than you think, and your taste buds and friends will thank you for making it! In this class you will help prepare a linguini, a ravioli, and a shaped pasta — all three with different sauces. Samples and recipes will be provided.

Richard P. Petrocelly, Founder and CEO, Olive Tap Olive Oil Tasting Emporiums,
and Mary Rose Hoover, Owner, Cucina Della Rosa Cooking School
Wed., Mar. 18, 1 – 3 p.m.
Fruit & Vegetable Garden Demonstration Kitchen
CUL0071 $59/$74

Italian Cooking: Sensational Sauces

Don't just measure, cook! Experience the joy of cooking Italian with a native Neapolitan. Lucia Cavallino will demonstrate how easily authentic homemade sauces, a foundation of Italian cuisine, can be created from just a few basic fresh ingredients. Classic sauces will be prepared and adapted to make various pasta and entrée dishes. Samples and recipes will be provided.

Lucia Cavallino, Co-Owner, Enzo & Lucia's Ristorante
Thurs., Mar. 19, 1 – 3 p.m.
Fruit & Vegetable Garden Demonstration Kitchen
CUL0081 $59/$74

Italian Cooking: Abbondanza! Fresh Vegetables Italian-Style

Fresh seasonal vegetables offer a bounty of menu choices as side dishes or main courses. This class will present a colorful palette of possibilities to enhance the flavor, versatility, and appeal of vegetables. Samples and recipes will be provided.

Lucia Cavallino, Co-Owner, Enzo & Lucia's Ristorante
Thurs., Apr. 23, 1 – 3 p.m.
Fruit & Vegetable Garden Demonstration Kitchen
CUL0131 $59/$74

Better BAKING SERIES CLASSES

Better Baking: Breakfast Bonanza

What better way to start off the day than with a homemade breakfast this holiday season? We'll make a number of sweet and savory breakfast dishes, including some that lend themselves to advance preparation. As a group, students will make tender lemon-poppy seed muffins, savory roasted-vegetable egg strada, yeast-raised cinnamon rolls, and irresistible sticky buns.

Melina Kelson-Podolsky, CMB, CEPC, CSC;
Chef, The Edible Complex, and Chef Instructor at Kendall College
Thurs., Jan. 8, 2 – 4 p.m.
Fruit & Vegetable Garden Demonstration Kitchen
CUL0181 $59/$74

Better Baking: Cream Puff Pastry (Paté a Choux)

Learn a multitude of applications for this divine, feather-light pastry used for everything from profiteroles to churros. Master baker Melina Kelson-Podolsky will demonstrate how to make cream puffs filled with vanilla-laced whipped cream, crisp and creamy éclairs filled with pastry cream and dipped in ganache, and addictive cheese gougere — an excellent vehicle for savory filling.

Melina Kelson-Podolsky, CMB, CEPC, CSC;
Chef, The Edible Complex, and Chef Instructor at Kendall College
Thurs., Jan. 29, 2 – 4 p.m.
Fruit & Vegetable Garden Demonstration Kitchen
CUL0191 $59/$74

Better Baking: Romantic Desserts Made Easy

Learn how to create a luscious liquid-center cake with spicy creme anglaise and dainty tuile cookies. A perfect sweet for your Sweet!

Melina Kelson-Podolsky, CMB, CEPC, CSC;
Chef, The Edible Complex, and Chef Instructor at Kendall College
Thurs., Feb. 12, 2 – 4 p.m.
Fruit & Vegetable Garden Demonstration Kitchen
CUL0201 $59/$74

Better Baking: Flatbread Fun

Imagine boundless culinary options from just four ingredients: flour, water, yeast and salt. Flatbreads, among the oldest types of bread around, are an ideal foray into the world of yeast doughs. As a group, students will learn leavening basics from master baker Melina Kelson-Podolsky as we make herbed focaccia, pizzas that lend themselves to a multitude of toppings, and elegant flatbreads that make show-stopping centerpieces.

Melina Kelson-Podolsky, CMB, CEPC, CSC;
Chef, The Edible Complex, and Chef Instructor at Kendall College
Thurs., Feb. 26, 2 – 4 p.m.
Fruit & Vegetable Garden Demonstration Kitchen
CUL0211 $59/$74

Better Baking: Perfect Pies

Learn how to make tender, flaky all-butter pie dough in a few simple steps. We'll finish these with a variety of homemade fillings including silken, decadent banana cream and luscious caramel apple fillings. We will also make a tomato-dijon-mozzarella tart that will leave your family clamoring for more!

Melina Kelson-Podolsky, CMB, CEPC, CSC;
Chef, The Edible Complex, and Chef Instructor at Kendall College
Thurs., Mar. 12, 2 – 4 p.m.
Fruit & Vegetable Garden Demonstration Kitchen
CUL0221 $59/$74

Triple Play Baking SERIES CLASSES

Join us for these specialized classes and improve your kitchen techniques. Register for all three triple play classes in a series at once and receive a 10 percent discount.

Triple Play Series #1
Register for all three classes (CUL0231)

Basic Knife Handling

Learn simplified professional methods covering how to cut, tie, and prepare whole chicken as a chef does, progressing from whole to sectioned and boneless. Class includes preparing and tying a whole chicken to roast with a unique seasoning rub. A seasoning blend recipe will be provided.

Chef Michael Niksic, The Food Mercenary
Sat., Apr. 4, noon – 12:45 p.m.
Linnaeus Room
CUL0091 $12/$15

Basic Sauté & Natural Sauces

Chef Michael Niksic will cook boneless chicken breast from the basic knife-handling class with assorted forest mushrooms. This is a good class to learn the basics of start-to-finish sauté and reduction cooking methods. Tasting, recipes, and sauce-making tips are included.

Chef Michael Niksic, The Food Mercenary
Sat., Apr. 4, 1:30 – 2:15 p.m.
Linnaeus Room
CUL0101 $12/$15

Cool Dessert

Have a sweet tooth? More than one? Chef Michael Niksic pulls a favorite dessert recipe out of his special files from the exquisite French restaurant Ciel Bleu. His pasty chef experience there showcased this indulgent brunch special: butter-fried cashew-coated bananas served with a Belgian dark chocolate sauce. Tasting and recipes are included.

Chef Michael Niksic, The Food Mercenary
Sat., Apr. 4, 3 – 3:45 p.m.
Linnaeus Room
CUL0121 $12/$15

Triple Play Series #2
Register for all three classes (CUL0241)

Fruit and Vegetable Knife Skills

Hate chopping? Learn tips and tricks from an expert and you'll be in and out of the kitchen in a flash.

Chef Michael Niksic, The Food Mercenary
Sat., May 2, noon – 12:45 p.m.
Linnaeus Room
CUL0002 $12/$15

Serious Soup Made Easy

In this class you'll watch as chef Michael Niksic uses the vegetables prepared in the Cooking Triple Play #2 class to make either a fabulous minestrone or gazpacho, depending on the weather that day. Recipes, samples, and serving ideas are provided.

Chef Michael Niksic, The Food Mercenary
Sat., May 2, 1:30 – 2:15 p.m.
Linnaeus Room
CUL0012 $12/$15

Crème Anglaise Dessert

Learn how to make this delicious dessert of crème anglaise (egg and cream sauce) served with fresh fruit. Preparation, recipe, application to dishes, and tasting is included.

Chef Michael Niksic, The Food Mercenary
Sat., May 2, 3 – 3:45 p.m.
Linnaeus Room
CUL0022 $12/$15

REGISTRATION INFORMATION

To check whether your class choice has been filled or canceled, please phone the registration service at (847) 835-8261 and press 2 after the greeting, or check the class schedule online.

Preregistration is required. You may register online, by phone, by fax or by mail. Payment at the time of registration is mandatory with check or credit card. Checks should be payable to the Chicago Botanic Garden. No purchase orders will be accepted.

Click here to register online.

Fax registration form with payment by credit card to the Education Registrar at (847) 835-6874. Phone the registration service at (847) 835-8261 and press 1 after the greeting. Payment with credit card is required.