What began as instruction in cooking fresh produce has evolved into culturally diverse lessons using the most universal teaching material — food.
For the past three years, the International Center of the Capital Region has been offering Global Cuisine, cooking lessons concentrating on ethnic diversity. Next month, a local Polish educator will lead a class on traditional Polish holiday foods on Saturday, Dec. 6, from 10 a.m. to noon. Then, on Saturday, Dec. 13, from 10 a.m. to noon, an Italian cooking class concentrating on desserts will be held. The classes cost $25 and are held at the Celtic Hall, 430 New Karner Road, in Colonie.
Past classes include Middle Eastern, Russian, Hispanic, Indonesian and Ukrainian cuisines. The International Center’s Executive Director Diane Conroy-LaCivita said their Indian foods class was one of the most popular.
The classes were not begun with global cuisine in mind, though. Conroy-LaCivita is the former co-owner of the Harmony House Marketplace in Cohoes. There, she helped start the Cohoes market, where shoppers using food stamps got reimbursed for every dollar spent through Kellogg that could only be spent on fresh foods.
“A lot of people weren’t sure how to prepare those fresh veggies,” said Conroy-LaCivita.
So she began the classes in the kitchen of the Harmony House to teach the basics.
“The classes began as free, so people could learn how to cook those fresh foods,” she said. “We would have farmers come in and help individuals learn how to cook with fresh produce.”
Conroy-LaCivita said that during the original classes, a series on ethnic foods was done, but the main concentration was cooking with fresh foods.
After about five years, the classes ended at the Harmony House. Conroy-LaCivita was then approached by the International Center in 2011 the see about continuing with the classes, but with a culturally diverse spin.
Now, the classes draw between 12-60 people. Attendance has picked up since word has spread. Conroy-LaCivita said there are some people who attend every class, or come in big groups for a social night out.
However, the classes are not only about the food. Much of the time, people come to listen to the cultural lessons too. The cooking instructors are often from the countries featured in the class, or second-generation immigrants. Always, though, the instructors are immersed in that culture.
“Everything we do is definitely ethnic and cultural. It’s become very specialized. I like it when instructors come, and they immigrated to the U.S. and they share part of their stories, about how they might have come here with very little and built themselves up. It’s really very inspiring,” said Conroy-LaCivita. “The idea is that, besides looking at the culinary, we wanted to make it participatory so people can learn about those cultures.”
Classes are usually geared toward the holidays, but they are not only once a year. Last year, the International Center hosted 18 classes throughout the year. A six-part series on Irish cuisine was attended by 17 people.
After food preparations are complete, everyone sits down for a communal meal, but recipes are also handed out so that the meals can be duplicated at home. The instructor for the Polish class will be teaching attendees how to cook four to five traditional holiday items, in case anyone wants to have a Polish holiday dinner.
Registration for either the Polish Holiday Traditions class, or the Buon Natale! Christmas in Italy class can be done by calling the International Center at 708-7608, or emailing the center at iccralbany.org.
