For 6 weeks this spring, I got to be a part of family style meals at the West End Community Center in High Point. Every Tuesday, a group gathered for free family cooking classes, and the fellowship hall would fill with the sharp aroma of fresh cut onions, the whir of blenders, the bubbling of boiling pots, and the chatter as folks worked through the recipes of the evening. Within an hour, a salad, main dish, and dessert were made, and we sat down at a long table to eat, just as the sun was setting through the windows.
Tuesday evenings quickly became the highlight of my week, and I wasn’t the only one. Folks were invited to come to as many Tuesdays fit their schedule, and our cooking classes developed into a small group of regulars, who readily became comfortable with each other. In Guilford County, FoodCorps service members have facilitated family cooking classes for the past few years, and at their best, these classes are a way to celebrate the joy and community that comes through preparing and eating food together as a group.
This spring, we intentionally set up the structure of the classes to be participant-led. There were no intake forms, no required attendance, no cooking instructors or formal nutrition educators. Instead, there was a standing invitation and an open sign-up sheet. There were discussions about future recipes throughout every class. There were cooking stations set up each week for everyone to cook communally, and a wealth of knowledge, skills, and curiosity that participants shared with each other.
Two women with culinary degrees fielded questions about knife skills and making salad dressings from scratch. Another, who had owned a grill and nightclub, kept our recipes on schedule for a timely dinner. A nutrition student clarified the difference between table salt and sodium when the topic came up over dinner. Two teenagers claimed the right to be ongoing dessert chefs, making whipped cream one week with a giant whisk, arranging orange slices into a beautiful presentation the next, and firing up the blender for smoothies our final week.
The informal nature of the class helped create a communal atmosphere. It opened space for conversation as we cooked and ate together. It elicited creativity when we didn’t have all the spices the recipes called for, with participants brainstorming and adapting on the fly. And it allowed for group problem-solving instead of disaster when we blew out the circuits in the fellowship hall (and were making burgers and fries with electric induction burners and Actifry air fryers).
When asked what they like best about the cooking classes, one participant reflected,
“Community building and open discussion where everyone feels comfortable sharing and talking. Food brings people together and lets them see new options in action and taste it with everyone else. Trying new things is easier when you’re not alone. I like the feeling of a safe space.”
Me too.
