With many individuals with health concerns, many Americans want to learn to cook and eat healthier. Offering cooking classes monthly allows participants to practice and learn how easy cooking in the kitchen can be. Our target audience is adults that have little to no cooking experience or who are trying new ways to cook. We address basic cooking skills and easy recipes that they can adapt at home. 

Each month we offer two classes one in the daytime and one at night.  We focus on Plate it Up Recipes and recipes from the NEP calendars that show participants how to prepare foods that are grown locally in Kentucky.  Participants do hands on cooking in all four kitchens where each kitchen prepares a different dish.  After preparation each kitchen prepares enough for everyone to taste.  They each get to try four recipes in the end.  A lesson is taught either at the beginning of the program or during while food in cooking or baking.  The participants go to classroom kitchen settings and work with each other allowing teachable moments between the participants.

Offering 12 cooking classes this year ranging from 15-25 in each class, a total of around 240 people participated this year. In the past few years there has been an increase in participation. This is the fourteenth year to offer these classes.  

Evaluations have been conducted over the years by surveys and testimonials, 98% said they would make the recipes at home, 80% of the participants have tried the previous recipes at home. Participants are trying recipes with ingredients that they do not generally use in a recipe, and they end up liking it. One participant said that they are now eating healthier and making better choices at the grocery store because of our cooking classes. She said that her husband’s diabetes has gotten much better, and her health has improved due to better eating. This person has attended the cooking classes now for 9 years. A retired doctor attended classes to learn to cook for his sick wife at home. He needed to learn to cook and he had mastered cooking skills by attending our healthy cooking classes He told people that the Extension Service has been a life saver for him. We have had another participant return after a few years saying that the information she learned from the classes taught her how to cook and eat healthy. Her and her husband have lost significant weight and are off some medications. They also have learned how to grocery shop and be a better consumer when buying groceries.   Participation continues to increase by marketing efforts included monthly newsletters, radio announcements, Facebook post, county webpages and flyers.  Many times, we see participants out and they remember the cooking classes that they learned from.  They share a story of making a dish for family, friends, or neighbors.

The classes are planned again for this year and expect to have more individuals participate. We will continue to use Plate it Up Recipes and the NEP Calendar recipes.