Veg Cooking Classes

Cooking and knowing what to eat are often barriers for people looking to explore animal-friendly diets. It might seem difficult now, but preparing vegan foods doesn't have to be a chore!

By attending our inexpensive (or sometimes free) cooking classes, attendees get a chance to try a variety of foods, learn about nutrition, and have their questions on veg eating answered.

Stay tuned for the next cooking class by regularly checking our upcoming events calendar or contacting our program coordinator, Kelly.

Past Cooking Classes

• Betsy Born - February, 2011

  Themes are a favorite of Betsy, instructing the Halloween and Valentine's cooking classes. Betsy has a knack for creating easy and fun veg-friendly recipes. She has also made food for CAA events, including the annual banquet.

• Ben Kutshchied - November, 2010; April, 2011

  Ben has worked as a cook in the restaurant industry for over 10 years. Although he had done time at some pretty meat-heavy restaurants as a vegetarian, since becoming vegan in 2005 Ben has focused almost exclusively on preparing vegan and vegetarian foods. Ben has worked locally at Tao Natural Foods and is currently in his fourth incarnation at Ecopolitan Restaurant. He instructed the 2010 Veg Thanksgiving class.

• Ali Glad - October, 2010

  Ali hosted CAA's first raw foods cooking class. While she has experience in raw cooking, working at Ecopolitan for several years, Ali also likes preparing other non-raw dishes.

• Michele Licata - October, 2009

  Michele is an accomplished chef, teacher and caterer with over 20 years experience. She made some mouth-watering tofu stroganoff, quinoa salad, and chocolate pie!

• Erika Rood - December, 2008

  Served up some delicious baked goods and talked about differences in egg-substitutes and butter substitutes with treats for you to taste the difference!

• Dustan Pinlac - November, 2008

  Pinlac, a Le Cordon Bleu graduate, has worked under various highly recognized chefs in the Twin Cities and prepared a multi-course vegan Thanksgiving dinner!

• Cali Mastny - October, 2008; March, 2011

  Prepared an all-vegan menu: salad with tofu sticks, mock fried chicken, 'cheesy' mashed potatoes, and chocolate cupcakes!

• Judah Nataf - March, 2007

  Head chef at St. Martin's Table showed the basics of making Japanese miso soup packed full of delicious veggies, tofu, and of course miso!

• Kris Krafft and Tom Trogdon - October, 2006

  Seward Coop deli chefs demonstrated how to make easy and delicious vegan recipes, including savory kale, sautéed tempeh, and spicy jasmine rice.

• Rebecca Ford and Ben Acaso - October, 2006

  Compassionate Action for Animals coordinators shared samples and quick, cheap, and tasty meal ideas to balance a vegan diet for optimum nutrition.

• Samuel Ero-Philips - September, 2005

  A demonstration on how to make simple vegan dishes, including tofu pad thai and chocolate soy pudding.

• Joe Yocom - September, 2004

  A demonstration on how to make mouth-watering vegan specialties such as BBQ mock duck sandwiches, tacos, and southern chili dogs. Yocom also shared information on healthy eating, provided hand-outs, and concluded the demonstration with a pop quiz.