"A Taste of the Grange" Cooking Class Series

Come help kick off a new cooking series at the Whallonsburg Grange Hall with a springtime trip to Thailand! Join chef Marla Gilman on Thursday, May 12, from 6 to 9 pm in the Grange kitchen, as she shows you how to create Vegetable Sushi, Peanut Noodles, Coconut Curry Carrot Soup, and Mango Sticky Rice. All cooking levels welcome!

Marla is the owner of Northern Feast Catering, a new food truck and small-scale catering company that focuses on seasonal and local ingredients. The food truck, which specializes in sweet and savory crepes, will be in its first year of operation this summer. Marla has cooked at various kitchens, most recently managing the Clover Mead Cafe in Keeseville. She’s also worked at Liquids and Solids in Lake Placid and the award-winning Blue Hill at Stone Barns in Pocantico Hills, NY. She is a graduate of the renowned Ballymaloe Cookery School in Ireland, one of the very few that focuses on seasonal and local eating from a culinary perspective.

“Eating so locally every day while developing my culinary skills allowed me to hone in on sensory evaluation and create a strong understanding of what food should taste like. Good food takes time. It is a web of growers, producers, and makers. We need to notice and respect that in order to make the best food we can.” In that same spirit, her Thai Cooking Class highlights the flavors of local veggies. “You don’t need meat to make a hearty and flavorful meal.”

Class size is limited to 15, so register now to reserve your spot by calling the Grange at 963-4170 or by emailing Kate Ritter, Manager, at admin@thegrangehall.info. $25 includes lesson and meal.

A Taste of the Grange Series

Excited about cooking? This class is just the first of a new cooking class series called “A Taste of the Grange,” which will formally launch this fall, offering a variety of classes aimed at home cooks of all levels, taught by skilled professionals in their respective fields. More information coming soon!

The Whallonsburg Grange Hall is located at 1610 NYS Route 22, five miles south of the village of Essex. The Grange serves as a community gathering space for eastern Essex County, hosting musical and theatrical performances, lectures, forums, and workshops, as well as hall rentals for private events.

Establishing Two Cuisine Trails in Essex County (www.essexonlakechamplain.com)
Sarah King and Josh Zack’s Taco Truck (The Valley News) (denpubs.com)

About Whallonsburg Grange Hall

The Grange Hall is managed by the Whallonsburg Civic Association, a 501(c)3 nonprofit through an agreement with the Town of Essex. The building is now one of the "destinations" in the region for films, music, theater, lectures and other community events. The certified commercial kitchen is available for food producers, canners, farms and community projects of all kinds. Visit www.thegrangehall.info for more information.