The Garden Kitchen

This is the coolest place on the planet!!!! Maybe not the coolest but yes it provides a great service. I have been hearing about The Garden Kitchen for years, through the county extension and friends at the U. of A. I never thought I my time to come down was a Yelp event, and it was extremely informative. I was mesmerized by how well Jen the Director Explained all that they do to help people eat better and be more in touch with where their food comes from.

The Garden Kitchen is awesome! There are so many great organizations in Tucson that give back and are making an impact in people's lives. I especially like the Garden Kitchen because it offers programming that is centered on wellness and showing people manageable ways to make healthier lifestyle choices. Programming includes gardening and cooking classes, nutrition, and even group exercise. Additionally, qualified partners in Pima County are eligible to receive free garden installations, gardening classes among other things. Partners are usually qualifying schools or community gardens. The Garden Kitchen also hosts free gardening hour on Thursdays, demos and classes on Saturdays at their facility in South Tucson. The onsite garden is a great example of all the fruits and veggies that can be cultivated in the region. I was so inspired by it! Folks can enjoy their events and classes throughout the year. Many are free and some are paid, such as hands-on cooking classes. Funds raised from classes and workshops assist with maintaining their programming. I highly recommend checking this place out.

I had been to The Garden Kitchen prior to COVID-19 and really enjoyed their events, demonstrations, and classes. The garden kitchen does a lot of amazing work with the community. They provide many free, as well as paid for, health, nutrition, gardening, cooking classes, and more. They have a beautiful garden filled with many different types of plants! It's wonderful to walk through; to take all the plant life in. Now that there's a pandemic going on, I was curious to see how The Garden Kitchen was doing. Currently, they are doing online cooking classes for $40 a household! My partner and I decided to sign up for the Italian night and had a blast! We made fish in a broth with creamy polenta, pesto, and an herb tomato salad. Instructions were very clear and the pace of the class felt appropriate to me. The instructor made sure to answer questions along the way and pause when people needed more time. What really stood out to me about the class was the educational aspect of it. Upon finishing the class I gained more than just cooking skills, I also gained knowledge on things like knowing what "degerminated" means and why you shouldn't go for dergerminated corn meal. I'm now going to think a little bit differently about certain products when buying groceries. I already cook often and so the class wasn't very difficult for me. Regardless I think the classes shouldn't be too challenging for someone who is new to cooking.It was refreshing to do something different while we're stuck home during the pandemic. My partner and I finished our plates with full bellies and big smiles. We are now thinking of signing up for another class in few weeks. Highly recommend the classes to anyone who wants a change in their weekend plans! This class is fully online so technically, anyone can do them from anywhere, how fun is that? FYI - They also offer cooking classes to do with kids. And if you're short on time, you can pay an extra small fee to have them get your ingredients together for you (you just have to pick them up).