Sculptural Cake Building

with Magnet Curry

Saturday, July 6, 2024, 10:00 a.m–5:00 p.m.

Tuition: $150

This workshop includes lunch at 1:00 p.m.

There is a limitless range of creative approaches to contemporary cake decorating. This workshop will help you elevate your cake making to an art form! Learn tiered cake construction; piping and spatula techniques; flavor profiling; adornment and floral arranging. We will discuss the juxtaposition of permanent and perishable sculptures and the history of cake decorating. This workshop is beginner-friendly, doesn’t include baking or the use of any electrical appliances, and is open to all levels of experience. Cakes and decorative edible materials will be provided. Take home a cake creation of your own design at the end of the day!

An image of Magnet Curry with a cake and a close up of an orange and blue cake with herbs. Images courtesy of the artist.

Principles of Pad Thai

with Daniel Pravit Fethke

Thursday, July 25, 2024, 4:00 p.m.–7:00 p.m.

Tuition: $90

This workshop will conclude with a group meal of your collective making.

Principles of Pad Thai is a hands-on workshop where participants will learn the ins and outs of how to make this famous Thai dish. We will make Pad Thai from scratch in an outdoor cooking environment alongside the Ox-Bow Lagoon, accompanied by a food-historical lecture and discussion of the political and cultural roots that bring this storied recipe to our plates. All ingredients will be provided.

Daniel Pravit Fethke is a Thai-American interdisciplinary artist, filmmaker, educator, and activist. He regularly facilitates workshops, cooking classes, and creative gatherings that center food and recipes as ways to explore identity and culture. He has exhibited work internationally in Bangkok, Berlin, Barcelona, and New York City, having shown at the Yale School of Art, Recess Art Space, and the Knockdown Center. Daniel has published food-based writing in the Berlin-based Soft Eis Magazine, as well as with Commercial Type's online catalog. He co-founded the mutual aid food pop-up Angry Papaya, and has hosted workshops at the CUNY Graduate Center as well as the Ox-Bow School of Art. Daniel received his BA in Modern Culture & Media Studies from Brown University in 2015. He recently published an autobiographical Thai-American cookbook through Pratt Institute, where he also received his MFA in Integrated Practices in 2023. He currently lives and works in Crown Heights, Brooklyn.

The Thai Table

with Daniel Pravit Fethke

Date: Saturday, July 27, 2024, 11:00 a.m.–8:00 p.m

Tuition: $150

This workshop will include snacks along the way, and conclude with a group meal of your collective making.

An alternative cooking class, The Thai Table will take a succulent, in-depth dive into the delicious, messy, and spicy details of Thai food. Focusing on Bangkok-style cooking, we will explore the spicy-sour-sweet-salty axes of Thai cuisine—all while cooking a well-rounded dinner feast that emphasizes balance and high-quality ingredients (which will all be provided).

Daniel Pravit Fethke is a Thai-American interdisciplinary artist, filmmaker, educator, and activist. He regularly facilitates workshops, cooking classes, and creative gatherings that center food and recipes as ways to explore identity and culture. He has exhibited work internationally in Bangkok, Berlin, Barcelona, and New York City, having shown at the Yale School of Art, Recess Art Space, and the Knockdown Center. Daniel has published food-based writing in the Berlin-based Soft Eis Magazine, as well as with Commercial Type's online catalog. He co-founded the mutual aid food pop-up Angry Papaya, and has hosted workshops at the CUNY Graduate Center as well as the Ox-Bow School of Art. Daniel received his BA in Modern Culture & Media Studies from Brown University in 2015. He recently published an autobiographical Thai-American cookbook through Pratt Institute, where he also received his MFA in Integrated Practices in 2023. He currently lives and works in Crown Heights, Brooklyn.

Breaking Down the Bird

with Stella Brown

Friday, August 16, 2024, 4:00 p.m.–7:00 p.m.

Tuition: $90

This workshop will conclude with a group meal of your collective making.

Learn how to break down, or butcher, a raw chicken to prepare it for cooking. The secrets to different chicken techniques, including how to roast a bird to perfection, will be revealed! The workshop will also cover broth-making basics, so no bits go to waste. The experience will culminate in the preparation of a chicken-centered meal to be shared at the end of class, all ingredients provided.

Stella Brown is a native Chicagoan, artist, and curator. In 2009 she received her BA from New York University’s Gallatin School of Individualized and an MFA in Studio Art from the University of Illinois at Chicago, School of Art & Art History in 2019. She was the Founding Director of the Buddy store at the Chicago Cultural Center. She has been involved with the ACRE (Artist Cooperative Residency & Exhibitions) Kitchen Program since 2015. In her artwork, areas of  examination include the Anthropocene era of man-made geology, contemporary ecological restoration practices in the Chicago region, the history of museum display and natural history practices, and display and consumerism in store displays and souvenir shops. In the last five years she has presented her own artwork and curated a number of public exhibitions and programming events at venues including Gallery 400, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Goldfinch Gallery, the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, ACRE, and Shoot the Lobster.

Image courtesy of the artist.

Tortilla Making & Cooking Techniques

with Stella Brown

Date: Saturday, August 17, 2024, 11:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.

Tuition: $100

This workshop will conclude with a group meal of your collective making.

Make your own fresh corn tortillas from masa! This process will be supported by educational information on the production of masa. Your culinary experience will encompass various cooking techniques for tortillas, including quesadillas with Oaxacan squash blossom soup and chilaquiles. The day will include all components and techniques necessary to result in a Mexican-inspired meal of your collective making.

Stella Brown is a native Chicagoan, artist, and curator. In 2009 she received her BA from New York University’s Gallatin School of Individualized and an MFA in Studio Art from the University of Illinois at Chicago, School of Art & Art History in 2019. She was the Founding Director of the Buddy store at the Chicago Cultural Center. She has been involved with the ACRE (Artist Cooperative Residency & Exhibitions) Kitchen Program since 2015. In her artwork, areas of  examination include the Anthropocene era of man-made geology, contemporary ecological restoration practices in the Chicago region, the history of museum display and natural history practices, and display and consumerism in store displays and souvenir shops. In the last five years she has presented her own artwork and curated a number of public exhibitions and programming events at venues including Gallery 400, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Goldfinch Gallery, the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, ACRE, and Shoot the Lobster.

Photo courtesy of the artist.