Grab an apron and get cooking at the Wellness Center

Maha Kikugawa watches as Chef Mercedes Verela-Mendez prepares mushroom barley with cannellini beans and sweet potatoes. Holly Bensur//The MIami Hurricane

Leave your spatula, food processor and measuring cups at home and join other chefs-in-training at the Wellness Center’s Instructional Kitchen, where you can learn to master cuisines from around the globe.

Step into the kitchen about twice a month and join Chef Lori or Chef Mercedes in their cooking classes featuring flavorful menus, from the rich dishes of northern Italy to the spicy Cajun specialties of Louisiana.

The chefs not only teach between three and four memorable recipes, but they also offer handy cooking techniques for cooking at home. Come hungry because the class shares the delicious final products at the end.

UPCOMING CLASSES

– March 20: Create Spanish tapas, including garbanzo frito and aioli potatoes, with Chef Mercedes

– March 26: Perfect your puff pastries filled with cheese, fruit or meat with Chef Lori on March 26

– April 1: Bake vegan desserts like gluten-free gingerbread buckwheat pancakes and plain cake donuts with Chef Lori

– Price: $20 for students and Wellness Center members, $25 for non-members

All classes take place between 6:30 and 8:30 p.m. in the Wellness Center Enrichment Suite’s Instructional Kitchen. Visit miami.edu/wellness for more information on future classes and other details.