New kitchen launches cooking class series

(PHOTO courtesy of Alice Bender)
Alice Bender, the Nutrition Services Coordinator at the University Health Center, shows a student how to chop broccoli for a healthy snack. The class is part of a cooking series the UHC is hosting entitled "Anyone Can Cook."

By Miranda Stancil

The University of Georgia Health Center is offering students the opportunity to spice things up.

Offering $5 cooking classes with a registered dietician, University students will be able to learn how to cook healthily while adding some flavor to their diet.

The series, entitled “Anyone Can Cook,” began May 14 and is being taught in the new nutrition kitchen, which was built as a part of the addition to the University Health Center.

The kitchen is fully stocked with cooking appliances such as skillets, knives and cutting boards. It also has a dishwasher and its refrigerator is stocked with healthy food.

Alice Bender, the nutrition services coordinator at the University Health Center, is teaching the series and thinks the new kitchen is crucial to the education she is able to offer in the classes.

“This gives real life experience to students – they can chop and cook in a kitchen rather than just watching a video or someone else do it,” Bender said.

Bender, who offers individual nutrition counseling to students, thinks it’s beneficial to students to practice preparing healthy dishes.

“From my work with students over the past 15 years, I know that many are interested in preparing more of their own foods in a healthy way,” said Bender, “but most don’t know where to start or don’t have the food preparation knowledge and skills.”

Liz Rachun, health communications coordinator at the University Health Center, said the center is offering the classes because students have continually shown interest in the topic.

“Students are always requesting information about nutritious, inexpensive and easy ways to prepare meals,” Rachun said. “Cooking classes cover all these bases.”

According to the center’s Web site, the cooking class series kicked off with a class featuring the cooking techniques needed to prepare vegetarian meals.

The second class of the series, titled “You Can Take It With You: Eating on the Go,” took place May 20. Students in the class practiced preparing healthy lunches and snacks for days when they can’t make it home to eat.

According to Bender, food safety guidelines are addressed in the classes and students are taught basic preparation techniques like how to chop vegetables, how to sauté or stir fry, and how to modify recipes depending on what they may have on hand or what their preferences are.

Bender believes the series emphasizes the importance that students know certain cooking techniques in order lead a healthy lifestyle.

“It is much easier to have a healthy diet if you prepare your own foods, so having the ability to cook and prepare meals will serve students well not only while they are in college, but also throughout their life,” Bender said.

Kristyna Mauch, a senior majoring in publication management, has taken both of the cooking classes offered and has enjoyed the hands-on education she’s received.

“I moved into an apartment this past January, and I was off of the meal plan for the first time since leaving home,” Mauch said. “I had no idea how to prepare healthy meals, which is important to me because I like to stay fit. The classes have helped me out a lot.”

Mauch plans on attending the rest of the series, which includes a class on May 28 about preparing a balanced breakfast, and a class on June 1 that focuses on cooking with locally grown foods.

The University Health Center will continue to offer cooking classes on a wide range of topics throughout the fall and spring semesters, Rachun said.

Edited by Ben Bussard