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Culinary
in The Farms: An Allerton Folk School
Chicken Freezer Meals 101 (Sept 10)
with Leah Bodine
Learn the basics of cooking poultry from Blue Dragonfly Catering owner Leah Bodine at Chicken Freezer Meals 101 on Tuesday, Sept. 10 from 5 to 7:30 p.m. in the Mansion Carriage House.
In this workshop, students will learn knife skills by cutting vegetables, mincing herbs and cutting a whole chicken. Two easy sheet pan meals will be prepped to take home and cook later.
$65/person. Register by Sept. 3. All sales are final.
If you will need disability-related accommodations to participate, please email Olivia Bunting at owarren@illinois.edu.
About the instructor
Leah Bodine calls herself the ‘accidental chef’ with years of experience in the food industry. She started her catering company, Blue Dragonfly Catering, to express her creative mind in food preparation and cultivating recipes. She loves sharing her skills with others and seeing the fascination on students’ faces when they realize how creative they can be and how easy it is to do so.
Her experiences in the food industry have led her to live in Paris and cater for rock and country legends.
Chicken Freezer Meals 101 (Sept 15)
with Leah Bodine
Learn the basics of cooking poultry from Blue Dragonfly Catering owner Leah Bodine at Chicken Freezer Meals 101 on Tuesday, Sept. 15 from 5 to 7:30 p.m. in the Mansion Carriage House.
In this workshop, students will learn knife skills by cutting vegetables, mincing herbs and cutting a whole chicken. Two easy sheet pan meals will be prepped to take home and cook later.
$65/person. Register by Sept. 8. All sales are final.
If you will need disability-related accommodations to participate, please email Olivia Bunting at owarren@illinois.edu.
About the instructor
Leah Bodine calls herself the ‘accidental chef’ with years of experience in the food industry. She started her catering company, Blue Dragonfly Catering, to express her creative mind in food preparation and cultivating recipes. She loves sharing her skills with others and seeing the fascination on students’ faces when they realize how creative they can be and how easy it is to do so.
Her experiences in the food industry have led her to live in Paris and cater for rock and country legends.
Wines of the World (Sept 25): Sparkling Wines: Effervescent Excellence - a Journey Through Sparkling Wines
with Mike Lee
Experience Level: Beginner
Take part in a delicious series with an international flavor at Wines of the World on Wednesday, Sept. 25 from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Mansion Solarium.
Renowned wine educator and television personality Mike Lee will lead this delightful and delectable wine class, where he takes students on an enchanting journey through the vineyards of Europe and California. With a wealth of knowledge and passion for introducing students to tasting, talking, and understanding wine, Mike’s engaging style immerses students in the Old World.
Mike’s class is for beginners and wine lovers alike, from the refined elegance of Bordeaux to the inspiring hills of Tuscany and the bold flavors of Rioja. Each class will include tastings of 5 to 6 wines. You must be at least 21 years old to participate.
$60/person* (Ages 21+). Register by Sept. 18. All sales are final.
*Or $200/person for the entire series. Sign up for all four classes and use the promo code “WINE40” to get $40 off at checkout.
If you will need disability-related accommodations to participate, please email Olivia Bunting at owarren@illinois.edu.
About the Instructor
Mike Lee is an accomplished wine, spirits, and beer educator with 9+ years in the alcohol industry. Having achieved the Wine and Spirit Education Trust (London) Certified Educator achievement in Wine, Lee is certified to teach levels 1 and 2 internationally. With experience with class sizes large and small, he is known for his ability to adapt to any learning environment with excellent facilitation skills.
Cook a 3-Course Meal (Oct 15)
with Leah Bodine
Experience Level: Beginner
Take your culinary skills to a new level at Cook a 3-Course Meal on Tuesday, Oct. 15 from 5 to 8 p.m. in the Mansion Carriage House.
Blue Dragonfly Catering owner Leah Bodine will instruct students on basic knife stills as they prepare a 3-course meal. Learn three international recipes, prepare, cook and dine afterward. A short wine course will be included.
$100/person. Register by October 8. All sales are final.
If you will need disability-related accommodations to participate, please email Olivia Bunting at owarren@illinois.edu.
About The Instructor
Leah Bodine calls herself the ‘accidental chef’ with years of experience in the food industry. She started her catering company, Blue Dragonfly Catering, to express her creative mind in food preparation and cultivating recipes. She loves sharing her skills with others and seeing the fascination on students’ faces when they realize how creative they can be and how easy it is to do so.
Wines of the World (Oct 16): Southern France: Exploring Rhone and the sun-kissed South of France
with Mike Lee
Experience Level: Beginner
Take part in a delicious series with an international flavor at Wines of the World on Wednesday, Oct. 16 from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Mansion Solarium.
Renowned wine educator and television personality Mike Lee will lead this delightful and delectable wine class, where he takes students on an enchanting journey through the vineyards of Europe and California. With a wealth of knowledge and passion for introducing students to tasting, talking, and understanding wine, Mike’s engaging style immerses students in the Old World.
Mike’s class is for beginners and wine lovers alike, from the refined elegance of Bordeaux to the inspiring hills of Tuscany and the bold flavors of Rioja. Each class will include tastings of 5 to 6 wines. You must be at least 21 years old to participate.
$60/person* (Ages 21+). Register by Oct. 9. All sales are final.
*Or $200/person for the entire series. Sign up for all four classes and use the promo code “WINE40” to get $40 off at checkout.
If you will need disability-related accommodations to participate, please email Olivia Bunting at owarren@illinois.edu.
About the Instructor
Mike Lee is an accomplished wine, spirits, and beer educator with 9+ years in the alcohol industry. Having achieved the Wine and Spirit Education Trust (London) Certified Educator achievement in Wine, Lee is certified to teach levels 1 and 2 internationally. With experience with class sizes large and small, he is known for his ability to adapt to any learning environment with excellent facilitation skills.
Halloween Cookie Decorating
with Jennifer Holhubner
Experience Level: Beginner
Learn to decorate spooky-themed cookies with royal icing at Halloween Cookie Decorating on Sunday, Oct. 27 from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. in the Mansion Carriage House. Instructor Jennifer Holhubner will demonstrate and explain wet-on-wet technique, outlining and flooding.
Cookies will be provided and participants should bring a container to take home their decorated cookies.
$75/person. Register by Oct. 18. All sales are final.
If you will need disability-related accommodations to participate, please email Olivia Bunting at owarren@illinois.edu.
About the instructor
Champaign-Urbana native Jennifer Holhubner taught herself how to decorate cakes when she was 16 years old and took up cookie decorating in 2019.
“Although they intimidated me, I forged on and got better with each order. I still have room to grow as we all do in whatever task we take on,” she said. “But I love to share the aspects of baking and decorating. I can actually now say, I am cookier!”
Jennifer also teaches decorating classes at Parkland College.
Cook a 3-Course Meal (Oct 28)
with Leah Bodine
Experience Level: Beginner
Take your culinary skills to a new level at Cook a 3-Course Meal on Monday, Oct. 28 from 5 to 8 p.m. in the Mansion Carriage House.
Blue Dragonfly Catering owner Leah Bodine will instruct students on basic knife stills as they prepare a 3-course meal. Learn three international recipes, prepare, cook and dine afterward. A short wine course will be included.
$100/person. Register by October 21. All sales are final.
If you will need disability-related accommodations to participate, please email Olivia Bunting at owarren@illinois.edu.
About The Instructor
Leah Bodine calls herself the ‘accidental chef’ with years of experience in the food industry. She started her catering company, Blue Dragonfly Catering, to express her creative mind in food preparation and cultivating recipes. She loves sharing her skills with others and seeing the fascination on students’ faces when they realize how creative they can be and how easy it is to do so.
Easy Entertaining Appetizers (Nov. 10)
with Leah Bodine
Experience Level: Beginner
Learn how to make simple yet elegant appetizers to WOW your holiday guests at Easy Entertaining Appetizers on Sunday, Nov. 10 from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Mansion Carriage House.
Led by Blue Dragonfly Catering Owner Leah Bodine, this workshop will prepare you for both invited guests as well as those who just drop in!
$60/person. Register by Nov. 3. All sales are final.
If you will need disability-related accommodations in order to participate, please email owarren@illinois.edu.
About the instructor
Leah Bodine calls herself the ‘accidental chef’ with years of experience in the food industry. She started her catering company, Blue Dragonfly Catering, to express her creative mind in food preparation and cultivating recipes. She loves sharing her skills with others and seeing the fascination on students’ faces when they realize how creative they can be and how easy it is to do so.
Her experiences in the food industry have led her to live in Paris and cater for rock and country legends.