When the Dallas Arboretum was looking
for a partner to promote their new vegetable, fruit and herb potable
garden called A Tasteful Place, they didn’t have far to look. The award winning El Centro College Food and Hospitality Institute (FHI), was the perfect fit.
Launched in September, the
El Centro College Cooking Connection is providing public education seminars, demonstrations, and other activities to patrons of the Arboretum’s A Tasteful Place.
“It is a partnership that just makes sense,” said Dr. Sherry Jones, Executive Dean of the Business, Design and Public Service Division at El Centro College. “Our chef instructors along with students from our culinary programs provide customized monthly recipes and cooking demonstrations using fresh, ripe ingredients harvested directly from the wonderful new Arboretum garden.”
The
El Centro College Cooking Connection series includes a 45-minute on-site Chef demo activity provided to Arboretum audiences weekly that is centered around a monthly theme. The monthly theme is developed around produce harvested from the garden that month. Participants receive recipes and guided preparation tips for ordinary and out of the ordinary ingredients that are grown in the garden. Through Certificate and Associate Degree programs offered through the Food and Hospitality Institute at El Centro College, students can study Culinary Arts, Baking and Pastry as well as Hospitality Management. According to Food and Hospitality Institute Director, Chef Steve DeShazo, many of Dallas’ top Chefs have studied at El Centro’s Food and Hospitality Institute including Chef Chad Houser (Café Momentum), Chef Janice Provost (Parigi), and Chef Adam West (The Porch). In fact, if you walk into almost any kitchen in north Texas and ask the question you will learn that El Centro is the top producer of culinary talent throughout the region.
For information on the El Centro College Cooking Connection, see
http://www.dallasarboretum.org/named-gardens-features/a-tasteful-place/cooking-events-a-tasteful-place. For learning opportunities at El Centro College, go to
www.elcentrocollege.edu/food