This piece originally appeared in the Dining section of our February issue, on newsstands now.
Students learn to prepare a traditional Chinese meal with instructor JiaoJiao Deng at HI Richmond Hostel. (Photo by Jay Paul)
On a recent Sunday afternoon, more than two dozen people rolled up their sleeves to chop vegetables around a marble kitchen island.
No, this wasn’t party prep for a huge holiday gathering.
Nor was it a knife skills demonstration for foodies looking to expand their range at home.
This was “Cooking as a Second Language,” a free monthly class held at Hosteling International Richmond Hostel.
CSL is not your average cooking class, in that culture is as much the point as cuisine.
This day’s class was a case in point. The focus on the cooking of Puerto Rico was meant to deepen students’ understanding of their fellow countrymen in the Caribbean. The instructor, Ivone Artuz-Melendez, called out directions as the group set to work making tostones, or plantain chips, and arroz con pollo. “I need a volunteer to mimic me while I’m on another burner,” Artuz-Melendez shouted, as she fried cut peppers and onions in oil in an enormous pot. Ground coriander, paprika and annatto sat in small containers to the side, waiting to be added.
The mood was lively. Students took to their work stations, chatting, snapping photos and taking notes as they fried plantains and used a mortar and pestle to mesh garlic and mix it with oil and garlic for the condiment called sofrito. One of the students, Trenace Williams, couldn’t resist a taste. “The flavor is garlicky, buttery, but not overbearing,” she said of the sofrito, sounding like a veteran food critic.
This was Williams’ first time in the class. She came, she said, to expand her palate and learn something new. Many more in attendance were seasoned students. They knew the shape of the session, which moved from presentation to preparation of the dishes to setting up communal tables to tasting to cleaning.
Of the approximately 32 participants, six were guests at the hostel — an attractive bonus for those staying overnight.
CSL is the brainchild of Patty Parks, the community services manager at Richmond Public Library, who ran a similar class at the now-defunct William Byrd Community House. Parks says she reached out to the hostel to host the class in part because of its location, right across the street from the library, and in part because it would extend the reach of the library, bastion of learning for free. Another plus: the hostel’s spacious communal kitchen.
“Building empathy is what we are trying to do.” —Patty Parks, Richmond Public Library community services manager
In the two years the class has been offered, instructors have ranged from refugees to culinary professionals, and they’ve introduced Richmonders to the cooking of India, China, Spain, Sudan, Senegal, Mexico, Germany and Colombia. Or, to put it another way, students have learned to make dumplings, gazpacho, Nubian bread, stuffed vegetables, cabbage salad, tamales, and chicken-potato soup.
Parks encourages people whose first language is not English to teach their food and culture. The hostel staff tries to facilitate conversation.
For Artuz-Melendez, the opportunity to teach came about because her group RVA for Puerto Rico reached out to the hostel to raise awareness after the devastation of Hurricane Maria. “I’m really excited to share my culture,” she said.
As the rice and chicken cooked, the Bronx-born cook, a nurse by profession, spoke about life in Puerto Rico as students scooped rice into heaping piles on two dishes and set it on the middle island. Fini!
The students applauded their achievement and Artuz-Melendez, and a line formed to try the aromatic arroz con pollo.
“I’ve gone to cooking classes, but I love the interaction here,” said Linsey Holmes, who also came to the Korean demonstration, during which she made bulgogi, lettuce wraps, and shave ice with red beans.
Longtime participant Edith Ridderhof said she likes the casual interactions she’s experienced. “Everyone can chop and get involved here,” she said. “You always meet someone. I also like that kids come with their families to participate.”
Tanya Pruett believes the class shows Richmond at its best. “It connects us to the way to cook in person, cross-culturally, and to hear family stories,” she said.
A few months earlier, during the October presentation, Afghan refugee Hamid Noori taught students his country’s cuisine, while recounting his tough journey to Richmond. His presentation, he said, was crucial to get the exposure he needed to make professional connections. Sure enough, not long after, he was hired to work in the kitchen at Ellwood Thompson’s.
Parks is proud of Noori’s success, and of what the class has done so far. “Building empathy is what we are trying to do,” she said, “to be more open and less judgmental and communicating with different cultures.”
And if that happens over a delicious meal, so much the better.
The next session of “Cooking as a Second Language” takes place Sunday, March 4, at HI Richmond Hostel.
Recipes
Courtesy Ivone Artuz-Melendez
Arroz con Pollo
Serves 6
2 pounds parboiled rice
2-3 chicken breasts
2-3 chicken thighs
A handful of Spanish olives
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
1 small onion, chopped
1 small green pepper, chopped
4 cloves garlic
1 bunch cilantro
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon coriander
Roasted peppers
Dice onion, pepper and garlic; chop cilantro; and grind salt, pepper, paprika, cumin and coriander in a mortar and pestle. Stir-fry everything in olive oil. Add tomato sauce and olives and simmer. Cover for one to two minutes to marry ingredients. Add diced chicken until tender/firmly cooked; add rice and cover with water to cover by 1-2 inches. Increase heat and boil until almost dry, then cover. Lower flame and cook until rice is tender. Do not uncover pot for 20 minutes before checking the first time, then check rice every 10-15 minutes until the rice grains are thoroughly tender. Garnish with roasted peppers and cilantro.
Fried Plaintains
2-3 green plantains
Enough canola oil to cover pan 2 1/2 to 3 inches deep
Garlic, salt and olive oil to taste
Cut plantains lengthwise, peel skin (set aside), and cut the plantains into thick, round slices. Heat oil to 375 degrees. Drop plantain slices into heated oil and cook until partly tender. Remove from pan. Using the plantain skins, two cutting boards or a plátano press, press plantains into a flat disc shape, then re-fry until golden brown and crispy. Crush garlic cloves in a mortar and pestle with salt. Remove mixture and add olive oil. Place mixture into a dipping bowl and serve on top of fried plantains while hot. Salt to taste.
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