European cooking classes now offered

The Center for European Studies at the University of Florida is now offering European cooking classes taking place at Take Away Gourmet, a shop in Gainesville that has classes, catering and meals to go.

There will be four $25 cooking classes offered in the fall, including Greece foods on Sept. 23, Poland Sept. 30, Slovakia Oct. 14 and Italy on Oct. 21. Lemon chicken, Slovak apple strudel, leek and ricotta pie are just some of the several foods students will be cooking up over the course of the classes.

A maximum of eight students will be allowed for each cooking class. Each student that comes to a class will receive the ingredients, a prepared appetizer, the final meal to eat and a copy of the cookbook used for instruction.

The Center for European Studies, celebrating its fifth anniversary, produced a cookbook of European recipes called “A Taste of Europe,” which includes 56 recipes from 32 countries gathered from people somehow connected to UF, whether faculty, students or staff. Contributors included their favorite recipes from any European country with background information about its “cultural, social or personal significance,” according to CES's website.

CES is one of 10 federal funded Title VI National Resource Centers for Europe. It helps fund new Europe-related courses and academic programs at UF and tries to increase awareness of European cultures with a variety of outreach activities.

Darleen Randall, head chef at Take Away Gourmet, started her business a year ago, and calls her food "upscale comfort food." The shop offers food pre-made from scratch or raw products with ingredients and instructions so buyers can make it themselves at home.

Randall said cooking has always been a big part of her life, even when she had a corporate office job for 13 years. After being laid off from the job, she was forced to think about the next phase of her life and decide what she wanted to do to make her feel balanced.

"I found it with beaters in my hand," Randall said.

Randall had frequent parties where she made large amounts of food for her friends, and when people came to her and told her their favorites, she used those same recipes to make at her shop. Barbecue ribs, black bean and corn salsa, cheesecake, Cajun shrimp casserole, chicken parmesan with spaghetti, vegetarian chili and fudge topped brownies are just a few of the many eclectic foods offered on the menu.

Randall said it's been a lot of fun growing her business, and she’s glad she ended up doing it.

"It's challenging, but I don't regret it," she said.

Take Away Gourmet offers several more cooking classes, including Indian cooking, which takes place Sept. 20, Oct. 4, 16 and 25, spice blending and a series of Cooking 101 classes, which cover equipment, terminology, cooking tips, and several different recipes to try.

Most classes are $30 and beginner to intermediate level, and private parties for couples or groups can be booked as well. In the past, the shop has held cooking classes for girl scouts, sororities and more. Requests are always welcome.

In the European cooking classes, Randall will be cooking along with Lia Merivaki, Chris and Dorota Caes, Zuzana Vatralova and Georgia Bianchi, all a part of CES. Randall said many times she has chefs cook beside her to give the customers some culture and history.

Randall’s cooking classes are interactive. Using all of the senses when cooking is important, she said.

"The more senses you experience, the more you're going to remember," Randall said.

For more information about CES or the European cooking classes, call 352-392-8902. For information about Take Away Gourmet, call the shop at 352-374-4433 or e-mail info@takeawaygourmet4u.com.