Has anyone ever participated in a cooking club?

What a great idea. It sounds like it could be alot of fun. I've never been in one per se...but I was thinking of creating one. If I did, these are some ideas I would have...hosting monthly events. But first...here are the main rules are:

-Have fun eating and learning about different cultures, different methods of cooking, different food types...etc.

-Bring enough food for everyone in the group to sample

-They can write a few lines about their dish: Origin, variations, the stories behind them..

-They can print out copies of their recipes (if they want to share them) However, this would be optional.

-"Signature Dish" night: What dish are you best known for?

Example: My mom's pork roast is her claim to fame. My cousin's Creamed Corn is legendary. My Rosemary/Garlic Roasted Red Potatoes have people calling me for the recipe.

-"My family tree" night: What dish has been passed around for generations or has special significance in your family?

Example: My grandfather used to make these wonderful waffles for us. He would make stacks and stacks all around his kitchen. They were golden and delicious.

-"Where are you from" night: What dish is your home State (Regional) or Country of Origin famous for?

Example: I'm from Texas and a really slow cooked (True BBQ) brisket is a rarity around most parts of the US.

-"The Iron Chef" night: Based on the original Japanese show and now on Food Network...pick a "secret ingredient" and see what your group members make from it. Everyone's a winner!

-"Field Trips"-Local produce stands, local farms, restaurant (behind the scenes tour)...examine the Slow Food movement-The use of sustainable local produce...from field to table.

-"Cooking instruction"- Have a group cooking classes. Picking a specific food type: make tamales, raviolis, pasta, jam & even try making cheese...together. Bake cookies & bread

Have fun and good luck in your cooking group!

I live in a very small town, and we have a cooking group here. They meet every other saturday from 10am-12pm (durations vary depending on the dishes being prepared). Each class is run by a group member (in our group, running a class is an optional part of participation). To encourage everyone to participate, and because the group is a relatively new addition to our community, we encourage those who run a class to use recipes that they are familiar/proud of, recipes that are good money savers, dishes are culturally significant, or things that are just fun to prepare! We felt that choosing a specific region to cook from for each class could prove to be somewhat daunting. We felt that in our group, we would focus on sharing the preexisting knowledge of the people within our group, as opposed to going the experimentation route (although BOTH are great!). It'll probably be pretty easy to figure out which route you want to go with your club, once you guys meet for the first time. : )

Hope this helps. Good luck with the club, it's such a good idea!!!!

i have heard of something similar where people (2 or more families) help pitch in and go to Sam's or Costco to save money. The split the cost since things are cheaper in bulk, and you can pre-make meals, freeze them until ready to cook. you can do anything, though. You can get together with other families and just bake, or have a recipe exchange. You can put as least or most amount of effort into it as you want.

Your grades are great, and what haven't you participated in??? Don't stress yourself out -- you have achieved so much already! And if you don't get accepted, it was not meant to be and you will have greater opportunities. Best of luck, and keep up the good work!

No, but that sound like it would be a lot of fun.