KVCC Community Culinary and Nutrition

03/13/2025

High School Students attending Kalamazoo or Comstock High Schools are eligible to participate in our upcoming culinary program, Teen Battle Chef! This 8 week in person class, held on Wednesdays between April 9th and May 28th from 4-6 pm is free to attend but requires your full commitment to complete all 8 sessions. To be considered for the 12 openings, please apply today!

Are you a High School Student enrolled in either Comstock Public Schools or Kalamazoo Public Schools? Would you like to learn knife skills like Bobby Flay? Want to step into a commercial kitchen and see what it takes to live out your Top Chef dreams? Do you enjoy cooking and being a part of a team?....

03/11/2025

Please consider joining us on a Saturday in April at the Culinary and Allied Health Campus to experience and learn more about coffee. For more information on each session or to register, visit https://www.campusce.net/kvcccommunity/course/course.aspx?catId=35.

01/28/2025

Thanks to Brewers Brian Lindberg and Jeff Harms and Chef Aaron Cooper for leading the Introduction to Sensory Evaluation-German Ales and Food Pairing class!!

01/20/2025

Are you a MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENT enrolled at Kalamazoo Public Schools or Comstock Public Schools that is interested in cooking and health? Join us for The Learning Kitchen, a FREE virtual cooking program! The Learning Kitchen teaches students how to cook nutritious low-cost meals, create healthy nutrition habits, and to have fun while cooking. The program is virtual via Zoom and is taught by a Dietitian and facilitated by a Chef.

*****BONUS: This program includes weekly free groceries (available for pick up at Kalamazoo Valley) for each registered student to cook along during class.

IN ORDER TO PARTICIPATE IN THE PROGRAM, THE STUDENT MUST ATTEND A MINIMUM OF 5 (of 6) WEEKLY CLASSES. The program begins on February 6th and ends on March 13th, 2025. Two sections will be offered. You may register for one of the two sections (4:30-5:30pm OR 6:00-7:00pm).

Registration is required. REGISTER HERE: https://bit.ly/KVCC_CCN

This program is funded in whole or in part by the USDA’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education through the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and the Michigan Fitness Foundation. This Institution is an equal opportunity provider.

11/21/2024

Today we had the opportunity to collaborate with the Kalamazoo Valley Nursing program to deliver a culinary medicine lab for future nurses! Students learned about diet-related chronic disease, equity-related factors to consider, and simple tips to be confident at-home cooks. Students prepared their own vinaigrettes and enjoyed a whole-food, plant-based nourish bowl. PHARM to TABLE, this class is embedded into their Pharmacotheraputics course led by Faculty member Jill LaPenna RN, BA, MSN PG Cert HH! Kalamazoo Valley Community College creates innovative and equitable opportunities that empower all to learn, grow and thrive.

11/07/2024

Tonight Chef Noel is leading a hands-on knife skills class featuring seasonal produce! Students will take home their chopped veggies, ready to prepare a delicious stir fry.

11/05/2024

This Thursday, November 7th, Chef Noel will be offering a Knife Skills class exploring seasonal vegetables! There are a few spots still open! Register TODAY: https://bit.ly/KVCC_CCN

In this class you will be encouraged to practice your knife skills in a safe and supportive environment, and will take home the ingredients you chop up - ready to prepare a stir fry with recipe included.

Thanks to funding from the Kalamazoo Foundation for Excellence, a full scholarship is available to residents of the following Kalamazoo neighborhoods: Vine, Edison, Oakwood, Eastside and Northside. If you live in one of these neighborhoods, and are interested in attending this class, please contact [email protected] for a discount code that will waive the tuition cost.

10/30/2024

Yesterday we delivered a class on Easy Rotisserie Chicken Meals at the Portage Zhang Senior Center. Chef Leena Mergen led this engaging 90-minute session where she guided students through simple, quick, and efficient meals prepared with a rotisserie chicken. From variations on chicken salad to lemon pepper pasta, students learned her pro tips on saving money, saving time, and leveraging whole products to reduce waste.

10/26/2024

Join us today at the Kalamazoo Farmer’s Market! BONUS: Do you use SNAP/EBT? Our farm partner, Long Valley Farm, offers a weekly SNAP CSA. For $5.00 you can pick 5 items! A terrific value!

Long Valley Farm is a small family-owned vegetable farm that offers high quality, naturally-grown produce without the use of chemicals or pesticides. In addition to building strong community ties, they are committed to providing safe, healthy, and delicious food, regardless of income. Long Valley Farm harvests CSA shares on or just before pick up day so that their freshest produce reaches tables as soon as possible. CSA members can expect at least five items in each weekly share, along with links to recipes and other helpful resources.

CSA Pick Up Hours: Opened June to October from 7:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., Saturdays

Join: To join this CSA, call or email Kelly at (269) 903-7706 or [email protected]

Online: Website – long-valley-farm.square.site
Facebook: Long Valley Farm

09/28/2024

Do you use SNAP/EBT? Join us today at the Kalamazoo Farmer’s Market! Our farm partner, Long Valley Farm, offers a weekly SNAP CSA. For $5.00 you can pick 5 items! A terrific value!

Long Valley Farm is a small family-owned vegetable farm that offers high quality, naturally-grown produce without the use of chemicals or pesticides. In addition to building strong community ties, they are committed to providing safe, healthy, and delicious food, regardless of income. Long Valley Farm harvests CSA shares on or just before pick up day so that their freshest produce reaches tables as soon as possible. CSA members can expect at least five items in each weekly share, along with links to recipes and other helpful resources.

CSA Pick Up Hours: Opened June to October from 7:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., Saturdays

Join: To join this CSA, call or email Kelly at (269) 903-7706 or [email protected]

Online: Website – long-valley-farm.square.site
Facebook: Long Valley Farm

09/17/2024

Tonight Chef Noel is featuring lettuces in his Seasonal Produce Session! Students will be sampling from 9 varieties of lettuces, as well as enjoy lettuce prepared braised with aged soy and mushrooms. They will also receive bundles of lettuces grown at Kalamazoo Valley’s Food Innovation Center, provided by ValleyHUB KVCC!

08/13/2024

Chef Noel is preparing Slow Roasted Tomato with Spice Braised Chickpeas (Chana Masala) in tonights session, Seasonal Produce Feature: Tomatoes!

Next months session will highlight lettuces. Spots are still available! Register now and we’ll see you next month: https://bit.ly/KVCC_CCN

08/10/2024

Today we welcomed youth from across the state of Michigan to participate in Introduction to Culinary Careers, a session delivered in partnership with the Bureau of Services for Blind Persons. Students explored post-secondary opportunities by experiencing Kalamazoo Valley Community College’s Healthy Living Campus while attending Workplace Readiness Training at the BSBP Training Center!

07/16/2024

Chef Noel is sharing his expertise, and his cucumber gazpacho, in tonight’s seasonal produce session! Fun fact from Chef: in India cucumbers are prepared hot with onions, spices, tomatoes and curry leaves.

05/14/2024

Tonight’s Seasonal Produce Session features asparagus! Chef Noel, Leena and Bailey are serving Asparagus Salad with Almond & Tomato Vinaigrette, Roasted, Chilled and Shaved.

At only $10.00/class these sessions are affordable, informative and fun! Registration is open for next month’s session featuring Strawberries. Hope to see you there! Register at: https://bit.ly/KVCC_CCN

05/09/2024

NEW PROGRAM ALERT!

Are you a High School Student enrolled in either Comstock Public Schools or Kalamazoo Public Schools? Would you like to learn knife skills like Bobby Flay? Want to step into a commercial kitchen and see what it takes to live out your Top Chef dreams? Do you enjoy cooking and being a part of a team? If you answered 'yes' to any of these questions, apply to be selected for TEEN BATTLE CHEF. In this FREE program teens in 9-12th grades will work in teams to 'battle' their peers in weekly challenges - preparing delicious dishes to enjoy.

TEEN BATTLE CHEF is a FREE 8-week program. Applicants will need to commit to attending each of the 8 sessions. Sessions are in-person each Wednesday at Kalamazoo Valley's Culinary & Allied Health Building (418 E. Walnut Street, Kalamazoo, MI 49007).

TEEN BATTLE CHEF is made possible by Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education (SNAP-Ed) funding through the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and the Michigan Fitness Foundation.

Session Dates:

June 12th | 3:00-5:00pm
June 19th | 3:00-5:00pm
June 26th | 3:00-5:00pm
NO CLASS WEEK OF JULY 4th
July 10th | 3:00-5:00pm
July 17th | 3:00-5:00pm
July 24th | 3:00-5:00pm
July 30th | 3:00-5:00pm
August 7th | 3:00-5:00pm *FINAL Battle Celebration

*Many students have expressed interest, but there are only 12 spots available for this 8-week class.

APPLY NOW: https://forms.gle/5BR3otdMRMB7wXj99