UPDATES: Both stores closed May 1st 
A Japanese American friend of mine once said not to order fried rice at a restaurant because “it’s made from all the leftover ingredients.” Whether leftover or not, fried rice and stir fry veggies are great kitchen “tricks” to create quick, nutritious, yummy meals with whatever is in the kitchen. What separates it from feeling like a leftover versus freshly cooked meal is some small techniques, or “secrets.” Are you ready to learn those secrets? Come on down! We will have both vegetarian and non-vegetarian options. (p.s. I LOVE leftover meals, too!)
Megumi is a life-long foodie, try-and-error bread baker, casual fermenter, beginner forager, intuitive cook, stubborn gardener, and more than anything else, a global food justice educator with firm commitment in local food. A proud city-kid, she grew up in Tokyo and moved to the US some 40 + years ago. She lived in Florida; Freiburg, Germany; Washington DC; Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; back in Tokyo; Seattle; and a very rural area of Colorado for study and work. Finally almost 8 years ago she found Olympia home and started to grow roots. Her food is sprinkled with global nomad flavors.
Formerly an Olympia Food Co-op staff, she then briefly worked at GRuB. At the present time, she designs and facilitates food education courses, such as Embracing LOVE in the Food System and Building Your REGENERATIVE Food Network. Her cooking-centered classes, Cooking with Attitude, are a space to explore how we can take our food system back into our hands as much as an opportunity to cook something tasty together. For more info, visit Everyone’s Food Sovereignty Alliance website: https://www.foodsovereignty4everyone.org
Our Co-op Community Classes program has a long and exciting history; we've had a plethora of learning partners over the years, the Free School, GRUB, the Fertile Ground, and more. Many of our classes focus on basic kitchen skills, often paired with a solid education in a particular kind of food: hearty greens, fermented foods, international delicacies, pies, etc. We also feature classes on gardening, personal health, sustainable living, and social justice. Classes are geared towards beginners, with no assumption of prior knowledge, often packed with specific projects appealing to those with more experience.
At the heart of all of our programming is the spirit of generosity. Our classes are led by Olympia Food Co-op working members, staff and community members who want to share their excitement and knowledge with you. Consider sharing your expertise with your community through a Co-op Community Class. Our classrooms are a place to experiment, to explore, and to try something new in a supportive environment. They are a great place to network and meet others in your community who share your interests.
