Vicky is passionate about local produce, eating your veggies, fueling your body, and— tasty food. She’s using her passions and skills to teach you a class packed with salad recipes, produce tips, nutrition information, and how-to for homemade dressings that’s better than the restaurants’. This time of year we start to see a bounty of fresh greens, berries, the first of the cucumbers and more. Get inspired to participate in the local season and add some summer salads to your meal routine!

Demonstration style class with Vicky. You’ll leave with recipes and dressing.

Join the very knowledgeable Andrew Appel as he walks you through a series of familiar wines backdropped against some unfamiliar wines, all with their own unique tasting notes . During class you will sip similar wines at similar price points and learn about which you prefer and why. The goal is to make you a more educated buyer and allow you to try some alternative wines that are less know (but sometimes even better) than the guys with the big name.

Wine class with Andrew Appel. Small snacks served.

— CLASS IS FULL— Croissants, no matter how you pronounce it, are one of the world’s most beloved pastries. However, they have a reputation for being difficult. Carefully layered butter, temperature, the physical rolling of dough and proper yeast proofing are all key components to a successful croissant. While they can be challenging, JT is here to take you through the process and prove it can be done. There’s nothing quite like the smell and taste of a croissant you just pulled from the oven…

Active participant class with JT Mills. You’ll leave with croissants.

— CLASS IS SOLD OUT — What’s better than unwinding the week with some baking on a Friday night? Baking on a Friday night In the Kitchen with your friends while you sample some French wines, duh. We’re excited to offer this class to baking aficionados aged 21+. Mo from Kirkwood Sweet Shop will teach you everything you need to know about making classic macarons at home, and you’ll get to try your hand at it too. Macaroons, being an essential French pastry with a variety of flavors and a one-of-a-kind texture, are the perfect pairing for some lovely little French wines. We invite you to come gather, learn, and taste with us.

Hands on baking class with Mo Chase. You eat macarons in class. Complimentary glass of wine included with registration, and an additional wine menu will be available.

Pesto is versatile, bright and keeps frozen all season long. It’s a fabulous way to use up your garden basil or to sneak in extra veggies for the kids. This hands-on class will explain the basics of pesto including origins, iterations and ratios. You’ll get a chance to see different emulsion methods like a mortar and pestle, blender and immersion blender. Ava will help you build your pesto recipe and you’ll take a batch home with you. If you can’t wait to eat, that’s okay because we’ll be boiling up some pasta and trying all our sauces in class too.

Hands on class with Ava. You leave with pesto!

— CLASS IS SOLD OUT— Chef Erika Yochum is back for another afternoon of baking. Today we will focus on an Asian flatbread/roll called bing bread, as well as traditional American style biscuits, and to top it off— compound butter technique and variations. It should be a fun two hours of baking practice and instruction!

Active participant with Chef Erika Yochum. You leave with Bing bread, biscuits and butter, and you’ll eat some during class!

— THIS EVENT IS SOLD OUT — Everyone had a blast at our French Reds tasting and our New VS Old World class, so we’d like to offer Bloomington a Spanish Tapas Night. Tapas is a Spanish term for savory small plates often served during happy hour. In true Spanish fashion, they often feature seafood, fresh herbs, olives, spices and pair well with Spanish wines like Godello, Rijoa, Alvarhino, Garnachas and Bobals. We personally recommend considering this your evening meal.

ALL INCLUSIVE FOOD & WINE EVENT In the Kitchen. Come taste and socialize!

Baking Swiss rolls can be challenging, but Jailyn is here to help! Best served chilled and made of delicately rolled spongey cake and deliciously sweet cream fillings, Swiss rolls are perfect warm weather treats. Jailyn will walk you through the entire recipe and help you design your own filling with whatever flavor combination you’d like.

Active participant class with Jailyn from Bloomington’s beloved Crumble Coffee and Bakery. You leave with your Swiss roll. CURRENTLY ON A BOGO FREE SALE. AFTER YOU REGISTER FOR ONE SPOT, EMAIL TASTEONTHESQUARE@GMAIL.COM TO REDEEM YOUR SECOND FREE SPOT.

We love a good pasta, and we also love a good date night activity. May we present: Gnocchi hands-on class with Elli Hill from Mother Hubbards Cupboard. We welcome anyone to this hands-on class— single, partnered, expereicned in pasta, new cooks; it doesn’t matter. Elli will teach how to make gnocchi start-to-finish, including the best sauces to top with.

Hands-on class with Elli. You’ll eat pasta at the end of class!

Snacks. Hors d'oeuvres. Tapas. Antipasti. Whatever you want to call it— a tasty little something before a meal
(or even many eaten together and called a meal) is one of those simple pleasures. Many of you who have attended wine tastings or private events In the Kitchen have asked for an appetizer class featuring recipes we serve. This is class is it! We’ll talk a bit about menu creation and balancing, and then jump to assembling and cooking many different appetizer style recipes.

Active participant style class with Ava. You’ll leave with lots of appetizers.

Ever wondered about the difference between boiling, simmering, steaming, poaching, blanching, braising and stewing? That’s a lot of words, we know. The underlying similarity between all of these cooking processes is the presence of water, in one form or another. A good home cook should know how to poach an egg, which vegetables are best for blanching, what a recipe means when it says “braised” etc, etc. Join us on this deep dive into the world of cooking with water!

Demonstration style class with Ava.

- THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CLOSED - Our third iteration of Bubbles and Bouquets is arriving right on time for the best of spring— tulips, snapdragons, cosmos, oh— and don’t forget Mother’s Day! During this brunch, Ava will serve classics like quiche, parfaits and fruit salad. While you’re snacking, Kelsy from Three Blondes Floral Co. will teach you everything you need to know about arranging a bouquet. Come join us!

Event with Ava Collins (In the Kitchen)and Kelsy Webber (Three Blondes Floral Co.) Your ticket price includes all food and all floral materials. You leave with your bouquet.

If you’ve been to any of Chef Dan’s classes, you know the drill— every element of design counts. Chef Dan leads detail-oriented classes that focus on taking your food to the next level, all while being resonably attainable in your home kitchen. Tonight he will discuss classic sauce preparations, including things like bechamel, veloute and more. These sauces are killer toppings to any cut of meat, braised cruciferous veggies and more.

Demonstration style class with Chef Dan Thomas of The Elm. Some hands-on activity will be offered.

Chelsi Tangman of Bloomington’s very own The Bishop Bar is dropping in to help you refresh your mocktail game. A new season is here, and it’s time to lean into berry, floral and herbal flavor profiles. Chelsi will teach you specific recipes, as well as skills like techniques for pairing flavors and textures, how to extract flavors from herbs, and tips for using barware equipment like shaker tins and muddlers. We’ll also taste test and discuss some new zero proof distilled beverages.

Demonstration style class with Chelsi. You’ll enjoy multiple mocktails during the span of class and leave with recipes. Not into mocktails? We’ll send ya home with spirit pairing suggestions and instructions.

Pizza Monkey, (@pizzamonkey4good) is a local husband-wife team who have turned their love of pizza and food into a way to give back to the Bloomington community. Since 2023, Rod and Juliana have been hosting once-a-month-or-so pop ups offering killer from-scratch pizzas. Every pizza “sold” is really just a donation to a local food-related non profit. How cool! This afternoon they are visiting the kitchen to teach you TWO VERY IMPORTANT THINGS— how to make pizza in your home oven and how to make pizza in an at-home pizza oven like Ooni, Gozney, or Solo Stoves. Rod will teach you dough recipes, explain hydration, talk toppings— all the good stuff. You’ll finish class by, yes, eating lots of pizza. You don’t want to miss this one.

Demonstration and active participant style class with Pizza Monkey. You eat pizza and leave with dough to bake up at home.

Join us for a tasting of eight delicate wines that pair with sunny spring weather, picnic-ready snacks & recipes, and good company galore. An evening of what we believe in the most— gathering, learning and tasting. Come for a date, come to learn about wine, come to get inspired for a picnic, come to mingle, come to taste. You’re invited In the Kitchen!

Wine tasting event hosted by Ava and Jason, our dear go-to wine aficionado. Doors open 6:30. We personally recommend considering this your evening meal.

—CLASS IS SOLD OUT— This condensed knife skills lesson is perfect for anyone looking to build good cutting habits and increase comfortability with chopping, mincing, dicing. We’ll discuss styles of knives and how/when to use them, different kinds of cuts such as julienne or dice, and knife care and maintenance. We’ll get plenty of practice in with a simple fruit salad recipe.

Active participant class with Ava. You leave with some fruit salad.

—CLASS IS SOLD OUT— Classy, creamy, tangy, sweet with a pop of fruit and overwhelmed with the buttery bite of from-scratch crust— now that’s a tart. These treats really aren’t that challenging, but Harmonie Benson, a Bloomington local who has studied pastries in France, is here to help you nail that filling and crust. In this class she will feature lemon creme and berry, as well as chocolate raspberry tarts, two flavors to serve all spring long. You’ll learn the entire process and leave with the confidence to make them again at home.

Hands on class with Harmonie Benson. You leave with tarts!

A classic Italian dish made with Arborio rice, stock, some wine and herbs, risotto packs flavor and texture without requiring much prep. It’s a versatile recipe that can use up whatever you’ve got in the fridge— add dairy for a creamy kick, try those almost-expired greens for nice color and earthiness, top off with baked protein, etc, etc. As you can see, it’s flexible, and as such, we will use this recipe as a way to teach:

• How to (safely) break away from strictly adhering to recipes

• Proper reduction and deglazing technique

• All about rice! Short grain, long grain, heirloom variations, sustainability

Demonstration and hands-on style class with Ava. You’ll get to eat risotto and work with others to build a flavor profile.

—CLASS IS FULL— Sourdough is cool and all, but the baking world is big and bold, with thousands of traditions as well as delicious, rebellious variations. The phenomenal chef behind B-town’s favorite pastry subscription, Sugar Hiccup, is hosting a class of multiple recipes and multiple skills In the Kitchen for all you baking fiends. Novices and advanced bakers alike can enjoy an afternoon of good company and even better treats. You’ll leave with everything you make.

Specific recipe information coming soon. You leave with a box of baked goods. Class instructed by Erika Yochum.

This tasty event is perfect for date night, or come solo and socialize with us over fabulous food. Tonight you will have an opportunity to build your own charcuterie board with a variety of cured meats and salamis, soft and hard cheeses, plus accompaniments like olives, pickled veggies, dips and crackers. If you’re not a charcuterie expert, don’t worry, your hostess will be around to answer questions, help with plating and share all about our premium ingredients. Come kick off the weekend with us!

Hands-on event with Ava. We personally recommend considering this your evening meal.

Spring has returned and patio brunch season is just around the corner. Whether it’s for Easter, Mother’s day, girl’s afternoon, whatever— a good quiche is the cornerstone of a lovely, expansive breakfast. The trick is developing a flaky crust that doesn’t soak up your egg mixture and turn soggy. Quiche lorraine is a famous French preparation with crispy bacon, but a veggie-forward blend with greens and herbs can be a crowd-pleasing delight. We’ll practice both! Come learn how to nail this staple recipe anytime at home.

Active participant style class with Ava. You’ll leave with your own quiche!

Sourdough bootcamp with Madeleine is back for the first time in 2026! This class will give you a run down on all the sourdough tips and tricks you’ll need to become a master baker. Madeleine’s sourdough recipe is baked in a steamy oven, yielding a delightfully tender crust. It’s perfect for mix-ins like chocolate or cheddar, and better yet, it’s probably one of the easiest sourdough recipes you’ll ever find. She will discuss sourdough do’s and don’ts with an emphasis on creating and nurturing starter. There’s nothing quite like fresh bread…

Unlike our frequent pre-sale tastings, this all-inclusive wine event is educationally focused and designed to engage all your senses. Andrew will lead you through an informative compare/contrast style tasting of “old” and “new” (if you don’t know what this means, it’s totally okay!) style wines. Your tastings will be paired with a variety of small appetizers. Come gather, taste and learn with us over good wine and good company this evening.

Looking for some St. Patrick’s day fun? This all ages event will teach you how to bake excellent sugar cookies, plus fun fruity twists to add to your recipe collection. We will decorate cookies of all spring shapes including dragonflies, frogs, clovers, flowers, bees and butterflies. Children under 4 years of age do not require a ticket, but they must be accompanied by an adult who has one. Come for fun or in search of a decorating challenge!

Active participant class with Mo Chase and Ava Collins. You leave with half a dozen cookies beautifully decorated by you!

The queen of freaky flavors and experimentation, Lou Barnhart, is spending this Sunday afternoon In the Kitchen to teach you a 101 course on fermentation processes. She’ll cover information like different fermentation methods, essential supplies, and fermentation chambers/maintaining the proper environment. She’ll sample several different kinds of fermented foods, and then help you begin your own sauerkraut!

Demonstration and active participant class with Lou Barnhart. You’ll sample some fermented items and go home with sauerkraut and lots of knowledge!