Center for Healthy Lifestyle launches ‘Cook With Jason’ classes in Solana Beach, Encinitas

A new series of cooking classes and culinary experiences is available at the Center for a Healthy Lifestyle in Solana Beach and Encinitas.

Carlsbad-based Jason Roehm recently launched “Cook with Jason” (www.cookwithjason.com) and will be offering cooking demonstrations, traditional cooking classes, camps, corporate retreats and unique culinary experiences at both locations.

Roehm is kicking off the series of cooking classes with a “Farmer’s Market Foodventure” on Sundays at the Solana Beach center. A five-hour culinary experience, the Foodventure includes a farmers market tour, olive oil tasting, craft brew tour and tasting or wine tasting, and a hands-on cooking class that starts with dinner partly prepared by the group.

“I wanted to create a unique experience that focused on locally sourced ingredients from the region’s best farms while featuring high-quality products from those who call this area home,” said Roehm. “Within the Foodventure, we’ll pick up seasonal items like Squash Blossoms, head over to the Temecula Olive Oil Company to sample fresh-pressed oils and vinegars that will complement a dish, take a tour and taste craft brew at Culture Brewing Company or partake in wine tasting to select items that will pair nicely with dinner, and then head up to the Center for a Healthy Lifestyle for the cooking class.”

With diverse menus for the Foodventure such as Grilled Gaucho Tri-Tip With Chimichurri sauce, Shrimp Ceviche, Avocado Fries, Picante Three-Melon Salad and Creamy Caramel Flan, guests can expect to have fun along the way, but also learn how to improvise and tailor a meal based on what is seasonally fresh and available.

Each week, the menu will change and customize to feature the best of the farmers market’s offerings. The cost of the Farmer’s Market Foodventure is $125/person and class size is limited to 10. A percentage of proceeds from each class goes to the Boys and Girls Club of San Dieguito’s Center for a Healthy Lifestyle to support the farm-to-table cooking classes for disadvantaged youth.

Roehm will also be a cooking instructor for the Center for a Healthy Lifestyle summer camps for kids, including programming such as “Bar-B-Code and Surf & Turf,” which offers youth ages 10 to 14 the opportunity to learn how to code in Java and surf Big Data in the computer lab as well as learn how to locally source food from the on-site garden and prepare it in the CHL kitchen.

For information on camps, visit https://centerforahealthylifestyle.org/chlcamps/.

Visit www.cookwithjason.com for information including sample menus, class availability and to make reservations. Cooking demonstrations, traditional classes and special events starting at $35 will be added in the near future. To customize and arrange a special event for a small group, contact info@cookwithjason.com or Jessica Ellis at jellis@bgcsandieguito.org.