AARP Hawaii and Windward Community College’s Uala Leaf Cafe are hosting a series of free “Fast, Healthy and Ono” cooking events online.
The webinars will teach busy people on a budget a variety of cooking techniques to prepare simple, healthy and tasty dishes in 30 minutes or less. Participants who register will receive recipes ahead of time, so they can cook along with Chef and Instructor Daniel Swift. Each recipe features inexpensive, common ingredients.
Swift will teach techniques ranging from steaming a complete meal in rice cooker to creating gourmet meals from frozen ingredients to creating the perfect, healthy poke. Sessions will take place at 5 p.m. on Fridays starting this week and continuing through Oct. 9.
“I wish someone had given me this opportunity about 20 years ago,” said Jackie Boland, AARP Hawaii community outreach director. “It’s such a great piece of knowledge to be able to add to your personal tool chest. In addition to AARP members, this series is helpful for working parents who race home from work to cook dinner and for students learning to cook on a budget.”
The six webinars are “The Art of Steaming” on Friday; “Perfect Poke” on Sept. 11; “Braising — From Tough to Tender” on Sept. 18; “Great Whole Grains” on Sept. 25; “From Frozen to Fabulous” on Oct. 2; and lastly, “Signature Shortbread” on Oct. 9.
Friday’s webinar will cover steaming, one of the most overlooked and healthy cooking methods. It allows us to savor the natural flavors of our foods and enjoy them without the unnecessary addition of fats. In this demonstration, viewers will learn how to use a rice cooker to make a complete meal in addition to their favorite rice.
Swift has worked in the restaurant business since 1985. He is a graduate of both the Boise State University Culinary Arts Program and the Wales University’s Baking and Pastry Arts program in Providence, Rhode Island. He received his master’s degree in educational foundations from the University of Hawaii at Manoa in 2005 and has taught culinary, baking and pastry and hospitality courses for the last 19 years at many institutions. He earned his doctorate degree in organizational leadership from the University of Laverne in California in 2017 and is a Certified Master Baker with the Retail Bakers of America and holds certifications with the American Culinary Federation as a Certified Executive Chef, Certified Executive Pastry Chef, and Certified Culinary Administrator.
He currently is the workforce development coordinator at Windward Community College, focusing on the areas of Hospitality and Food and Beverage education.
The webinars are free and will be simulcast on the AARP Hawaii Facebook page. To take part in the Zoom webinars, attendees must pre-register at https://aarp.cvent.com/cook2020. AARP membership is not required to participate.