Rosewater Cooking & Science

I attended Rosie’s Soaking, Sprouting, Sourdough, & Fermented Beverages class. I loved it. Its greatest strength is its two-​part schedule of lecture and discussion about the concepts and principles behind the topic for the class, followed by hands-​on do-​it-​yourself opportunities to practice what you just learned.
I’ve been soaking and sprouting my seeds, grains, and legumes for years already. I considered myself well informed. Little did I know that some of my daily practices were counterproductive. Rosie set me straight! I walked away from this class with a much clearer understanding of both the nutritional aspects of this form of food preparation, but more importantly I left with very practical suggestions about what I could do differently for improved soaking and sprouting. In short I feel much more confident about many routine aspects of my food preparation.
I had always wanted to ferment beverages but never got around to it. The fermenting beverages part of this course jump-​started me on my way. I am having so much fun making kombucha, kefir, and whey probiotics at home. I’ve done several rounds with my new friend SCOBY – the kombucha starter – since the class. As soon as one batch is finished, I start the next one. Again, Rosie’s class emphasizes hands-​on step-​by-​step guidance, so I left that evening with four jars of fermenting beverages! In addition to this, I received a SCOBY and kefir grains too.
No more $ 3 bottles of kombucha at the store for me. It’s so easy to make it at home. In my case, the value I got from this class will pay for itself in just months of savings from not having to purchase some products at the store that I can now make at home.

My grandma used to take a slice of bread, put it on top of a jar of cucumbers in brine, leave it on the kitchen counter, and a few days later call it a jar of pickles. My cousins and I would arm-​wrestle for the honor of getting the last one (this was before the internet, people. We needed diversion). We didn’t care how a slice of bread could turn a jar of cucumbers into pickles, we just wanted to eat them.
Fast forward a few years and I’m standing in my bedroom closet checking on my own little science experiment: four jars of shredded veggies that I massaged with salt, destined to become sauerkraut. Oh, what delicious kraut they became! With apples and fennel; beets, carrots and radishes with ginger and turmeric. Crispy, tangy, spicy, complex flavors. Good on sandwiches, cheese and crackers… last night I mixed some of the apple-​fennel kraut into rice to go with some grilled steak and it was soooo good.
Thank you Rosie Ueng! My kitchen is alive in new and wonderous ways! I spent the last two Saturday evenings with Rosie learning how to leave food out on the kitchen counter. in a good way. Last week’s «Fermentation is Easy!» class covered how to make sauerkraut out of all manner of veggies, as well as how to make fermented dairy products like kefir, yogurt, cultured butter, and crème fraîche.
This week’s «Soaking, Sprouting, Sourdough, and Fermented Beverages» class was another introduction to making friends with cooties and then eating them. I never knew that you could make a delicious fizzy drink out of that stuff that leaks out of my plain yogurt! What about beets? Did you know that they can be coaxed into becoming a yummy drink? I didn’t. Do you know why soaking grains makes them healthier and easier to digest? I didn’t know either, but I do now (I’m not going to tell you! Take the class).
Right now, in my tiny little apartment kitchen, I have 5 bottles of fermenting drinks and a jar of not-​yet sourdough starter draped in kitchen towels on my counter. Yep, I have Strawberry Mint Whey Soda, Ginger Lemon Kombucha, Apple Water Kefir, Beet Rosemary Kvass, Ginger Bug (future ginger beer), and some rye flour gloop that should be a sourdough starter someday. This morning I added some jars of grains and legumes that soon will be sprouts.
My kitchen counter may never be the same again. Thanks again, Rosie :)

Rosie provides a unique combination of cooking instruction and food science insights. I came away a better cook and a more informed eater.

I was able to attend two classes in the «Nourishing Traditions Basics Cooking Series» that Rosie developed: «Soups and Stocks» and «Stews and Braising».
Rosie teaches and reinforces cooking methodology from proper safe knife skills to the science of nutrient extraction from bones when making stock.
Rosie is a patient and knowledgeable instructor (a degree in biochemistry and a Masters in nutrition).
Coming to the class with lots of experience preparing meals in a home setting, I learned a lot of better kitchen practices and more about creating nutrient dense meals.
The end of each class is a sit down to a sumptuous multi-​course meal that you had a hand in preparing.

I was only able to make the Soaking, Sprouting, and Fermentation class as I found out about the series late. I am eagerly awaiting for a repeat of the series so I can take all that I missed.
I loved the mix of science and ecology that Rosie infused in her classes. I am a bit of a geek and learned not only a great deal of the science behind cooking, but many many practical cooking techniques and recipes. From the one class alone that I attended, I have 7 different sprouting, soaking, and fermentation projects going on right now… And the results are all delicious!

I am a retired college educator and administrator and as such I recognize good teaching and the application of sound pedagogy in a classroom setting.
I attended a cooking class taught by ms Rosie Ueng in Berkeley California having travelled from San Diego to attend the fermentation class. From the onset I realized I was in the presence of a dedicated, expert and talented teacher. From the lecture portion on the importance of a salutary symbiotic and evolutionary relationship with begin bacteria serving as host with healthy results, to the hands on preparation of vegetables in jars to achieve slow fermentation I considered myself fortunate for the opportunity to learn so much in so little time. The image I will take back is so many happy students massaging so many vegetables and the resulting colors in red, green and yellow to name a few, as students prepared to take the results home with them for later consumption.
From what I gathered many of these students have signed on for the whole six class series such is their admiration of this charming, intelligent and pleasant young cooking talent.
I enthusiastically recommend this instructor to anyone who wants to learn from one of the rising stars in the culinary world with a strong dose of interesting and understandable nutriton science.
Do yourself a favor and take this class. You will meet interesting people and learn techniques that are readily applicable in your daily life.
Raymond Ramirez, Carlsbad CA.