Holiday Gift Class - Food and Health Communications

Carolyn Richel, Cornell Cooperative Extension, writes, “The most successful holiday class we’ve ever done is called ‘Gifts from the Kitchen.’

It involves filling mason jars with layers of dry ingredients to enable gift receivers to make cakes, brownies, cookies, soups, etc. by adding the soft or liquid ingredients.” Carolyn always provides a mini cookbook that includes all the class projects plus others. Decorating the jars is also a part of the class.

The other thing she does is to offer a class to diabetes groups teaching recipes and skills on preparing low-fat, low-salt, more healthful favorite holiday foods. Again they provide a cookbook for each class member.

Judy Doherty

Judy’s passion for cooking began with helping her grandmother make raisin oatmeal for breakfast. From there she earned her first food service job at 15, was accepted to the world-famous Culinary Institute of America at 18 (where she graduated second in her class), and went on to the Fachschule Richemont in Switzerland where she focused on pastry arts and baking. After a decade in food service for Hyatt Hotels, Judy launched Food and Health Communications to focus on flavor and health. She graduated with Summa Cum Laude distinction from Johnson and Wales University with a BS in Culinary Art, holds a master’s degree in Food Business from the Culinary Institute of America, 2 art certificates from UC Berkeley Extension, and runs a food photography studio where her love is creating fun recipes.

Judy received The Culinary Institute of America’s Pro Chef II certification, the American Culinary Federation Bronze Medal, Gold Medal, and ACF Chef of the Year. Her enthusiasm for eating nutritiously and deliciously leads her to constantly innovate and use the latest in nutritional science and Dietary Guidelines to guide her creativity, from putting new twists on fajitas to adapting Italian brownies to include ingredients like toasted nuts and cooked honey. Judy’s publishing company, Food and Health Communications, is dedicated to her vision that everyone can make food that tastes as good as it is for you.