Cooking Demos will Feature Local Ingredients and Trip to Market

Join the City of Redlands Development Services and Quality of Life departments in the month of July for cooking demonstrations with professional chefs that make use of fresh and delicious local ingredients followed by a trip to the local Saturday Morning Certified Farmers’ Market. The City of Redlands Economic Development Downtown Division was recently awarded a USDA Farmers’ Market Promotion Program grant aimed at funding its Growing the Redlands Farmers’ Market Project. Through this grant the city is working towards expanding the Farmers’ Markets through advertising and promotions, cooking demonstrations, community nutrition awareness and education activities, and the acceptance of SNAP/EBT/CalFresh at both City-sponsored farmers’ markets. The Recreation and Senior Services Division is assisting this effort by providing the venue and promoting the benefits of locally grown food to seniors. Cooking demonstrations will begin at 8:45 and 9:45 a.m. on Saturday, July 11, with Chef Ryan Olufson from Crumbs Cooking Classes and on Saturday, July 25, with Chef Marc Powers from Bon Appetit, food service contractor for the University of Redlands. Food samples will be provided following each demonstration. From 7:30 to 8:30 a.m., a City shuttle will pick up senior citizens from their homes and bring them to the Community Center. Following the cooking demonstrations, the shuttle will transport senior citizens to the Farmers’ Market where they can buy locally grown ingredients used in the cooking demonstrations. A limited number of gift cards provided by the Department of Adult and Aging Services will be provided to use at the market. Shuttles will depart the Community Senior Center at 9, 9:30 and 10:30 a.m. The last shuttle will return to the center at 11 a.m. before taking passengers back to their homes. Shuttle service is for Redlands residents only. All seniors interested in the shuttle service must call 909-798-7572 for reservations as seating is limited. Additional cooking demonstrations are being planned for the fall. The Redlands Community Senior Center is located at 111 W. Lugonia Ave. For more information, contact center at 909-798-7579.