Elective Courses for Enthusiasts

We offer a variety of 1-credit courses that are open to the community and all UAA students, staff, and faculty. Our courses are fun, engaging, and hands-on. All equipment and products are provided for students enrolled in these courses.  Scroll down for all of our upcoming course offerings.

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West African-Influenced Cuisine: Gambia, the Caribbean, and the American South - 76373   - CA A490 

Class Schedule: Saturdays -- Sept 5, 12 & 19 -- 10:00am - 4:00pm

Join Fatoumata Faye, a Culinary Arts alumna, as she demonstrates the influence of Western African cuisine on the Caribbean and the American south. This is a hands-on class that will introduce you to exciting new flavors and techniques.

 

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*New* Intro to Malaysian Cuisine - 76329 - CA A490 

Class Schedule: Sept 25 - 26 & Oct 2 - 3 -- Fridays 5:00pm - 8:00 pm, Saturdays 10:00am-4:00pm

Welcome to Introduction to Malaysian Cuisine! In this class, we’ll explore the vibrant flavors that make Malaysia’s food culture so unique - a delicious blend of Malay, Chinese, Indian, and Indigenous influences. You’ll learn about key ingredients like lemongrass, coconut milk, and sambal, and how regional diversity shapes everything from street food to festive dishes. Join Chef Riza Brown as she shares everything she learned on her month-long trip to Malaysia.

 

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*New* The Basics of Butchery - 76330 - CA A490 

Class Schedule: Saturdays -- Oct 10, 17, & 24 -- 9:00am - 3:00pm

Gain hands-on experience in the essential art of meat fabrication. Focus is placed on proper knife handling and efficient cutting patterns to maximize yield and minimize waste from every primal and covers the foundational principles of breaking down beef, pork, and lamb

  

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*New* Culinary Resilience - 76372 - CA A490 

Class Schedule: Mondays -- Oct 5, 12, & 19 -- 1:00pm - 7:00pm

High Value Gastronomy for Low Income Reality: This is a hands-on course dedicated to the high-quality preparation of low-cost ingredients. Chef Travis Haugen (chef and co-owner at Southside Bistro) will teach students how to maintain culinary excellence when the pantry is bare. The class will cover the value of shelf stable ingredients, complete "utilization of product,” efficiency in time and energy, and other tips and tricks to making a feast out of a fraction. Learn why the best meals are often those born of necessity.

 

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*New* Vinegar Making - 75113 - CA A490 

Class Schedule: Mondays -- Oct 19, Nov 2, & Nov 16 -- 9:00am - 3:00pm

Join Chef Lukas Doherty in a class focused on preparing delicious vinegars. We will harvest fruit on campus to use for our vinegars, and students will participate in processing fruits and vegetables, fermenting with yeast, and oxidizing this liquid to produce an acid. We will also prepare a fresh-flavored unfermented vinegar. Once we prepare these liquids we will filter and bottle them, sending home some of the creations with the students.

  

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Holiday Baking 2 - 75108 - CA A490 

Class Schedule: Nov 6, 7, 13 & 14 -- Fridays 5:00pm - 8:30 pm, Saturdays 10:00am-4:00pm 

In this lab, students will create all the necessities for the holiday baking season. Multiple variations of recipes and techniques are covered to prepare students to recreate delicacies at home, just in time for the holidays.

 

• Previous Offerings

  Charcuterie and Salumi 

  In this class students will learn advanced French and Italian techniques in the preparation of fermented sausages, dry curing, and smoked meats.  

  CannaBasics2 

  CannaBasics 2 is an educational hands-on class that builds upon the foundation of its predecessor, CannaBasics, to provide students with comprehensive knowledge and practical skills for cooking with cannabis safely and within legal boundaries. This course delves deeper into the art of cannabis-infused cuisine, covering essential topics such as dosage control, strain selection, decarboxylation, and extraction methods. With a focus on responsible consumption and compliance with local regulations, CannaBasics 2 equips students with the expertise needed to create delicious, cannabis-infused dishes while prioritizing safety and legality. *You must be 21 to register. There will be no handling or consumption of cannabis in this class. We will work theoretically with approved substitutions in recipes.*

  Food Preservation  

  An introduction to preserving foods at home using pressure canning, boiling water bath, fermenting, and dehydrating methods. In this lab, students will make and take home the product of varied preservation techniques, including canned soup, dried pasta, pickles, cultured dairy, jams, dehydrated produce, and fermented foods and beverages.

  From Grain to Glass

  Join brewer/owner Ted Rosenzweig of Turnagain Brewing for an introduction to beer brewing, beer science, and the range of beer styles. Together, we will brew a batch of beer, sample some classic beers, and taste our creations expertly paired with delicious bites. *Must be 21 years or older to register. Proof of age will be required.

  Butchery 101: Beef

  Experienced butcher and beef expert, Chris Miller, will guide you through the world of beef butchery through demonstrations, and hands-on learning. Learn how to fabricate primal cuts into secondary cuts and explore the process of hanging and dry aging.

  Modernist Cuisine 

  Over three sessions we will dive into the world of modernist cuisine. We will prepare gels, foams, glue meats, aerate, compress and cook sous vide. This is a great opportunity for anyone with an understanding of food and cooking to expand the realm of possibility, or an opportunity for novice cooks to have fun and explore. We will eat our preparations.

Community Culinary Courses - Fall 2026 

Join Chef Lukas for one of your great Community Culinary Courses 

 Register Here! 

Location: Lucy Cuddy Hall/Skills Development Kitchen

Instructor: Chef Lukas Doherty

Question/Contact Email: Ltdoherty@alaska.edu

Thank you for a wonderful evening under the stars!

It was our honor and privilege to work with Celebrity Chef Mandy Dixon of Tutka Bay Lodge 

for our 31st Annual Celebrity Chef Invitational. We truly appreciate the generosity of our donors and local industry

supporters who made this amazing event possible.

Stay tuned for CCI 2027 details!

If you were unable to join us, you can still support UAA Culinary Arts students.

Every donation helps our students reach their goals! 

 Give Now!

Contact Chef Kellie Puff at kjpuff@alaska.edu with questions.

2026 Summer Culinary & Baking Boot Camps For Youth

Another great season of Summer Boot Camps for Youth has come and gone.

Check back for updates on the 2027 line up next spring!

Please contact Sam Wagner at 907-786-1165 or sjwagner@alaska.edu with any questions or if you'd like to be added to our contact list for future camp communications.