Passion for Spices Team™ Wishes You a Happy New Year

 
 

From our team at Passion for Spices™, we want to wish you a very happy, healthy, and prosperous new year. 2025 brought us together with many new students, chefs, and other partners that have helped our brand thrive, and we are looking forward to a year of even more growth and new opportunities ahead in 2026!

A Look Back on 2025

Our most exciting accomplishment from 2025 was celebrating the 15th anniversary of Passion for Spices™ in June! We gathered with family, friends, business partners, and community members at a special event to commemorate this momentous occasion, and it brought us immense joy to see so many of our supporters join us to help celebrate our success and growth over the years. We are thankful for everyone who continues to engage with our brand.

15th Anniversary Celebration
June 2025

We are grateful for all of the new and returning students who joined us in the kitchen in 2025. From weekly classes to corporate team building events, summer camp, and special events, it is our honor to share the joy of cooking with you. Food is powerful in its ability to not only physically sustain us, but boost our mental and emotional health as well. When we gather in the kitchen and around the table, we create connections, memories, and share stories, strengthening our connections with each other.

In 2025 we hosted birthday parties, anniversary celebrations, private family parties, corporate team building events, and many more special events in our kitchen, in addition to our themed weekly classes. We love hosting such memorable events and being able to share in your joy with you and your loved ones as you gather together in our kitchen. We look forward to many more special events in 2026! Here's a peek at some of our 2025 events.

Highlights from 2025 Classes with Award Winning Chef Kathleen Sanderson

Spice Up Your Spring at Hobart and William Smith Colleges
Spring 2025

Summer Camp
June/July 2025

Calvary Autumn Luncheon
October 2025

Holiday Celebrations
December 2025

What’s Ahead in 2026

Looking ahead to 2026, we are excited for the return of our popular Winter Season After School Cooking Program (on Tuesdays and Thursdays in January and February) and our summer camp, two of our favorite programs of the year. Working with young chefs through Passion for Spices™ is so rewarding, as we observe firsthand the benefits of teaching kids and teens these essential skills at a young age. Through these programs, we hope to encourage healthy habits and inspire a sense of curiosity and creativity in the kitchen that our students can carry with them throughout the rest of our lives.

In 2026 we are excited to continue to expand our cooking class offerings to include a wider variety of cuisines and other specialty classes and workshops, such as baking techniques. Click here to check out our calendar and see what we have coming up. We are proud to be a wellness ambassador for the community, showcasing local ingredients and sustainable cooking methods. Our cooking classes are fun and unique opportunities to spend time with family and friends, get out of the house for a fun date night, and also to meet new people who share a love of cooking!

Our corporate team building classes remain one of our main pillars and offerings here at Passion for Spices™. These events are wonderful opportunities for professionals to come and enjoy an exclusive culinary journey while bonding with colleagues outside of the office. Our trained chefs will provide an informative cooking class and help to build and inspire a strong foundation for a healthy lifestyle. Click here to learn more about our corporate team building events.

We are also thrilled for the launch of our culinary travel program in 2026, a unique opportunity for foodies and travelers alike to enrich their culinary education beyond our kitchen in Summit. Participants will be fully immersed in food and culture through cooking classes and demonstrations, market tours, winery visits, and more, in one of our chosen destinations abroad. We are excited to explore the Blue Zone and Finger Lakes cultures with students through this program. We hope to be able to share more information on this program very soon. Stay tuned!

To all of our students, chefs, corporate partners, community stakeholders, and friends, we are grateful for your continued support of Passion for Spices™. Our success would not be possible without you. Here's to a year filled with more time around the table with friends and family, breaking bread and making memories together. See you in the kitchen!

Sincerely,
The Passion for Spices™ Team

The Three Featured Pillars at Passion for Spices™

Curated Culinary Experience
Organic & Kosher Spices
Food & Culture Travel (Launching Soon)

Curated Culinary Experiences

Our cooking classes and events are curated culinary experiences, showcasing a variety of cuisines from around the world, including Mediterranean, Latin, Asian, and more. Here is what you can expect when you join us for one of our unique cooking classes:

 

Organic and Kosher Spice line:

Our organic spices are a welcome addition to any culinary adventure, regardless of genre. Our two spices, Keralan Curry and Kashmiri Garam Masala are available.

Keralan Curry

Great for grilling meat, seafood, poultry, and veggies. Use this versatile spice blend at cookouts, this earthy and smokey blend will turn every backyard barbecue into a celebration. Use it in the kitchen everyday for grilling, braising, soup, salads, and roasting.

Recipes Featuring Keralan Curry
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Kashmiri Garam Masala

Kashmiri Garam Masala is great for grilling lamb, poultry, and veggies. Also, try the spice in pies, cookies, and cakes. This aromatic spice blend could be used in many baking, sweet and savoury dishes.

Recipes Featuring Kashmiri Garam Masala
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Passion for Spices™ offers a perfect gift for upcoming holidays, a gift of cooking for you and your loved ones. The gift card can be redeemed for the spices and the exclusive culinary events.

Buy now

Here are two complimentary recipes for the holidays that you can make and enjoy at home.

Spiced Cranberry Spritz
Cranberry Shrub Cocktail

Passion for Spices™ Wishes Everyone Happy Holidays

 
 

Passion For Spices™ wishes everyone happy holidays! We want to thank you for joining us in the kitchen this year and helping to support our mission with every class and gift card purchase.

This is a special time of year where we gather with friends and family around the table and in the kitchen. We encourage you to have fun and be creative in the kitchen with new, healthy recipes. Cooking together and sharing food and recipes with loved ones is a wonderful way to create memories that will last a lifetime.

Looking ahead to the new year, we have many exciting classes coming up and are actively scheduling more every week to include a variety of cuisines, from Indian and Spanish to Mediterranean and many more! Our cooking classes and workshops are the perfect way to spend quality time with friends and family while learning a new skill and meeting new people. Click here to check out our schedule and see what we have coming up in the new year!

Need a last minute holiday gift? Give the gift of a unique cooking experience! Our gift cards are the perfect present for everyone on your list. 

We're looking forward to seeing you in the kitchen in the new year! Happy holidays from all of us at Passion For Spices™.

Sincerely,

The Passion for Spices™ Team

Spice up your holiday menu with some new ideas from our team at Passion for Spices™. Click on the menu image below to view the recipes!

 
 

Happy Thanksgiving from Passion for Spices™

With the holiday season upon us, Passion for Spices™ would like to extend our deepest gratitude to our community. To our students, clients, partners, chefs, and everyone who helps us further our mission of healthy eating and sustainable lifestyle practices, thank you. We are truly thankful for our platform and the opportunity to share our culinary knowledge with you and showcase different foods and cultures of the world.

Over the past fifteen years since the inception of Passion for Spices™, we have seen firsthand the power of cooking, the connection it fosters and the joy that is created when we gather in the kitchen and at the table. Food is medicine, not only in the way it physically sustains us but in its ability to inspire conversation, joy, and a sense of belonging. 

Our success would not be possible without our friends and gracious hosts at Calvary Church. They are fierce supporters of our mission and we are grateful for their partnership.

This holiday season, we hope you are able to spend time at the table with friends, family, and neighbors, to share meals and make memories.

We would love to see you at one of our upcoming classes. Please take a look at our schedule, there's something for everyone! And if you're struggling to find a holiday gift for someone in your life, consider purchasing a Passion for Spices™ gift card; they can be used at any of our classes.

Here are some highlights from our third annual Autumn Luncheon at Calvary Church. It was a wonderful way to kick off the holiday season! Check out some photos and the menu from the event below.

Happy Holidays!

 
 

Passion for Spices™ 2025 Cooking Camp Culinary Teen Competition

 
 

Our fifth week of the Passion for Spices™ Cooking Camp began with the students returning to the basics. They focused on mastering soups, broths, and improving their knife skills. For their first dish, the young chefs prepared a flavorful golden carrot ginger soup, putting their newly learned knife techniques to work as they chopped carrots and onions. They also created a refreshing gazpacho andaluz, blending tomato, garlic, bread, and other fresh ingredients into a smooth, vibrant soup. To round out the day, they cooked a classic fried rice, incorporating eggs, vegetables, and aromatic spices.

 
 
 
 

On the second day, the students focused on starters and salads. They began with savory chicken and vegetable gyoza, learning how to prepare the flavorful filling by combining minced chicken, finely chopped vegetables, soy sauce, and ginger. Another appetizer on the menu was smashed Yukon gold potatoes, lightly seasoned with salt and pepper. To complement the potatoes, the students prepared a rosemary orange barley salad. They whisked together vinegar, parsley, mustard, and other ingredients to create a tangy dressing, then tossed it with a mix of barley and wheat berries to finish off this salad.

 
 
 
 

For day three, the students prepared some tasty side dishes. They started off with some tandoori-style roasted chicken. The students also made some grilled zucchini. They further utilized their knife skills to score the zucchini, which was then sauteed. It was then served with a flavorful cherry tomato sauce. The final side they made was mashed potatoes with garlic confit. The garlic was cooked slowly until golden brown and was served with the potatoes.

 
 
 
 

For the fourth day, the students made two main courses and a delicious dessert. They made Korean-style roasted chicken. They prepared a marinade with gochujang, gochugaru, and other seasonings. They also made baked lasagna with turkey, which could easily be substituted for mushrooms for a vegetarian option. For dessert, the students made a peach and blueberry cobbler to accompany the main dishes.

 
 
 
 

On the last day, the chefs came three hours early to prepare a large feast for their families. The students were divided into teams based on the recipes they wanted to prepare. For example, there was a team to prepare the Korean-style chicken, a team for the gazpacho, etc. However, they were presented with mystery ingredients to challenge their culinary skills. For example, the gazpacho team had to prepare a similar dish using watermelon instead of tomatoes. They then presented a beautiful buffet for their families.