Announcing the CookStack Collective

Twelve food writers. Twelve live cooking and baking classes. One very good reason to go paid.

One of the things I miss most about butcher shops, restaurant kitchens, and family tables is learning alongside other people.

I’m excited to announce a new offering to paid subscribers that will add even more community-building to the kitchen table. The CookStack Collective is an attempt to bring a little more communal cooking to Enlightened Omnivore

I’ve joined eleven remarkable food writers, bakers, cooks, and teachers from across Substack to create a year-long series of live cooking classes designed to help us spend more time in our kitchens and more time learning from one another.

Over the next year, paid subscribers will receive:

• Twelve live Zoom classes
• Recipes and class materials
• Access to all twelve recordings
• A chance to cook alongside some incredibly talented teachers

The classes cover everything from kimchi and fermentation to Italian meal prep, baking, seasonal cooking, entertaining, soups, salads, and practical kitchen skills.

With this new offering, I’d love to welcome twenty additional paid subscribers into Enlightened Omnivore this summer.

Not because bigger is always better, but because subscriptions like yours create the time and space for independent writing, podcasts, workshops, recipes, and conversations like these to continue growing.

If you’ve been considering joining us on the paid side, this might be the strongest collection of benefits I’ve been able to offer yet.

And if you’re already here, thank you for helping build a small corner of the internet where food remains connected to history, place, nature, and community.

Now let’s make something delicious together.

Here’s the line-up

1. JULY: Friday, July 17, 2026, 7 pm EST: Join Rebecca Blackwell from the galley of her sailboat to make 3 easy summer dishes: A colorful hummus platter, sesame chicken salad, and watermelon and feta salad.

2. Friday, August 21, 2026, 12 pm Pacific/3 pm Eastern: Join Betty Williams for a fermentation primer and learn to make 2 kinds of Korean kimchi: quick-pickled Cucumber Kimchi and fermented Cabbage Kimchi.

3. Sunday, September 2026: Join Anna Vocino to cook through some of the best recipes from her new cookbook, Eat Happy Cocktail Hour! Anna will show us how to make some low-carb party food, including Low Carb GF Pigs In A Blanket, Caprese Martini, Dill Pickle Ranch Dip, and Pom Pom Mocktails.

4. Thursday, October 15, 2026, 10 am PT/1 pm EST: Join Nicki Sizemore to make two seasonal staples — a whipped ricotta dip and a grain-free pumpkin apple cake — alongside simple practices for cooking with more intention and joy.

5. Tuesday, November 10, 2026, 4 pm EST/ 1 pm PST: Join Kerry Faber to make a cozy fall favorite, Cabbage-Wrapped Chicken Parm Meatballs.

6. Friday, December 4, 2026: Stephanie Hansen - Soup or Holiday apps

7. Sunday, January 24, 2027, 3 pm Central, 4 pm Eastern Rachel Ciordas - Focaccia Pizza, Ice Water Salad, and a Champagne Cocktail- all GF

8. Tuesday, February 27, 2027, noon EST: Emma Frisch, Classic Italian Bolognese Pasta with a Frisch Twist - batch-cooking for families, tips for picky eaters, and dietary restrictions

9. Tuesday, March 16, 2027, 4 PM Pacific / 7 PM Eastern: Just in time for St Patrick’s Day, join Kate McDermott and learn to make a Classic Irish Apple Tart in this virtual session live from her Pie Cottage kitchen. You will receive a bonus recipe for a delicious custard sauce to serve with the tart, too.

10. Sunday, April 18, 2027, 9 am PST /1 pm EST/7 pm Italy time CET: Join Lolly Martyn to meal prep like an Italian nonna: We’ll make the simply delicious family favorite pasta e ceci (chickpeas) and effortlessly whip up some veggie broth and sugo (red sauce) for your freezer or fridge at the same time!

11. Friday, May 7, 2027, 12 pm PT / 3 PM ET: - Buying the Best Meat - join me for a practical one-hour workshop on navigating today’s confusing meat landscape. Learn what meat labels actually mean, how to buy on a budget, and the questions you should ask your butcher, meat counter, or online vendor. You’ll also learn a few simple at-home butchery techniques to help stretch your dollars with minimal effort.

12. Thursday, June 3, 2027, 1 pm EST: Sheryl O’Connell - Summer themed - legume-based and portable salads.

And, if you can’t make every class, no worries, because your paid subscription gives you ACCESS TO ALL 12 CLASS RECORDINGS!

So not only will you get full access to my newsletter, you’ll get the added bonus of the 12 CookStack Collective Live Classes on Zoom!