Culinary Mini Session
Photo courtesy of iStock
Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, noon-1:15 p.m.
$50 member/$70 non-member, includes Arboretum admission plus all supplies and ingredients.
Registration coming soon.
Program location: Farm at the Arb - Kitchen Classroom (Myers Education Center)
Adult 18+
Class Overview:
Join Chef Cheo this fall for short, engaging cooking sessions inspired by the season. Each class features a culinary demonstration, fresh seasonal ingredients and a light lunch tasting. These fun, approachable experiences are perfect for a midweek outing.
This session focuses on creating deep warmth with chili and spices as we prepare to head into the cooler months. This class will feature a vegetarian menu highlighting sturdy winter squashes, crisp broccoli florets and hardy aromatic herbs. We will begin in the Foodscape garden harvesting late-season garden bounty and exploring how to identify mature, dense squashes built for storage. By viewing the garden through the eyes of a chef, we will discuss how to select seasonal ingredients and use late-season harvests to build hearty, flavorful meals.
After harvesting, we will move into the kitchen to explore the sensory mechanics of a scratch-made ginger-lemongrass paste and a rich coconut curry. We will learn the technical timing required to perfectly simmer tender chicken breast alongside dense squash cubes and delicate garden vegetables, building complex layers of spice that warm from the inside out.
- Fall Vegetable Coconut Curry: A warming curry featuring squash cubes, broccoli florets, garden vegetables and a scratch-made ginger-lemongrass paste.
- Herbed Jasmine Rice: Fragrant steamed jasmine rice folded with fresh Thai basil and cilantro.
- Crunchy Napa Cabbage Salad: Shredded napa cabbage, daikon radish and cilantro tossed with a toasted sesame-soy dressing.
- Ginger Iced Tea: A deeply aromatic tea blend served cold with fresh ginger juice.
You'll enjoy a sampling lunch featuring these dishes, along with take home recipes.
Please note: We are unable to accommodate individualized changes to the menu.
Instructor:
Chef Cheo Smith brings his experience in kitchens of all sizes — from the home oven to producing hundreds of school lunches a day, and now, to the Farm at the Arb. A Minnesota native, Cheo is a member of the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate and descendant of the White Earth Nation. He seeks to bridge the gaps in access and knowledge that prevent many people from getting farm fresh ingredients to their dinner table. His mission is to make preparing great tasting and healthy foods accessible to the home cook.
We recommend that you enter the Arboretum via the back gate on 82nd St, not the main entrance on Hwy 5. This is the most direct route to access the Farm at the Arb, and avoids potential delays when driving through the Arboretum.
Address: Farm at the Arb Entrance Gate
If you do wish to enter through the main Arboretum gate on Hwy 5, you can take 3-Mile Drive through the Arboretum and turn right on Peter Moe Drive to get to the Myers Education Center (this route may take an additional 15-20 minutes, so please plan accordingly).
Main Entry instructions:
You will receive a bar-code ticket for entry to the Arboretum in your email purchase confirmation. Your ticket is valid for entry on the day of your class. Present your ticket to the gate attendant as you enter the Arboretum. You may stay at the Arboretum after class as long as you want during our operating hours.