Modern Irish Flavors for St. Patrick's Day

Overview:

St. Patrick’s Day cooking is often defined by a narrow set of expectations, but Irish food has always been more layered than a single holiday plate. In this demonstration class, Chef Cheo offers a fresh perspective on traditional Irish flavors, exploring recipes, techniques and presentations that feel both familiar and unexpected.

Rooted in land, weather and history, Irish cooking favors hearty ingredients and dishes meant to sustain and bring people together. Instead of repeating the usual corned beef and cabbage, the class reimagines classic elements with thoughtful updates — turning soda bread into tender scones, enriching cottage pie with Guinness and reshaping beloved flavors into new, shareable forms that still honor their origins. The result is an engaging experience that balances tradition with creativity and offers new ways to enjoy Irish-inspired cooking well beyond March.

In this class, you will learn: 

• Key methods for building depth and richness in hearty comfort dishes
• Approaches to transforming familiar recipes into new formats
• Tips for seasoning, timing and incorporating beer into recipes
• How to design a cohesive menu that feels celebratory without being predictable

 On the Menu: 

• Cottage Pie made with Guiness Stout
• Corned Beef Hash Benedict with Irish Soda Bread Scones
• Irish-Style Pork Meatballs with Killian’s Ale Gravy served over Colcannon with Leeks, Cabbage & Kale
• Lime Cucumber Spritzer

You'll enjoy a sampling lunch featuring these Irish dishes, along with take home recipes.

Notes:

• 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 Whapeton 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.