Cooking with Confidence: Grocery to Gourmet
Cooking with Confidence
Presented by 4Root's Culinary Health Institute at Center for Health & Wellbeing
Build your kitchen confidence through our Cooking with Confidence culinary demonstration series!
You don’t need a long ingredient list or complicated techniques to make everyday food taste extraordinary.
Join Sarah Santa, certified nutrition consultant and culinary educator, for an interactive culinary demonstration that will show you how to turn familiar grocery-store staples into flavorful, impressive dishes with a few simple tricks.
The secret? Knowing how to build flavor.
Sarah will explore how high-quality olive oils, flavored balsamic vinegars, fresh herbs, and a handful of everyday ingredients can completely transform a dish. Along the way, you’ll learn approachable techniques for balancing flavors, pairing ingredients, and adding those finishing touches that can take a meal from simple to something special.
And, of course, you’ll get to taste the results!
On the Menu:
- Herb relish hummus
- Fig balsamic vinaigrette with Fall cabbage slaw
- Dark chocolate and blood orange infused olive oil mini cakes
About Sarah
Sarah is a certified nutrition consultant with extensive experience as a culinary educator and event coordinator. She designs culinary experiences that are as meaningful as they are delicious, rooted in the belief that food is a connector and that wellness should feel exciting, not restrictive. From olive oil–centered programs to curated culinary wellness events and workshops, she brings creativity, education, and a touch of olive oil magic to every table.
About Cooking with Confidence
Cooking with Confidence is our introductory culinary health class designed to teach ways to transform your kitchen into a setting for flavor, confidence, and health. This is a demonstration-style experience where a local chef, home cook, or nutrition specialist prepares a plant-based dish while teaching cooking and preparation techniques such as refining knife skills, proper sanitation, or kitchen management.
Guests engage with the host throughout the demonstration, ask questions in real time, and learn key nutrition insights and cooking techniques and leave with a copy of the recipe to recreate at home.
Whether you’re starting your healthy plant-based eating journey or looking for ways to refresh your skills, this event will open the door to more confidence, creativity, and inspiration in the kitchen!
What You’ll Experience
- Watch three delicious recipes come together using approachable, easy-to-find ingredients
- Discover the versatility of olive oil and balsamic vinegar beyond the basics
- Learn how to balance and layer flavors to elevate everyday dishes
- Pick up simple techniques and pairing ideas you can use with ingredients already in your kitchen
- Ask questions and engage with Sarah throughout the demonstration
- Taste each creation and leave with inspiration and recipes to recreate at home
Event Details
📍 Location: Center for Health & Wellbeing – Nutrition Theatre: 2005 Mizell Ave, Winter Park, FL 32792
📅 Date: September 29th | 6:00PM – 7:00 PM
🎟️ Ticket Fee: $35
About the Culinary Health Institute at 4Roots Farm
The Culinary Health Institute (CHI) is an initiative of 4Roots in partnership with AdventHealth, Florida Blue, and Gordon Food Service. CHI works to transform community health by advancing food as medicine and whole-person care through education, clinical innovation, and research. Learn more at 4rootsfarm.org/CHI.
Our Monthly Class Series
Cooking with Confidence is our Level 1 class: a demonstration-style introduction to essential cooking skills and approachable plant-based recipes, led by a local chef, home cook, or nutrition specialist.
For those ready to go deeper, we also offer:
- Food as Medicine (Level 2): A chef-and-physician or dietitian-led, three-course demonstration exploring the connection between nutrition and health, with tastings of each course.
- Harvest to Table (Level 3): Our premium hands-on class, where guests cook alongside a chef, engage with a physician or dietitian, and enjoy a full farm-to-table culinary experience.
Each series is themed around a monthly culinary or nutrition topic, allowing guests to continue building knowledge and skills over time.