BREWER, Maine — At Tiller & Rye in Brewer, almost 20 people were seated in front of Stefani Berkey’s cooking station, waiting for their lesson to begin, on a recent Tuesday night. Scattered around Berkey was a rainbow of plant-based ingredients: potatoes, garbanzo beans, peppers, lemons and more.
Berkey, also known as “Chef Stef,” hosts a class once per month at Tiller & Rye, a grocery store featuring products made in Maine and an array of dietary-conscious offerings, such as gluten-free products and meat and dairy alternatives.
Berkey began teaching cooking classes at Tiller & Rye last October and shows attendees how to use plant-based ingredients to make a variety of dishes. That evening, she covered three recipes: hummus-stuffed small potatoes, black bean and corn salad, and pasta with lentil spinach marinara sauce.
Berkey has always loved to cook. She studied at Le Cordon Bleu London and has worked in restaurants and hotels all over the country, refining her skills and cultivating a love of food. She moved to Maine 30 years ago and now teaches cooking classes while also running a business, The Advertising Specialists of Maine in Bangor.
A few years ago she was told that she was in danger of having a heart attack unless she started taking medications. Her response was simple and direct.
“No way,” she recalled saying.
“Two and a half years ago I started eating plant-based foods only,” Berkey said. There’s no meat in her diet and no dairy. She doesn’t eat processed foods such as oils or sugars. And she couldn’t be happier.
Her cholesterol went down. Her overall numbers are still high, but as she says, “they’ve been that way since I was a baby.”
“Because I cook and because I love to cook, this is easy for me,” Berkey says to the crowd. “But for others it’s hard.”
That’s exactly why Sarah Morneault and Lindsey Levesque, owners of Tiller & Rye, wanted to offer cooking classes to begin with.
“Cooking is very fundamental to us because we have a lot of ingredients that people don’t know how to use,” Morneault said. Tiller & Rye offers more than 500 different local products and, according to Morneault, is growing constantly.
“We wanted to have a local grocery store feel — something a little bit smaller that focused on as many local products as possible. We also wanted to focus on getting back to ingredients that are natural,” Morneault said. “Maine has been an amazing resource. More and more farmers and artisans are starting to develop their own products.”
Morneault met Berkey while Berkey was shopping at Tiller & Rye. Their conversations about food led to the formation of the classes hosted by Berkey, which Morneault said have been a excellent addition to the store’s offerings.
Berkey instructs students how to make the dishes on her menu and throws in other cooking advice, such as how to properly hold a knife. She also peppers the classes with personal anecdotes, describing how the black bean and corn salad is a family favorite.
“I try to use things that everyone would have at home,” she says, picking up a few small potatoes in her hand. “We all live in Maine, so we have to like potatoes.”
Her recipes include fresh ingredients such as green onions, parsley, carrots, cilantro and garlic. And many of her recipes are simple and don’t take long to prepare, like the black bean and corn salad.
Berkey’s lessons have been successful, according to Morneault, and even attracted one of Tiller & Rye’s employees, Tim Godaire.
“I had shopped here before and saw the classes being advertised,” Godaire said. As the primary cook in the household, he decided to take the class. He learned how better to use plant-based ingredients and also picked up some cooking tips and techniques from Berkey, he said.
Not long after, Godaire began working for Tiller & Rye.
“I loved the environment here,” he said.
For Morneault and Levesque, giving back to the community in this way has been an important part of their mission.
“We realized that there was a gap in the market up here,” Morneault said. “We really wanted to give something back to the community.”
The next cooking class with Chef Stef will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, March 29. Admission for the class is $15 and participants can sign up at Tiller & Rye at 20 South Main St. in Brewer or at tillerandrye.com/cooking-class/.
Black Bean and Corn Salad
Serves 6-8
Recipe by Stefani Berkey
2 15-oz cans low-salt black beans
2 cups frozen corn, thawed
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced into 2-inch pieces, or ¾-inch dice
2 carrots — peeled and cut into a ¾-inch dice
2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
3 green onions (scallions), thinly sliced, both white and green parts
Half a bunch of fresh cilantro, chopped
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
Juice from 1 lemon or lime
Salt and pepper to taste
Lettuce or cabbage, chopped
Drain and rinse beans and add to large mixing bowl. Rinse and drain thawed corn and add to beans. Chop and slice red pepper, carrots, celery, green onions and cilantro. Add to beans and corn and mix together.
In a separate bowl, whisk together vinegars and lemon or lime juice. Pour over salad and mix well. Let sit for a few minutes, the stir again. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Serve in a bowl as is or over a bed of chopped lettuce.
This can be refrigerated for up to a week. Mix well before serving after refrigerating.
