KishHealth System to open new teaching kitchen

DeKALB – Rachel Koroscik is on a mission to change lives.

Koroscik, an NIU graduate who is now healthy culinary coordinator at KishHealth System, stood Tuesday behind the counter at Kishwaukee Hospital’s newly built Leishman Center for Culinary Health.

She and co-worker Jo Cessna were preparing artichoke dip for today’s open house event at the center, a new culinary space that will allow Cessna and Koroscik to teach hands-on cooking courses to community members.

“I’m just really looking forward to making a difference in people’s lives. That is genuinely why I am doing this job,” Koroscik said. “I want to see people make healthy changes and have a better quality of life,”

From 6 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Kishwaukee Hospital will host an open house at the new Leishman Center for Culinary Health, inside the hospital building at 1 Kish Hospital Drive in DeKalb.

A variety of courses will be offered in the 1,500-square-foot teaching kitchen, teaching people cooking techniques from mason jar meals to gluten-free cooking. Koroscik also will teach culinary camps for children and teens over the summer.

Courses begin in June and will be offered throughout the week at a variety of different times, including mornings and evenings. Course rates range from $10 to $30 a person, and registration is required. To see the class schedule or register for a course, visit www.kishhealth.org/health-wellness/programs.

The underlying theme in all the courses is cooking with whole, unprocessed foods. This is particularly important to Cessna, the culinary instructor.

“If you’re looking at changing health, you really have to look at what is on your plate,” she said.

Cessna said the classes will help students learn how simple cooking can be, but also change negative attitudes toward the idea of healthy eating.

Dawn Roznowski, director for community wellness and employee health at KishHealth System, said the need for the space grew from the popularity of existing courses.

“People seemed to be yearning to learn how to cook clean, whole foods on a basic level,” she said. “We started the courses in the conference center and then we rented space from Hy-Vee. But as classes got business we realized we had a real need. … It was a great opportunity to expand.”

The Leishman Center was funded primarily by donors from the KishHealth System Foundation.

The culinary health program will teach students about more than cooking, too. In partnership with the DeKalb County Community Gardens, students who take the Garden-to-Kitchen club course will visit the hospital’s site at the community garden to learn about gardening and then go back to the Leishman Center to learn how to prepare the freshly picked ingredients.

“The big thing is we want people to recognize eating healthy isn’t a hard thing to do,” Roznowski said. “You can find enjoyment in learning some basics from class. Even small changes over a period can change someone’s health,”

The event on Wednesday is open to the public and free to attend. Appetizers will be served.

IF YOU GO:

The Leishman Center for Culinary Health. 1 Kish Hospital Drive, DeKalb.

6 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday

Free and open to the public.