Light Cellar
Wild Foods in the Kitchen - July 12
Wild Foods in the Kitchen
Learn to Transform Wild Plants into Beautiful, Nourishing Culinary Creations
Core Class — Choose Your Format
Sunday, July 12th
11:00am – 1:00pm MST
Choose your experience
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In-Person Experience — $95
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Online Experience — $65
In-Person: Light Cellar Teaching Kitchen (limited seats)
Online: Live via Zoom (link provided after registration)
Bring the flavours of the wild into your everyday kitchen
Wild foods offer far more than survival skills or novelty ingredients—they bring vibrant flavour, deep nourishment, seasonal connection, and culinary creativity into the kitchen.
In this immersive class, Chef Alex Hamilton will guide you through practical and inspiring ways to transform wild and foraged ingredients into versatile culinary staples you can use throughout the year.
Drawing inspiration from the plants and ecosystems of the Bow Valley Basin and surrounding regions, this class explores how wild ingredients can be preserved, infused, seasoned, and incorporated into everyday cooking in ways that are both approachable and deeply flavourful.
Whether you forage yourself or simply want to explore new culinary possibilities, this class will open the door to a more seasonal and connected way of cooking.
In this class, you’ll learn:
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How to work with wild edible plants in the kitchen
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The foundations of preserving and flavouring wild ingredients
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How to create infused vinegars, salts, pickles, and botanical seasonings
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Tips for balancing flavour, aroma, and texture using wild foods
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Ways to incorporate seasonal plants into everyday meals
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Practical ideas for building a more locally inspired pantry
Recipe ideas and techniques include:
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Wild herb and botanical salts
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Infused vinegars
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Pickled wild ingredients
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Spice blends and seasoning concepts
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Seasonal culinary applications inspired by local plants
What you’ll experience:
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Guided tasting of wild-inspired culinary creations
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Live demonstrations and preservation techniques
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Exploration of flavour combinations and seasonal ingredients
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Practical inspiration for using wild foods at home
Choose your experience:
In-Person Experience
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Full tasting experience
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Direct interaction and Q&A
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Immersive classroom environment
Online Experience
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Join live from home
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Full teaching + Q&A
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Great for those outside Calgary or unable to attend in person
Continue your learning:
Related experiences include:
Who this is for:
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Home cooks wanting to explore wild ingredients
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Foragers interested in culinary applications
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Food lovers seeking seasonal and local inspiration
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Anyone wanting to deepen their relationship with plants and flavour
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People curious about preservation and botanical cooking techniques
Instructor
with Chef Alex Hamilton
Alex is currently the chef and culinary wizard at the Light Cellar and has a catering business called Feast. He has been cooking professionally for 23 years. He has cooked in many of Calgary’s top restaurants and even worked in China and Los Angeles. Having experience in all aspects of cooking and baking, he loves exploring other cultures' food and applying techniques to local ingredients. His current focus is foraging and fermentation, getting to know the Calgary area’s flora and fauna. He is deepening his understanding of the local supply chain and how to best utilize it and lessen waste. He explores how to make delicious food healthy and healthy food delicious, integrating time honored food traditions that promote better well being. There is a deep importance for a healthier and more synergistic relationship with food and the energy systems of our body.
After you register:
All participants will receive:
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A reminder email with full event details
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The link to join live (for online attendees)
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Access to the session recording after the class
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Recipes and supporting resources
If you can’t attend live, you’re still welcome to register and watch the replay.