Share Your Knowledge – Teach a Class at the Co-op!
Do you have a skill, craft, or passion you’d love to share? We’re inviting our knowledgeable community members to teach a class at the co-op! Whether it’s cooking, gardening, sustainability, wellness, or a hands-on DIY, we’d love to feature your expertise. This is a great opportunity to connect, inspire, and strengthen our community while sharing what you love. Interested in teaching? Let us know! Email Sheba Wright, Outreach & Education Coordinator at [email protected] or stop by the co-op to sign up.
Let’s learn and grow together!
DIY Food Storage: Ditch the Plastic
Plastic wrap, zip-lock bags, and single-use packaging get used more than a lot of us would like. In this hands-on class, we’ll explore simple, affordable alternatives you can make and use right at home. Together we’ll make beeswax wraps from scratch, learn the art of the mason jar, and swap ideas for reducing plastic in your kitchen. You’ll leave with wraps you made yourself and a handful of easy ideas to put to use right away.
We will have fabric available, but feel free to bring your own with you. Thinner 100% cotton fabrics work best and is compostable! Due to time and space restraints, there is a limit of 1 wrap per attendee.
Meet the Instructor!
As Outreach & Education Coordinator at Wheatsfield, Sheba spends her days connecting people with resources and opportunities and is always looking for new classes to share with the community. A Navy veteran who has lived all over the place, including Japan, she’s picked up a love of new places, new ideas, and new recipes along the way. Outside of work she’s a proud mom of three, and nana to six grandbabies with another on the way.
Date & Time
Tuesday July 21, 2026 | 5:30-7:00PM
Class Location
Community Room
Kids Cooking Class: Ready, Set, Snack!
Summer is winding down and school is just around the corner, so let’s celebrate with the best part of any school day! Join us for 90 minutes of hands-on snack making where kids (and grown-ups!) will whip up fun, delicious after school treats to add to your back-to-school routine. Ages 6-18 welcome and no experience needed! Parent or guardian must attend and stay for the whole class.
What we’re making:
- Ants on a Log
- DIY Trail Mix
- Banana Sushi
- Frost a cupcake to take home!
If you have specific dietary restrictions, please reach out to us in advance before signing up for the class at [email protected] or by calling the co-op at 515-232-4094 and speaking with Sheba Wright, Education Coordinator.
Limited substitutions can be made during the class.
Meet the Instructor!
As Outreach & Education Coordinator at Wheatsfield, Sheba spends her days connecting people with resources and opportunities and is always looking for new classes to share with the community. A Navy veteran who has lived all over the place, including Japan, she’s picked up a love of new places, new ideas, and new recipes along the way. Outside of work she’s a proud mom of three, and nana to six grandbabies with another on the way.
Date & Time
Tuesday August 4, 2026 | 5:30-7:00PM
Class Location
Community Room
HANDS-ON CLASS: Wild Foraging @ Onion Creek Farm
Join us for a foraging class at Onion Creek Farm, where we explore the natural abundance of edible and medicinal plants growing in our local landscape. Led by Dr. Crystal Jewell, a Neuroscientist and Science Communicator, this class will teach you how to identify, harvest, and use a variety of wild plants safely and sustainably. We'll cover key identification techniques, ethical harvesting practices, and traditional uses of native and naturalized species found on the farm. Be prepared for a leisurely walk on uneven terrain. Bring a notebook, a field guide (if you have one), and a sense of curiosity! Must be 18+ to attend.
Attendees will be allowed to forage invasive species. Please follow the instructions given by the instructor about what we are allowed to pick.
CLASS LOCATION: Due to limited parking at Onion Creek Farm, we will meet at Lockwood Cafe (4625 Reliable St #3713, Ames, IA 50014) and carpool together from there. If you are willing to be a driver, please reach out and let Sheba know at [email protected] or call 515-232-4094. It is 1.5 miles between the parking lot and the farm. Please try to arrive a little early so we have as much time as possible on the farm.
PLEASE NOTE: Waiver Required at Registration – A liability waiver is included in the Eventbrite checkout process. Before completing your registration, you'll be asked to read and check a box agreeing to our terms. Please take a moment to read it carefully — you won't be able to finish signing up without completing this step!
Meet the Instructor!
Crystal Jewell, M.S., PhD is a neuroscientist, science communicator, and naturalist who specializes in alternative and complimentary medicine with a focus on ethnopharmacology.
Date & Time
Thursday August 6, 2026 | 5:00-6:30PM
Class Location
Onion Creek Farm
HANDS-ON CLASS: DIY Herbal Lip Balm
Dive in to the art and science of handcrafted herbal lip care in this interactive, hands-on workshop! Using a plethora of natural, nourishing, and eco-friendly ingredients including beeswax, oils, butters, and plant essential oils, participants will make and take home two different lip balm formulations to protect lips in all four seasons. It's herbal lip care made simple, made from scratch, and made by you!
Meet the Instructor!
Ann Staudt is the founder, chief soap formulator, kitchen chemist, graphic designer, sales manager, packaging extraordinaire, and overall operations manager behind Siberian Soap Co. She holds degrees in both chemical and environmental engineering. Soapmaking provides a wonderfully creative outlet that combines her interests in science, art, and living a simple, eco-friendly lifestyle.
Date & Time
Tuesday, September 8, 2026 | 5:30-7PM
Class Location
Community Room
COOKING CLASS: The Mighty Chickpea
Discover the versatility of the humble garbanzo bean (chickpea) in this demonstration-style vegetarian cooking class. Join us as we showcase the transformative power of this pantry staple, turning it into 3 delicious, flavor-packed dishes that are easy enough for weeknight meals yet impressive enough to wow your guests at any gathering.
If you have specific dietary restrictions, please reach out to us in advance before signing up for the class at [email protected] or by calling the co-op at 515-232-4094 and speaking with Sheba Wright, Education Coordinator.
Limited substitutions can be made during the class.
Meet the Instructor!
Rama Sridhar is an expert chef in vegetarian cooking and has dedicated more than 40 years to communicating the benefits of vegetarian nutrition. Rama's cooking is based on two fundamental principles: (a) develop recipes that excel in both nutrition and taste and (b) draw and use ideas from all over the globe to develop creative fusion foods. She is a guest Chef at a local restaurant – Lockwood Café – where she offers Indian and International foods. Rama has a close connection to Ames. She has lived here for 35 plus years and received a Dietetics degree from Iowa State University. She is a diehard Cyclones fan.
Date & Time
Tuesday, September 29, 2026 | 5:30-7PM
Class Location
Community Room
ONLINE RSVP
- RSVPs required for all classes! Class sizes are limited, RSVP to guarantee your seat!
- If you cannot RSVP online, call the store and talk to a Marketing Staff member.
- If a class is full – please call or email marketing staff to be added to our waitlist.
- We do consider waitlists when planning the next cycle of classes.
LOCATION
Classes are held in our teaching kitchen located in the east end of the co-op unless noted otherwise.
FEES
- Fees are transferable but not refundable unless the Co-op cancels the class due to weather, instructor illness, low attendance or other unforeseen circumstance.
The views presented in classes are not necessarily the views of the Co-op. Please consult with your health care provider before starting any new health regimen.
THANK YOU
A HUGE thank you to Cook’s Emporium for supplying the Co-op Classroom with a variety of useful cooking equipment. Come to a class to see the equipment in action! Make sure to stop by this locally-owned business for your kitchen gear needs!
