Kitchen cooking class at Gideon Owen: Eat healthy, live longer, drink wine every day!

BY D’ARCY PATRICK EGAN

Food and wellness experts Rose Sabin and Donna Smith are teaming up to present the unique Longevity Kitchen cooking class on Wednesday, Sept. 22 at 6:30 p.m. at Gideon Owen Wine Company on the Catawba Peninsula. The women firmly believe the cooking class is a life-changing experience — creating delicious, healthy meals that include a daily glass of wine!

“The cooking class will focus on the diet and lifestyles of the Blue Zones — the five areas of the world where people live longer,” said Smith, who owns Gideon Owen Wine Company with her husband, Quinton, as well as vineyards and orchards that continue to grow in size around the Catawba Peninsula.

While the average American lives to 72 to 78 years of age, said Smith, people in the five Blue Zones have average lifespans of 96 to 100 years old. The Blue Zones are: Icaria, Greece; Oglistra, Sardinia (Italy); Okinawa, Japan; Nicoya, Costa Rica; and Loma Linda, California.

“The class will examine the common threads of diet and lifestyle in those cultures,” said Sabin. “Our dinner menu will feature a variety of delicious recipes from each of the five Blue Zones.”

Each dish will be paired with its own wine, said Sabin, for a very good reason. Wine lovers will be delighted to know that a daily glass of wine is one of the common threads for longer lives in each of the five Blue Zones.

But in moderation, said the women. A single glass of wine a day is the standard, and Smith said the typical Gideon Owen pour is 6 ounces.

Sabin, who owns the Root to Rise Wellness Cafe, 40 N. Christy Chapel Rd., Port Clinton, has already hosted three cooking classes aimed at healthier lifestyles. After all three classes quickly sold out, she began looking for a more spacious venue. Smith suggested the banquet facility at Gideon Owen, which has room for hands-on cooking stations and plenty of room for dinner.

The event is $95, and includes the cooking class, dinner, five wine pairings, coffee, tea, dessert, a recipe booklet, a Gideon Owen wine glass and a variety of cooking swag. To register visit SoulStretchMobileYoga.com or call 440-223-4445.

Gideon Owen Wine Company’s website is GideonOwenWine.com.

Sabin titles the session as an Ayurvedic Interactive Seminar & Cooking Class. Ayurveda, a natural system of medicine, originated in India more than 3,000 years ago.

“I love cooking classes, and have enjoyed attending them from Cleveland and New York to Italy and beyond,” said Sabin. “It’s important to have a lot of hands-on cooking stations so people can touch and feel the food, as well learn how to create delicious, new healthy dishes. Some also want to learn some basics, such as the best way to slice and dice veggies or how to open an avocado.”

The women emphasized the meals are not vegetarian or vegan. They pointed out that in Blue Zones, there are meats and cheeses included in their diets. Sabin noted that seasonal fruits and vegetables dominate, with animal products making up only about 30% of their diet. Platters of fresh fruits and vegetables are often served before the main courses.

Growing fruits and vegetables are a natural for their family, said Smith, who grows all of her vegetables and flowers from seed, “like a real farmer,” she said.

“I was a botany major and my husband was a zoology major when we met at Ohio Wesleyan University. He had grown up on a 60-acre farm in the Youngstown area. We know that the Catawba Peninsula used to be the Napa Valley of the world, and we’re trying to continue that heritage today with our vineyards and orchards.”