For years, Lisa Kyung Gross tried to recreate her Korean grandmother’s cooking, but her dishes never tasted quite like the original.
“I had this fantasy of wishing there was another Korean grandmother that I could cook with and learn her family recipes,” Gross said.
That wish became the inspiration for the League of Kitchens, cooking classes taught by immigrant women eager to share and preserve their culture.
Since Gross founded League of Kitchens in 2014, instructors have opened their homes to hundreds of New Yorkers, teaching them family recipes and inviting them to experience not just culturally rich dishes, but the stories and traditions behind them.
“Statistically, there’s very little interaction between either immigrants of different groups or immigrants and non-immigrants,” Gross said. “We call them culturally immersive cooking classes because you feel, you smell, you see, and you experience the culture and someone’s story in this very intimate and personal way.”
From Japanese cuisine in Harlem to Lebanese food in Staten Island, each class reflects the instructor’s unique story and personal touch.
Ninety-year-old Ukrainian and Russian instructor Larisa Frumkin joined League of Kitchens after living through ethnic divisions during the Soviet era and World War II. She hopes her students leave her class with more than just new culinary skills.
“I just really appreciate people living together in spite of their differences,” Frumkin said. “I want them to understand that the world is so different.”
That spirit of connection is what motivates the women who teach. “We come together through food and breaking bread together,” said instructor Shandra Woworuntu. “It is the beauty of how we are supposed to be.”
Watch the video above to learn more about League of Kitchens. Check out the classes being offered here.
