Some of Portland’s Top Chefs Are Leading Free Cooking Classes for People in Recovery | Eater Portland

"Operating as a nonprofit for people in recovery, Portland’s chapter of the Alano Club offers classes designed to help members “re-learn life” — the everyday skills people neglect while using or during severe mental illness. With Kasey Anderson now serving as a program coordinator, the club has partnered with Ben’s Friends to run free cooking classes that pair recovery conversations with hands-on meal prep: chefs in recovery talk through their personal histories with food and recovery, lead a cooking tutorial, and then sit down to eat with students. The program emphasizes practical skills like grocery budgeting and meal planning, focuses on nutritious, budget-friendly, easy, and tasty recipes, and underscores fellowship at the table as part of recovery; to sign up or learn more, contact Anderson at kasey@portlandalano.org or Gina Helvie at GinaLHG@gmail.com." - Brooke Jackson-Glidden