For five dollars, a Bronx hospital will teach you to cook dinner. The Center for Culinary Medicine and Teaching Kitchen at SBH Health System, the system that runs St. Barnabas Hospital, runs community cooking classes on the second floor of its Health & Wellness Center at 4507 Third Avenue, and three are on the calendar over the next week.

This week's classes

  • Saturday, November 7, 11:30 a.m.: Salads / Ensaladas.
  • Sunday, November 8, 11:30 a.m.: International Appetizers / Aperitivos internacionales.
  • Tuesday, November 10, 1 to 3 p.m.: a smoothie class paired with a horticulture workshop, run with The Horticultural Society of New York.

Classes are taught in English and Spanish, are open to anyone 13 and older at any skill level, and take 4 to 16 people at a time. A standard community class runs two hours, and the fee is $5.

What the kitchen teaches

The center's stated goal is teaching people to make healthy meals that are also affordable. Beyond the single community classes, it runs series on meal prep (knife skills, searing, roasting and vinaigrettes), breakfast, lunch, dinners that take under an hour, vegetarian and plant-forward cooking, healthy desserts, one-pot meals and international cuisine, plus Caribbean cooking classes.

The center is led by Abbie Gellman, a registered dietitian and its director, with culinary nutrition educator Yanir Cedeno. Some of its programs are built with partners: prenatal and gestational diabetes cooking workshops with the city Health Department, a diabetes program for men with Bronx VIP Community Services that gives participants vouchers for five classes, and a rooftop farm run with Project EATS, where local high school students harvest ingredients that end up in the classes.

How to sign up

Registration is online and closes 24 hours before each class; for a last-minute spot, call (718) 960-3843. Cancel at least 48 hours ahead to keep the $5, and a timely cancellation can be moved to another community class within two weeks. Wear closed-toe shoes (sandals and flip-flops are not allowed), tie back long hair, keep jewelry to a minimum and bring containers for leftovers. Questions go to sbhteachingkitchen@sbhny.org. Groups can book the kitchen for private events by email or at (718) 960-9000, extension 6093.

The Health & Wellness Center is on Third Avenue, served by the Bx15 bus, and the kitchen's office is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

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