Instructor Stefani Berkey will be offering two plant based cooking classes at The Neighborhood House in October. The first class is set for Tuesday, October 22 from 10am-12pm and will focus on several plant based soups made with fresh vegetables, beans, legumes and grains. The second class will be offered on Tuesday, October 29 also from 10am-12pm and will include a variety of fall themed appetizers including finger foods and dips. The registration fee is just $15 per class and participants can sign up for an individual class or both. To sign-up, please contact us by stopping by our main office, calling us at 276-5029 or via email.

About Stefani

With a family history of heart disease, Stefani began her plant-based journey 12 years ago. In short, she refrains from eating “anything with a mother,” meaning she has eliminated all meat, fish, and dairy from her diet. Cooking has been “her thing” for more than 45 years and she is committed to doing everything she can to stay healthy while enjoying life.

She began cooking professionally while at enrolled in the Hotel/Restaurant Management program at the University of Denver. Working in a variety of spots in the hospitality industry, she found her niche while in the kitchen of several restaurants. After graduating she moved to Jackson, Wyoming to work in the only four-star restaurant in the state. From there, she went on to Cordon Bleu Cookery school in Europe.

Following that experience, she relocated to Seattle and worked in several large hotels doing everything from running a butcher shop to catering events for thousands of guests. She also began offering cooking demonstrations during this time.

In 1986, Stefani and her husband moved to Maine and began to focus on catering. Additionally, she instructed numerous cooking classes at various UMaine conferences and institutes. As she began to move away from cooking professionally, she started a new venture with her husband, “The Advertising Specialists of Maine.”

Although she no longer cooks professionally, Stefani’s love of cooking continues. She has taught a variety of classes through Acadia Senior College, Adult Ed, Cooking Matters, and at Tiller & Rye in Brewer.

Stefani loves to share the knowledge she has gained over the last 12 years eating and cooking an exclusively plant-based diet.