NEO Cultural Cooking Club

Whether you are Michelin Star level or can't boil water, we want you at the Hill Country Cultural Cooking Club! We are part of an initiative of NEO (Nature and Eclectic Outdoors), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. NEO's primary mission is to help people of all ages and backgrounds lead more outdoor-oriented lives for better health, well-being, and resilience. But since our members are so diverse, we celebrate this diversity and promote cultural appreciation and understanding through cooking events, eating amazing food from around the world, and learning about each other's cultures, histories, religions, music, and more!

We are a diverse group of people who meet at various locations around the greater Austin and Houston regions to cook/bake a recipe, or two, or ten, while learning about varying cultures from around the world and a bit more about each other. We also delve into regional American dishes. Events range from our signature Cultural Cooking events to food festivals, interesting restaurants, quick weeknight potlucks, and our Culinary Crawls that allow us to sample signature dishes at multiple restaurants and eateries.

Our delicious Cultural Cooking events look something like this: We decide on a region or culture we want to learn more about, choose several traditional recipes from that region, and chip in to purchase all of the ingredients and supplies necessary to cook a feast together. During the event, we all cook together while learning about and discussing things like the region's history, religions, music, etc. Sometimes members may even wear clothing from that region. For example, the saris some people wore to one of our Indian Cultural Cooking events were stunning. At Pakistani night, we danced together with Dandiya sticks that one of our Pakistani members brought. At Filipino night, we broke out a karaoke machine to honor a popular pastime in Filipino culture.

We also explain the science that makes certain recipes work. Knowing things like why your eggs have to be at room temperature to cook a proper Tres Leches Cake will change the game for you! You'll even learn the best places to buy exotic ingredients as well as good substitutes you can easily find at HEB.

All ages, backgrounds, and experience levels are welcome...seriously. Come cook and bake with a group of people who you will never have to apologize to when the smoke detector goes off. We've all been there. We are your people! Kids are welcome at events as well.

So grab your tackiest apron and sign up for an event! We'll see you soon!

FYI: This isn't a singles meetup. It's great if you meet "the one" during an event, but don't act creepy. It won't be tolerated.

If you enjoy outdoor fun and activities like camping, kayaking, archery, trips, and more, please join our outdoor groups!
www.meetup.com/NEOaustin
www.meetup.com/NEOhouston

To find out more about Nature and Eclectic Outoors and the amazing work we do, visit www.neoproject.org.