Article and photos by Amber Morris in The Express, April 23, 2022. Read the article in The Express.

The Sugar Valley Rural Charter School Community Engagement Program hosted a cooking class in partnership with the PA Beef Council and Nicholas Meat LLC last week in Loganton.

The class, which was titled “A Taste of the Mediterranean,” showcased beef top sirloin steak with asparagus and tomato orzo. The meal from beginning to end, went from refrigerator to table in about 30 minutes, making it the perfect choice for both weeknight dinners and special occasions.

SVRCS Community Engagement Liaison, Dawn Jeffries; along with Katie Dotterer, owner of AgvoKate LLC; and registered dietician nutritionist Beth Stark from PA Beef Council, were on hand to guide the 20 participants through the steps needed to make the elegant dish.

“Our cooking class is called ‘A Cut Above,’ and is sponsored by Nicholas Meat because of their love and commitment not only for beef, but also for the community,” explained Dotterer. “They’ve been here for over 30 years and are a family owned business. We’re celebrating beef tonight with this really great recipe because it really is a cut above other proteins.”

Dotterer grew up on her family’s third-generation dairy farm in Mill Hall, and today is a successful self-employed promotor of farming who works on contracts with companies to advocate for agriculture, and also teaches online agriculture specific Spanish courses.

Because of her strong family background, combined with a self-driven desire to educate others about farm culture, she is an expert in customer relations and anything dairy — and especially how the beef industry and the milk industry overlap.

“Most people will be surprised to learn that 20% of all beef comes from dairy cows. Nicholas Meat has been working with area farmers including Sugar Valley and Clinton County beef and dairy farmers for over three decades to help produce and provide over 375 beef products in the US and worldwide,” she stated. “Nicholas Meat makes a pretty big impact, and this is why they like to support their community and this school with programs like tonight.”

Beth Stark welcomed the crowd with a slideshow highlighting the healthy side of red meat.

“Tonight we are talking about the benefits of eating lean beef and how it can be incorporated into an all over heart healthy lifestyle. Because of this, we’ve adopted a Mediterranean style theme for this evening to tie in with the Mediterranean diet, which is very healthy, and the recipe we are making is very approachable as well,” Stark said.

The class was split into four cooking stations. Each person jumped in to chop, peel, and sautee — laughing and smiling as they worked alongside each other, ultimately breaking bread while enjoying the fruits of their labor. Around each table, positive reviews could be heard, with all agreeing that their meals were five star quality.

Alison Sohmer of Lock Haven is hopeful that this won’t be the only public cooking class at SVRCS. “I thought it was a lot of fun! I’m really looking forward to the next offering,” she said.

Dawn Jeffries was happy with the outcome and grateful for everyone who helped to make the evening a success.

“I want to thank all the participants and presenters for making this cooking class an amazing experience. It was an incredible privilege to host this for the community,” Jeffries said.

Each participant went home with a complimentary Rada steak knife, recipe folder, and beautiful kitchen apron in traditional Sugar Valley green and white.