BRG, Red Stick Spice Team Up for Healthy Cooking Classes

BATON ROUGE, La. – Beginning in January, Baton Rouge General (BRG) and Red Stick Spice Co. are offering a new series of cooking classes geared toward learning how to prepare healthy Mediterranean-style meals. Dr. Drake Bellanger, a medical weight loss physician, will explain the why behind the popular Mediterranean style diet and how it can help you stay healthy and lower your chances for certain health conditions.

On the menu for this class:

• Restaurant Style Hummus with Marinated Feta
• Slow-Roasted Salmon with Fennel, Citrus and Chiles
• White Beans and Kale with Crunchy Garlicky Breadcrumbs
• Harissa-Honey Carrots
• Farro with Italian Sausage and Apple Cider

A Mediterranean diet is a style of eating that includes more fruits, vegetables, nuts, whole grains, legumes, and fish. It replaces saturated fats, which come mostly from animal products, with healthy fats that come from plant and fish sources. Research shows that following a Mediterranean diet can help people with heart disease and metabolic syndrome delay the need for and/or help reduce medications that are used to help control these diseases.

Class dates:

• January 17
• February 19
• April 10
• September 25

Red Stick Spice cooking classes are led by chef and owner Anne Milneck along with teaching kitchen chef Matthew Stansbury. Combined, they have taught over 400 cooking classes. Classes include knife skills and clear instruction around the techniques of searing, braising, roasting and broiling. Spices and spice blends are used in all of the dishes.

This class will end in a full, sit-down meal, a Q&A session with Dr. Bellanger answering medical questions and the chefs answering cooking questions. Classes are from 6-8 p.m. and cost $40 per person, per class. They’ll take place in Red Stick Spice’s demo kitchen located at 660 Jefferson Hwy.

Dr. Drake Bellanger is one of the few physicians board certified in obesity medicine in the Baton Rouge region. He has spent most of his 30-year career caring for and or treating obesity by way of both surgery and medicine. His in-depth knowledge of weight loss from medicine to surgery provides him a unique perspective on helping patients achieve their personal goals. Dr. Bellanger received his medical degree from LSU School of Medicine in New Orleans and his surgery residency training from University of South Alabama.

For more information or to register for one of the classes, click here.

About Baton Rouge General Medical Center
Baton Rouge General Medical Center is the area’s first community hospital with over 600 licensed beds between three campuses. Baton Rouge General opened its doors in 1900, and has provided the Greater Baton Rouge community with high-quality healthcare for generations. An accredited teaching hospital since 1991, Baton Rouge General is affiliated with several medical school programs, and offers other medical education programs, including a School of Nursing, School of Radiologic Technology, Family Medicine Residency Program, Internal Medicine Residency Program, and Sports Medicine Fellowship Program. For more information, visit BRGeneral.org, find us on Facebook at Facebook.com/BatonRougeGeneral and follow us on Twitter @BRGeneral and Instagram @batonrougegeneral.

###