Ground Floor: Consulting business grows into cooking school

NORTH LIBERTY — While many people visited local grocery stores to purchase frozen turkeys for their Thanksgiving dinners, Becky Schmooke took a different approach to her holiday preparations.

First, she received a lesson on how to butcher poultry. Then, she purchased a live turkey from a local farmer and butchered it herself.

'I feel good that the turkey I served this Thanksgiving lived a good life and that I was responsible to make sure his death occurred with respect,' Schmooke said. 'I believe that the more we connect with our food sources, the more we appreciate what good food is.'

Schmooke said the evolution of her food consulting business into a full-fledged cooking school has given her a greater ability to share that food philosophy with others.

'Instead of me telling someone that they don't have to eat processed foods and that they can make good food using fresh, local ingredients, I can show them,' she said. 'The cooking school has made a huge difference.'

When Becky's Mindful Kitchen was first profiled in the Ground Floor in May, Schmooke was operating the food consulting business out of her North Liberty home, offering services like kitchen inventories, food shopping education, and personal cooking services.

Since then, Schmooke and her husband purchased an 1880s-era farmhouse in rural Johnson County. The home's large chef's kitchen, recently remodeled with high-end appliances, two sinks and lots of work space, is home to Becky's Mindful Kitchen Cooking School.

Classes are offered for individuals and groups covering a wide variety of topics like making bread or cheese, and cooking with healthy fats. While Schmooke has no immediate plans to offer a class on butchering poultry, a cooking with meat class teaches students how to break down and debone a chicken.

Schmooke also customizes classes to suit clients' particular needs and desires. A recent group class included three generations of a family seeking to learn grain-, peanut- and egg-free cooking to better address a family member's food allergies.

Schmooke said her new location offers a peaceful setting for people to learn important life skills.

'My goal is to bring the joy back to cooking,' Schmooke said. 'People can come here and learn how to cook in a relaxed environment.'

The farmhouse sits on two acres of land where Schmooke intends to add vegetable gardens, edible landscaping and a flock of laying hens. These additions will provide fresh ingredients for students to harvest and use in their classes.

The acreage also is home to a flock of wild turkeys. Schmooke is already eyeing them for next Thanksgiving.

At a Glance

• Owner: Becky Schmooke

• Business: Becky's Mindful Kitchen

• Email: beckysmindfulkitchen@gmail.com

• Phone: (319) 325-3464

• Website: beckysmindfulkitchen.com

• Know of a company in business for less than a year that would be ideal for 'Ground Floor'? Contact George Ford at george.ford@sourcemedia.net.