by Kristina Kuhaupt, Customer Experience Manager
A name is nothing more than a name until the meaning behind it brings it to life, and begins to light up the space it takes up in this world. As September rolls around again, and the collective process of kids going back to school swings back into motion, the word “class” may conjure up different images depending on the space you happen to stand in. For me, I always enjoyed those first couple weeks back in school and finding out about all the things I would learn during the year, after a summer filled with unstructured time. Although that time was fun, restorative, necessary, (and, as I got older, allowed me to have a part-time job), there is beauty in going back to some structured learning collectively. As we get older, those experiences seem to get less and less frequent as we all go on our individual adult journeys.
I will be completely honest with y’all, when I was an Owner in the years prior to taking on this role, I did not take one single Co-op class. I knew they existed every month when I diligently studied the Reader and soaked in all of its fun articles, customer comments, Staff Picks, and sales to look out for. Every time I got to the cooking class section, though, I would look it over and think, “Those seem interesting, I should check it out,” and then proceeded to never do it as life grabbed my attention here and there throughout the month. Then the cycle would repeat itself again the next month. Well, I am here to tell you, I missed out on so much over those years! WOW, are our classes, teachers, and content amazing! This role has allowed me to audit every different type of class we offer here at the Co-op, and every time I left refreshed and energized all at the same time; allowing me to absorb new cooking and/or baking techniques that I never got around to prior, as I filled my days up mainly with work. I never stopped to smell the roses, as it were. Now, my job literally handed me a rose and said, “Smell, and what the heck, taste too; we think you are going to like it.” Yes, another corny analogy, but it is really true! I am now here to encourage you to do the same if you were like me and sort of did that thing many of us do…good intentions never brought to fruition.
Just like a name is only a name without context and meaning breathing life into it, so are class titles, until you jump in and experience all the tastes, smells, and community that bring color into that space with learning, laughter, and a shared experience with your fellow neighbors. Each class is so unique and a very different type of experience each and every time. The options and topics are so vast and rich. The Customer Experience team is here to help facilitate that class journey for you when you sign up at willystreet.coop/events.
Okay, the conceptual portion of this article is over, let’s dive into some details about our classes. If you are a loyal class attendee, you may have noticed all the different offerings popping up within the last few months due to a whole host of new teachers hitting the Co-op scene—six to be exact and one to follow later on in the year! This group of new teachers consists of staff as well as Owners like you and me, who are eager to teach about the topics they are skilled and passionate about including two new and/or returning categories of learning: herbalism and yoga/self-care. Below are some photos of our new teachers, their areas of expertise, and taken during one of their new classes.
(Not pictured: Monique Lu: Dumpling and Wonton expertise. First class: Shrimp & Pork Wontons on September 7, 6:00-7:30pm at Willy West.)
I am personally excited for all these new teachers and the knowledge they bring, thus enhancing our Co-op Principle 5 (Education, Training, and Information) even further. These new offerings will be held at our West store, Wil-Mar Neighborhood Center, FEED Kitchens, and our new flex space, located across the street from our East store coming soon. As Anya announced in her column this month, our Owners voted on the name for this space earlier in the year and collectively agreed upon Aubergine (the French word for Eggplant and/or purple in color), quite symbolic of our brand over the years. The 1226 Williamson Street location will be facilitated by your Customer Experience team. Here, we will provide space for our well-loved cooking and wellness classes, provide areas for local artists to hang and sell their work, pop-up events, conference space rental, commercial kitchen rental, and general community flex space for even more ideas and functionalities to percolate over time. The sky’s the limit, and we are eager to collaborate and walk into this new space with you, the community!
Lastly, I wanted to give especially loyal class-goers a heads-up. Over the years since we started offering classes, we’ve seen our program grow exponentially as the Co-op has grown. We have added new class offerings, expanded the number of locations where we offer classes, and introduced new class instructors. The Co-op believes in a fair, equitable, and sustainable system for all and in maximizing the value of our programs, including in the wages for our class instructors. After careful consideration and thorough research into the going rates for similar classes in our area, we have made the decision to increase the cost for all classes starting in October of this year. We feel this change helps us make sure our instructors’ valuable knowledge, skills, and experience are fairly compensated and that our class offerings are sustainable for years to come. We feel that the new pricing structure allows us to continue bringing value to our loyal Owners while maintaining a fair pricing structure so that multiple members of a family can participate in a class together if so desired. On the next page you will find the new pricing model for Fiscal Year 2024.
Kids Classes
- Owners: $15 for 1 child, 2 children at $25, 3 children at $37.50, 4 kids at $50 (5 + add additional $12.50 per child)
- Non-Owners: $25 per child (with no break in pricing for additional children)
Adult Cooking/Herbal Classes
- Owners: $30 per adult
- Non-Owners: $40 per adult
- Yoga/Self Care Classes: $15 per individual
Cooking Together Classes
- Owners: $20 per adult; $15 for the 1st child and $12.50 for each additional child
- Non Owners: $40 per adult; $25 for each child with no break in pricing for additional children
Thank You
I want to thank you for your continued support and loyalty to these educational opportunities that we provide— we appreciate you, and so do our instructors!! Here’s to a new class fiscal year filled with wonderful new, exciting, and growing experiences for our entire Madison and Middleton area neighborhoods!
Cheers to taking time to smell and experience the roses in life, both at the Co-op and beyond!
