Paul Young

Educator, Designer, Culinary Explorer

@cooking.with.paul
@cooking.with.paul.young
@chef_paul_young
cooking-with-paul.blogspot.com
info@cooking-with-paul.com

• Fall 2026: Hawaiian • French • Persian
• Thursday 6–8:30pm ($45-54 per class for residents)
• Register with Urbana Park District (ages 16 and up)
• Register with Urbana Park District [registration opens August 5]

 

Travel the world with self-taught home cook Paul Young as he deconstructs ethnic recipes and breaks down the flavor principles of each culinary tradition. Learn how to make anything taste ethnic by following a few master recipes and utilizing simple flavor principles. By the end of the series you will be able to customize flavor profiles and adjust recipes like a pro.

 

This is a hands-on cooking class series where all students will participate in the preparation of all the dishes on the menu. Do come hungry and thirsty because the tuition includes a multi-course dinner during the second half of the class when you will be eating everything you cooked that evening. 

 

Students will leave each session with easy-to-follow recipes of all the dishes on the menu. These recipes have all been adapted for the typical home cook and contain many tips & tricks to help minimize your time in the kitchen while staying true to the spirit of the original ethnic flavors.

 

All menu items below will use locally sourced ingredients but are subject to change based on the availability of fresh ingredients at local markets.






Midwest Hawaiian Fusion (September 3, 2026)



"Hawaiian regional cuisine" is a fusion of the best of Asia and some really bad American products like spam. But if you remove the American influence, Hawaii can be a foodie wonderland of delightful Polynesian-influenced dishes. Local food in Hawaii is a genre-bending, border-blurring cuisine—a result of the constant cultural exchange among numerous immigrant communities that include Japanese, Chinese, and Filipino. It's a style of cooking that makes use of locally grown ingredients to blend all of Hawaii's historical influences together to form a new fusion cuisine. Join guest chef Benny DelValley who will share his favorite Hawaiian fusion recipes:

• Midwest LauLau
• Chicken Long Rice
• Shrimp and Pork Hash
• Butter Mochi

 

Chef Benny DelValley began working in kitchens at age 16, and has worked in many styles and cuisines over the past 20 years including Japanese, Native American, Hawaiian, and French. He first started his culinary journey working at Yellowtail sushi restaurant in Champaign. He has been an executive chef and has also worked in catering. Today, Chef Benny owns and operates the Pond Street restaurant in Urbana inside the VFW Post 630 where he serves up a blend of Japanese/Hawaiian inspired dishes.






French Village Cooking (October 8, 2026)



Leave the bustle of Paris behind and discover the hearty, rustic dishes of the French village. In this hands-on class, we'll explore the traditional home cooking that has nourished rural families for generations. Learn how simple ingredients are transformed into deeply satisfying meals through time-honored techniques and regional flavors. Join guest chef Cédric Dumas who will share his family's traditional recipes and memories from his childhood in the French countryside.

• Saucisson en Brioche (sausage baked in bread)
• Cassoulet (slow-cooked casserole)
• Gratin Dauphinois (potatoes in cream)
• Tomates à la Provençale (stuffed tomatoes)

 

Cédric Dumas’s grandmother came from the south of France, from a line that traced back to the Cathars. She was a cook by trade and headed to Paris in the early 1900s to make her living. She took most of her recipes with her, but the soul of her cooking never left the family. Cédric grew up learning to cook in France with his mother and father, in a home where five-course meals were not uncommon — they were simply a way of life. In the 21st century, France has embraced healthier habits — fresh, high-quality organic ingredients and the art of cooking them at home. Yet, at its heart, French life is still about gathering: sharing family and regional recipes around the table, often with a house full of friends, remains the most cherished way to bring people together.






Persian Classics (November 12, 2026)



Dive deep into this ancient Middle Eastern cuisine inspired by the courts of ancient Persia (as Iran was called until the 1930s). Learn how to combine herbs and spices like saffron with nuts and dried fruit to make elaborate stews and rice dishes. Enjoy a silk road-inspired royal banquet that's both sophisticated and simple.

• Lamb Shank
• Khoresh Bademjan (Eggplant Stew)
• Jeweled Rice
• Mast-O-Khiar (Yogurt & Cucumber Dip)






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