SULPHUR, Okla. –
The Chickasaw Cultural Center is offering a hands-on “garden-to-table” cooking experience this weekend that lets participants harvest ingredients from on-site gardens and prepare a fresh meal guided by chefs and horticulture staff.
The program, called Ayowa’ Garden to Gourmet, is scheduled for Saturday at the cultural center in Sulphur. The two-hour class begins at 10 a.m. and includes a tour of traditional and modern gardens, where participants learn about Chickasaw agricultural practices and pick ingredients for their dish.
“It’s called Ayowa’ Garden to Gourmet, and Ayowa’ in our language means ‘to pick,’” Chickasaw Cultural Center Director of Operations Rance Gilliam said. “We wanted to build an agritourism aspect to our cultural center and our tours, so we developed this, where you tour our grounds, our traditional gardens, where you can learn and see how we ancestrally planted our plants.”
After touring the grounds, guests then work with chefs from the Chickasaw Nation, including Chef Josh Faulkner, to prepare recipes using freshly harvested produce. Organizers say each class features a different seasonal dish and emphasizes both cooking skills and cultural education.
Chickasaw Nation officials say the program is designed to blend agritourism with cultural learning, allowing visitors to experience how food is grown, harvested and prepared on campus.
The classes are open to families and individuals, and officials say participation has grown since the program launched, with interest spanning children, adults and elders.
More information and reservations are available through the Chickasaw Cultural Center website or by calling 580-622-7130.
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