What better way to celebrate seasonal ingredients than by making soups? In this class on Friday, Feb. 16, from 6 to 8 p.m., taught by Rachel Portnoy, students will start with the basics of flavor-building and move on to how to create hearty, delicious, and nutrient-dense soups. Participants will learn about different cuisines and culinary traditions, and use simple manipulations to take a soup in an entirely new direction.

Rachel Portnoy started out as a vegetarian cook during her time as a graduate student in the 1990s, and then moved on to specialize in pastry at Le Cordon Bleu in London. She worked at French fine dining and Michelin-starred restaurants in New York; Washington, D.C.; London; as well as at fine restaurants and bakeries in France. In 2002, Rachel and her husband, French chef Franck Tessier, opened Cakewalk Bakery and Chez Nous Restaurant in Lee, Mass. Rachel now works as a Culinary and Baking instructor/Demonstration Chef at Canyon Ranch.