ROCKLAND — The Good Tern Co-op natural food store and bagel café at 750 Main Street in Rockland, will bring the flavors of sunny Morocco to the public this winter in a series of two cooking classes. North African cuisine enthusiast Eileen Murray will offer cooking demonstrations on two Sunday afternoons, January 16 and February 6, starting at 2:30 p.m.

Murray, a licensed acupuncturist with a practice in Rockland, looks forward to teaching participants how to use herbs and spices both for physical and emotional well-being and to create a tasty meal. She notes that typical Moroccan spices like cumin and turmeric have been shown to reduce inflammation and prevent cancer.

On January 16, the featured dish will be a tagine of spicy kefta with lemon, and on February 6 Murray will prepare a fish tagine with preserved lemon and mint. Participants will receive both recipes, which come from the book Tagine, Spicy Stews from Morocco, used by permission of the author, Ghillie Basan. 

Murray has a long standing interest in cooking. She began baking for her large family in grade school, even entering a cake in the New York State Fair when she was 11.

 “I made my own sourdough starter in junior high school (writing King Arthur Co. to get their 100 year old seed starter),” she said, in a news release. “Cooking, and playing with recipes, measurements, and ingredients, gave me a strong foundation for caring for myself and a sense of independence in the kitchen.”

Murray has worked in restaurants and also volunteered for many years in the deli at the Good Tern Co-op.

The Moroccan cooking classes are organized by the Education and Community Outreach Committee of the Good Tern Co-op. All are welcome to join one or both classes. Families are especially encouraged to sign up. The classes are held both in-person and online and are free. Registration is required for both in-person and virtual attendance. Please register by sending an email to gtholeinthewall@gmail.com.

Good Tern Natural Foods Co-op is a member-owned food and health store founded in 1980 to provide healthy food and wellness choices at reasonable prices for the local community. The Co-op’s Education & Community Outreach Committee is a volunteer effort to engage residents of Midcoast Maine and beyond in fun and satisfying ways to learn while improving their own mental and physical health as well as ensuring a healthy planet.