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Julia Skinner, PhD | The Culinary Curiosity School

@culinary.curiosity.school

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The Culinary Curiosity School is your home for curious learning at the intersection of food and life, rooted in play and creativity.

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Hi! I’m Julia.

I am a multi-passionate creative, a seasoned culinary instructor and award-winning food writer with a PhD in Library & Information Science.

I love diving deep into history, plunging my hands in a big batch of sauerkraut or into my garden beds, and exploring the natural world.

I’ve been everything from a professor to cafe manager to a librarian to a bus driver and now, I’m a writer, culinary educator, and owner of multiple businesses
(@yourrootsandbranches and @rootkitchens, plus this lovely culinary school, of course!)

I love animals, and currently have 5 cats (I used to also keep chickens, and quail, plus fish and reptiles).

I grew up in Colorado, but have also lived in Iowa, New York City (part time, at least, when I couch-surfed around the city during my dissertation), north Florida, and now I split my time between Atlanta and Cork, Ireland.

I also steward a 13ish acre nature preserve in North Georgia.

I founded the Culinary Curiosity School because I saw a need for the kind of classes I *love* to create. Ones that
🫙pique your curiosity and excitement
🫙help you build unexpected connections between different parts of your life or between new ideas
🫙and are rooted in the wisdom of the past and the possibility of the future.

I use every experience from my life, research, and culinary work to craft classes to expand your mind, build your culinary skills, and help you see the world in a new way.

Welcome, I can’t wait to learn with you! by @culinary.curiosity.school

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2 years ago

Things I wish for you this week:
-a pleasant surprise that leaves you smiling
-a new culinary experience that sticks with you for years to come
-a gift that reminds you how loved and cherished you are
-an accomplishment that reminds you of all the wonderful things you do by @culinary.curiosity.school

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2 days ago

Short, sweet bursts of care and inspiration are coming your way this week.

Once in a while I offer intuitive guidance sessions on a pay-what-you-can basis, and today is one of those times!

You send me what you want or can (along with any questions you want me to focus on), I send you a voice note with everything that came through plus practical guidance for next steps if I see that, too.

DM me or comment below if you're interested! by @culinary.curiosity.school

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7 days ago

This fermented sweet and sour mango and coriander seed sauce works in sweet and savory applications (I swap it out as a dip for summer rolls and put it on my morning yogurt).

Find it in my latest column for @thecookscook!

https://www.thecookscook.com/columns/the-pantry-year/simple-ways-to-preserve-fruit-before-it-goes-bad/ by @culinary.curiosity.school

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9 days ago

Grocery prices and food supply chains are unpredictable, but with a bit of planning, there are simple ways to reduce stress and ensure you're able to ride the ups and downs more easily:

*Assess what you have: What shelf-stable staples can you use to infill what's in your fridge, freezer, and pantry for complete meals?

*What staples do you use the most? Make sure to keep extra around so you don't run out (I don't mean prepper-level stocking up, just grabbing an extra container when you're at the store).

*HOW do you cook, realistically? If you're scrambling to get dinner on the table in half an hour after work, for example, buying ingredients with a long prep time isn't realistic unless you're willing to plan ahead.

*What can you make both for yourself and to barter with others? I've traded pickled okra for haircuts, car repairs, yard care, etc. for the last decade. Plus, I get to eat pickled okra, too.

*Use what you have to full effect: The greens on root veg, peels, etc. can all be incorporate into dishes (for more ideas and practical recipes, check out my class Preserving Abundance).

*Buy in bulk used to always be cheaper but, not always now: Be sure to check prices on bulk foods before assuming. Sometimes cheaper prices can be found by using bulk bins at health food stores or at international markets versus larger chain groceries.

You can find hundreds more ideas in my classes (culinarycuriosityschool.com) newsletter (root-kitchens.com/newsletter) and in my newest book, Essential Food Preserving from @storeypub! by @culinary.curiosity.school

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12 days ago

We're all connected, after all 🥰 by @culinary.curiosity.school

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16 days ago

Let's do some medieval calligraphy! Come learn the basics of calligraphy and some calligraphy history, while also learning to write in uncials, a medieval script used in Ireland and around Europe in the 4th-7th centuries.

Supplies provided: Students are encouraged to bring a warm beverage or snack if they wish to enjoy one during the lecture portion of the workshop.

Top floor at @mygoodness above Quay Coop, 24 Sullivan's Quay

October 23, 6-8 PM

25 Euro per person

or 20 Euro for Nighttime Coop members

DM me to grab your spot or email me at hello@root-kitchens.com by @culinary.curiosity.school

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16 days ago

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17 days ago

Cork friends! Just in time for Samhain, come make some magical ferments:

Fermented foods have been used in magical practices and spell works for generations. Come learn some simple ways to work fermentation into your own magical practice, and how to create a simple mindfulness ritual that involves fermentation. You'll watch demos and together we'll make a magical batch of sauerkraut.

Students are asked to bring a clean jar (a small Kilner jar, a repurposed jam jar, etc.) if they wish to bring some sauerkraut home with them to ferment.

October 11, 6-8 PM

Upstairs (in the main restaurant area) at @mygoodness above Quay Coop.

24 Sullivan's Quay, Cork.

20 Euro per person, or

15 Euro for Nighttime Coop members and folks who pay in cash.

DM me to book your spot! by @culinary.curiosity.school

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18 days ago

Making vinegar for (almost) free with my fruit and veg scraps! This one is literally the carrot tips, tails, and peels, left over from my @corkcitycouncil Heritage Week workshop, fermented with sugar and water.

Get dozens of vinegar recipes and other ideas for working with vinegar (and food scraps) in my latest book, Essential Food Preserving from @storeypub ! by @culinary.curiosity.school

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23 days ago

The Ferment: Short Stories zine is officially in production! I’ll have signed and numbered copies available hopefully within the next month.

Also peek the no AI clause on the back cover: if you stick this zine into AI all your pickles will be ruined forever! Don’t risk it! by @culinary.curiosity.school

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a month ago

A couple weeks ago I made this low waste orange and fennel sauerkraut using just fruit and veg from the grocery store discount bin.

Fast forward to today and it’s bubbly and crunchy with a sweet and sour kick from the orange and fennel. Fermentation really is magic, and it’s everyday magic too, that you can access and benefit from even when money is tight (that’s how I got into it) ✨✨✨✨

You can learn my sauerkraut recipe and hundreds of others in my latest book, Essential Food Preserving from @storeypub! by @culinary.curiosity.school

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a month ago