Once known as a vital hunting and trading region, the Shawnee, Chickasaw, and Cherokee were most likely the first humans to call present-day Bowling Green their home. It wasn’t until the late 1700s that Robert and George Moore settled the area. As the story goes, the Irish-born founding fathers hailed from Virginia. More importantly, the brothers were first-generation American immigrants, much like the estimated 14,000 foreign-born individuals who currently reside here. So, it only stands to reason that Bowling Green’s palate extends just as far beyond the American South as its people.
Anna Kulka knows this all too well. She’s the founder and lead instructor of The Food School which offers cooking classes featuring home cooks’ recipes from across the globe. A daughter of missionaries, Anna grew up in Thailand before marrying and moving to Los Angeles. So, when the couple moved to Bowling Green about three years ago, Anna took pause. After all, her new Kentucky home was the smallest town she had ever lived in as an adult. But, Bowling Green didn’t disappoint, as Anna recalls, “It has blown my expectations in many ways, and the diversity of Bowling Green is far, far more interesting than I expected. There are people here from all over the world.”
When Anna launched The Food School in 2024, she began with the notion to share with her students what a person from another country eats in their homes, as opposed to a restaurant. And, she started with what she grew up with and knew best – Thai Food. This January, her Thai class will teach how to prepare the Northeastern Thai staples of sticky rice, chicken satay, and papaya salad, for example.
To expand the school’s offerings, Anna considered, “Can we make this school a place of welcome and relationship building? That's really what The Food School is about. It's about building bridges across cultures, and you don't have to go far.” She walked out her front door one day and took note of the many nationalities that her neighborhood represented, and eventually created a cultural exchange that became her true mission.
With a background in teaching, Anna explains, “The way I think about my teaching kitchen is like designing a classroom.” But, she is quick to clarify that she isn’t a chef. Still, it doesn’t take any time at all to understand that she embodies the mind of a chef, right down to the recipe testing part of how a dish hits their menu.
Her process can span months before she offers a class on new cuisines. Most often, she starts by visiting the person’s home many times to get the recipes right. “What we're offering is intentionally limited to that family's variation of it,” just as she calls these home cooks “food partners”, somewhere along the way, they also become dear friends. “I'm not claiming to be an expert in all of these different types of cuisine. I'm just claiming to share a meal from a friend,” she adds.
She has also learned a great deal about sourcing ingredients, which can be tricky since the international aisle of most American grocers is limited, at best. Anna recommends Almadina International Market in Bowling Green, or to shop online for shelf-stable products. She also makes regular runs to Nashville’s international corridor on Nolensville Road.
The Food School currently operates out of the SOKY Center and offers classes on cuisines from countries such as Thailand, Ethiopia, El Salvador, Brazil, Iraq, Bosnia, Germany, Mexico, and Argentina. Anna’s also in the planning stage of some exciting new classes for the new year and is close to securing a dedicated location for the school.
When you think about it, sharing a plate of food is one of the purest acts of love you can give someone. And, when you can get to know your neighbor in the process? That’s the sort of thing that makes Bowling Green the beautiful melting pot that it is. To learn more details about The Food School, such as pricing and schedule, you can visit thefoodschool.com, email Anna at info@foodschoolbg.com, or by calling her directly at (270) 883-0144.
In the meantime, consider this recipe from Anna’s Salvadoran friends and food partners, Alma and Bessy, as the on-ramp to a whole new road to discovering the true flavors of Bowling Green.
