Build Flavor with Spices - Hood River Class

April 28th, 5-6:30

Arome Hood River - 105 Oak St, Hood River OR 97031

Discover how exciting and flavorful cooking can be when you learn to taste spices the way people taste wine. In this hands‑on workshop, you’ll explore a wide range of whole spices, especially peppercorns, and learn how aroma, grind size, and spice variety shape the flavors you experience in your food.

We’ll compare black, red, white, green, and specialty peppers, taste a selection of both familiar and exotic spices, and explore how each one behaves on different food mediums. By the end of the tasting, you’ll understand your own flavor preferences and be ready to create something uniquely yours. Then, using what you’ve learned, you’ll build your own custom spice blend to take home. Light finger foods are provided.

What You’ll Taste

• Black, red, white, green, and other true peppercorns
• Pepper “imitators” such as long pepper, Sichuan pepper, and more
• A selection of essential pantry whole spices
• Your own custom blend (created during class!)

You’ll Leave With

• A $45 credit toward any FinaMill product purchased at Arome
• A custom spice blend you create yourself
• A deeper understanding of how spices work
• The confidence to cook more boldly and creatively

Instructor Bio:

This class will be taught by entrepreneur David Nelson. Dave is a spice expert if there ever was one and is one of the founding members of FinaMill. Since the company began in 2019, David has played a key role in product development, including early testing of grind quality, grind size, and spice compatibility across the full lineup of FinaPods. His hands-on experience with hundreds of spices has made him one of FinaMill’s go-to experts on flavor and functionality.

Beyond his work with FinaMill, David teaches weekly in-home cooking classes centered around building confidence in the basics. Warm, genuine, and always ready with a joke, he brings a lighthearted but deeply knowledgeable teaching style to every class. He believes spices are truly the "spice of life", a personal and expressive way to make cooking special and to share flavor with others. His goal is to give every participant permission to explore, experiment, and discover amazing flavors for themselves.

Allergens: Samples contain dairy and gluten.