New Years Eve Celebration

Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens is hosting a New Year's Eve cooking class on Tuesday, December 8, from 6 PM to 8 PM. It's held in the AEP Foundation Education Pavilion, and the whole session is built around professional techniques for quick, elegant bites that you can prepare in advance and serve as hors d'oeuvres. If you're planning to host a party this year, it's exactly the kind of thing that takes the stress out of the night—you do the work early, so you can actually spend the party with your guests instead of stuck in the kitchen.

The menu covers a lot of ground. You'll make seared scallops on sweet potato puree and wild mushroom and truffle Gruyere tartlets for the lighter side, then move into slow-braised hoisin pork on mini brioche buns and crispy air-fried chicken wings in sweet chili garlic sauce. For something sweet, there are mini dark chocolate mousse cups with berries. It's a hands-on class, so you're not just watching—you're actually making these things yourself.

Chef Bill Hardin is leading the session. He's a graduate with honors of the Columbus State Community College chef apprenticeship program and has worked as a professional chef for more than twenty years across the medical, retail, and corporate fields, winning awards along the way. He's taught plenty of in-person and online classes, so he knows how to walk you through the process.

Tickets are $70 for adults and $65 for members. The class runs from 6 PM to 8 PM on Tuesday, December 8, at the AEP Foundation Education Pavilion inside the Conservatory.