Dining with Denise to join the crew of Mark Arts culinary teachers next month

I’m about to embark upon another food adventure: In March, I’ll be added to the list of culinary “teaching artists” working with Mark Arts, the nonprofit arts center at 1307 N. Rock Road.

On Saturday, the venue is putting on its annual open house and art market, which will feature regional artists and designers selling their wares and original art pieces. You can also check out the massive culinary studio, where I’ll be leading classes, and while there, you can sample food prepared by some of the instructors, including two kinds of chili made by yours truly.

Admission to the open house is free. It will last from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Chili samples will be offered from 1 to 3 p.m., while supplies last.

My first class at MarkArts is scheduled for 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, March 21. It will be titled “Brunch on the Bright Side,” and I’ll be demonstrating how to make my famous Quiche Lorraine with scratch-made crust, some excellent Potatoes O’Brien, and a sugar cookie “pizza” decorated with glazed fruit. I’ve prepared this menu for many baby showers, and it’s always a crowd pleaser.

At the end of the class, we’ll brunch on what we prepared. (The price is $65 a person, and you can sign up at markartsks.com/classes-workshops)

During the open house, you can also learn about the long list of other classes that Mark Arts offers on topics ranging from painting to ceramics to printmaking. The center also has a robust culinary class list: My friend and former colleague Joe Stumpe has been teaching there for years and has classes on next month’s calendar that will cover authentic Mexican food and St. Patrick’s Day favorites. Other instructors will be leading March classes on street tacos, wine tasting, and gluten-free baking. Italian chef Roberto Bernardinello, whose Colwich cooking class plans I recently wrote about, also will be offering a Mark Arts class on Italian cooking.

Visitors will be able to sign up for my class or any of the others during the open house.

I was supposed to be at the event passing out my chili samples but then learned that the event would conflict with a relative’s funeral. Staff members will instead pass out samples of my red chili, which won a fourth-place ribbon at the 2023 Wichita Wagonmasters Chili Cookoff, as well as a white chicken chili, which won high praise from my husband, Travis, a notorious picky eater.

Also, one of the art vendors participating in Saturday’s market will be oil painter Bill Goffrier, whose collection of prints for sale includes dozens of Wichita restaurants, past and present. I wrote about his hobby of painting Wichita restaurants and other notable local buildings in December.

For more information on the open house and art market, visit markartsks.com/course/art-market-open-house/

This story was originally published February 25, 2026 at 1:31 PM.

Denise Neil

The Wichita Eagle

316-268-6327

Denise Neil has covered restaurants and entertainment since 1997. Her Dining with Denise Facebook page is the go-to place for diners to get information about local restaurants. She’s a regular judge at local food competitions and speaks to groups all over Wichita about dining.