Edible Alphabet
Edible Alphabet is a free English Language Learning (ELL) program offered by the Free Library's Culinary Literacy Center. The mission is to teach English language and literacy skills through hands-on cooking projects.
Students will learn vocabulary and grammar, as well as practice listening, speaking, reading, and writing in English while cooking a new delicious recipe every week.
Edible Alphabet offers students a chance to improve their English skills while cooking new recipes and eating delicious foods. The program is offered both at the Parkway Central Library and in our Neighborhood Libraries.
For more on the Free Library's services for English language learners including bilingual and foreign language print and electronic resources, information on citizenship, health and wellness, and other resources, visit the Free Library's New Americans page.
Register for Edible Alphabet now!
Please sign-up for an upcoming Edible Alphabet course. You can also call the Culinary Literacy Center for more information at 215-686-5323 or email kitchen@freelibrary.org.
Library card applications are also available in the following languages on our Library Card Application page:
- Español (Spanish)
- 汉语 (Chinese)
- Việt (Vietnamese)
- Русский (Russian)
- Français (French)
- عربي (Arabic)
Press
In a city with about 11,000 Latino small businesses out of about 104,000 total, the path to owning a business can be rocky and frustrating.
"Don't speak English" were the first words Ana MarÃa learned to say in English when she moved to Boston from Puerto Rico in 1978 at 14 years old.
The class at the Free Library not only helped participants learn Spanish, but they also took home a recipe from Peru.
Sharing food is a communal practice that transcends cultures. Though cuisine and preparation style can vary, the act of coming together with friends and family for a meal is universal.
Through Edible Alphabet, students learn English while they cook – gaining the confidence to navigate a new city and culture along the way.
Food and conversation go together like love and marriage; they are a natural pairing, one that evokes home and comfort.
A series of classes through the Free Library of Philadelphia teaches English as a second language via cooking lessons.
For many immigrants, coming to America is full of the unfamiliar &ndashl from the language to the food. In Philadelphia, a program aims to help these arrivals settle into their new country by folding English lessons into a cooking class.
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