Sharing a meal brings families and friends together, but in order to sit down and dine, food has to be prepared.

Chef William Furlong has been offering cooking workshops at the Southern Cultural Heritage Center since 2012 and has been the instructor for more than 20 classes.

On Monday, he will be back at it when he leads a William’s Winter Soup Workshop.

“I drew some inspiration from friends for this class. My best friend and regular assistant at my classes, Lucy Phillips Priddy, will demonstrate her Spicy Sausage and Lentil Soup, and I will be demonstrating my good friend, Christy Scheuer’s, Chicken Soup. It has an Asian twist on the traditional chicken noodle. I will also be demonstrating my Chicken and Dumplings soup recipe,” Furlong said, adding all of the recipes are perfect for this time of year.

Furlong served as the executive chef at Two Zero Eight South Lamar, in Oxford before moving to Vicksburg. He has worked as the director of food and beverage at Lady Luck Casino and is currently the general manager of the Newk’s Eatery in Vicksburg.

Furlong said his cooking workshops at the SCHF have evolved through the years, but one thing remains the same, they are all about the participants.

“I want every attendee to be as hands on as they would like. Obviously, it isn’t practical for each student to make four pots of soup each, but the prep and chopping are the perfect time to share some chopping technique and show students how to improve their knife skills. It is also is a good time to show how to prioritize the steps of the recipe. I don’t rush through things like Rachel Ray, but I show short cuts and industry habits that make things easier,” he said.

Cooking workshops with Furlong also include a discussion about the recipes and a demonstration on ways to alter or personalize them, he said.

But the best part of each class is the tasting.

“The most important part of each workshop is tasting the food. In some classes, like the soup workshop, we will sample as each recipe is completed. Other workshops, like the holiday appetizers workshop, we complete the recipes and sample at the end, and I always have a snack at the beginning of the class for those coming right from work.”

Furlong said he enjoys being an instructor for the cooking workshops at the SCHC.

“I love that these cooking classes bring together people of different backgrounds for a few hours to enjoy something they all have in common, the appreciation for good food and a good time,” he said.

William’s Winter Soup Workshop will run from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. and registration is $30 for members and $35 for nonmembers.

Space is limited and reservations are required.

For more information, call 601-631-2997 or email info@southernculture.org.