Knowing how to choose, use and care for knives is one of the most essential parts of any cook’s skill set. Join Chef Sonya Gammal for a solid primer on knife skills and kitchen fundamentals. In addition to learning about the knives themselves, participants will get ample opportunity to practice a range of different hands-on knife skills as part of the preparation of a delicious meal. Chef Sonya will guide you through foundational skills such as: selecting, storing and handling knives, sharpening and honing, knife safety and tips, techniques for dealing with common ingredients like onions & garlic, classic vegetable and herb cuts such as julienne, brunoise, and chiffonade, and the easiest way to break down a whole chicken into 8 standard cuts.

Maple sap starts to run in mid-February, so what better way to celebrate this quintessentially Canadian milestone than two delicious maple recipes: Maple Butter Tarts and Maple Scones. Let 20-year cookie biz veteran Alan Zelcovitch walk you through creating delicious maple syrup butter tarts — they are so much easier to make than you might imagine — and you may never want to buy another butter tart again! You will learn the secrets of a beautifully flaky crust, and exactly how to make the perfect maple filling as well. As a bonus, you'll  be shown a great trick to easily remove them from the pan. Building on these pastry skills, you'll also get other make some fabulous Maple Scones as well. These flakey, layered scones can be frozen in raw, and baked off as you need them, so you are always ready to enjoy freshest scones, warm from the oven.

Join artisanal baker Leo Baduria for a full-day, in-depth exploration of the fundamentals of great bread. You’ll learn how to make your own sourdough starter, and how to prepare different types of dough, using various grains and flours. There will be hands-on practice of the techniques to folding, kneading and shaping dough to make focaccia/fougasse, baguettes, boules, batards and brioches, including challah braids.

Join Chef Anthony Sestito of Pastaio for a fun, hands-on class exploring a selection of traditional eggless pastas and shapes typical of Southern Italy. You'll ease into the class with a beautiful spread of antipasto on arrival, and then dive into learning how to make a simple and versatile fresh pasta dough from scratch, with […]