The Middle East has a rich and varied tradition of cheese making reaching back as far as 5000 BC in Mesopotamia. In this fun, hands-on workshop, Rahaf Alakbani will be sharing some of her favourite family cheese recipes. This class will cover the basics of preparing 3 kinds of cheese popular in Syria: yogurt-based Labneh, ricotta-like Kareshi, and a fresh curd cheese known as Jibneh Arabieh. The class will explore recipe ideas, as well a taste of Syrian culture, history and music.

Babka is a sweet, twisted, yeast-dough bread with Eastern European roots. Typically served as a dessert and the perfect accompaniment to coffee, babka has transcended its humble roots and become a trendy staple in gourmet bakeries around the world. Classic babka is either chocolate or cinnamon-filled but can be made using any filling you can imagine, savoury or sweet.

In this class, participants will learn to make the yeasted dough essential to babka recipe, and then the shaping, folding and glazing techniques that give the babka its signature marbled swirls and gleaming finish. Working from a basic chocolate base, we will explore several ingredients to customize your perfect babka. There will be fresh-baked chocolate babka to share in class, and each participant goes home with their own whole unbaked babka to bake at home.

Join artisanal baker Leo Baduria for this fun, hands-on workshop. Participants will learn the recipes and techniques for making traditional yeast-risen flatbreads found in Italy and France, such as Focaccia, Fougasse aux Olives, Pizza Margherita and Tarte Flambée. You will learn how to make dough from scratch, how to handle it from kneading and resting to stretching and shaping, as well as tips on timing and temperature for baking. You'll get to snack on the delicious breads made in class and take home any extras.

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 artisanal baker Leo Baduria to discover the secrets of one of French pastry's most magical delights - the flaky, delicate butter croissant. You will learn the whole process of creating your own croissants, from the base yeasted brioche dough, to the techniques of butter lamination that creates the croissant's signature delicate layered texture. This versatile dough can be used to make a variety of pastries like pain au chocolat, cinnamon swirls, palmiers and more. There will be delicious fresh croissants to enjoy in class, and participants will be able to take additional dough to bake at home.

What could be more romantic, more aphrodisiac than the feel of soft, supple dough under your fingertips, the heady smell of melting chocolate, the spicy perfume of cinnamon, the warm, moist steam escaping from a freshly baked bread as you ravenously tear it open with your bare hands? Join us this Valentine's Day for a fun, hands-on class making sinfully decadent, sensually delightful fresh chocolate babka.