Lrn2Pastry

December 18, 2006 11:27 AM

I just had a last-minute flash of inspiration for an Xmas gift for my fiancée: she is interested in making pastries and candies and has an innate knack for it. I'd like to get her some lessons from a pro. Possible?

I've read about corporate group-building classes where everyone gets together and learns to cook, and I've found some more professional-grade courses from cooking schools, but does anyone know of such a class for the interested amateur?

We are in the Bay Area, so local suggestions would be appreciated, but for the sake of everyone, please post any and all recommendations.

posted by redshifter to Food & Drink (10 answers total)

There's a place in Buffalo called DeLish that does just that.
I can't imagine a small city like this would have one and a big place like SF wouldn't.

Those teambuilding places often have open-registration classes for all sorts of things, try one of them, they may have open to the public as well as the group classes.
posted by Kellydamnit at 11:30 AM on December 18, 2006

Quick Google search: http://www.sfbi.com/courses.html

Nice gift!
posted by LoriFLA at 11:31 AM on December 18, 2006

Response by poster: Quick Google search: http://www.sfbi.com/courses.html

Thanks for the suggestion! I'd also found SFBI on Google, but I was worried that it was too professional-grade for her needs. She'd have to take a week off of work for it. If anyone knows of somethink along the lines of DeLish in the Bay Area, I'm all ears. Or eyes, in this case.
posted by redshifter at 11:49 AM on December 18, 2006

Best answer: This school appears to be more friendly to the home baker of cook. I notice they have a few pastry/bread/desert courses coming up. TanteMarie's.
posted by LoriFLA at 11:52 AM on December 18, 2006

or cook

dessert
posted by LoriFLA at 11:53 AM on December 18, 2006

duh, looks like pastry may be a professional course. It might be worth giving them a ring to check and see if they have pastry or confectionery courses for the home cook.

Good luck. I would imagine there are tons of lessons available in your beautiful area.
posted by LoriFLA at 11:59 AM on December 18, 2006

Sur la Table has demonstrations and courses and such. I would guess you could get private lessons, if you were willing to pay enough. (I've seen them on TV shows and such when guys have been trying to impress their dates.)
posted by occhiblu at 12:05 PM on December 18, 2006

(Oh, actually, looking further, it looks like some of their classes are "Hands On," so it's not just demonstations.)
posted by occhiblu at 12:06 PM on December 18, 2006

Best answer: Look into courses through local Community Education Centers. Here in the Boston area, there are several local organizations that run classes for adults on a variety of topics. Cooking courses taught through this type of program would be taught by a local chef, but geared towards the everyday person.

A quick Google brought up courses at CCSF, but there are probably more.
posted by Sprout the Vulgarian at 12:14 PM on December 18, 2006

This seems to be what you're looking for. ("a culinary instruction school designed to accommodate the novice chef as well as the avid home cook.")
posted by Margalo Epps at 12:31 PM on December 18, 2006