Family Made
Each baking session comes with a special kit that includes a shopping list, recipe cards and two kid-sized, kitchen tools.
This March, Holyoke Community College will offer a four-week series of baking classes aimed at parents and their children who want to learn to create tasty treats together under the guidance of a professional chef.
The "Bake With Me" series runs for four consecutive Fridays in March from 4 to 5:30 p.m. over Zoom.
Each class will focus on a different dessert: March 5 (Key Lime Pie); March 12 (caramel cheesecake); March 19 (blackberry cobbler a la mode); March 26 (royal icing sugar cookies).
Classes will be led by Chef Maureen Benton, an instructor in HCC's Culinary Arts program.
"'Bake With Me' offers families a fun way to connect, laugh and learn together from the comfort of their own kitchens," said Michele Cabral, HCC executive director of Business, Corporate and Professional Development. "My husband and I have been Zoom cooking with our grandson and love the memories we are creating as a family."
The cost of each session is $49 and comes with a special baking kit that includes a shopping list, recipe cards and two kid-sized kitchen tools: Session 1 (apron and whisk); Session 2 (chef's hat and spatula); Session 3 (oven mitt and ice cream scoop); Session 4 (dish towl and rolling pin).
The kits will be available for pickup, dropoff or delivery by mail.
"When kids learn to bake, they develop confidence, and, without knowing it, they are also practicing their math skills, as they learn to measure ingredients and scale up or scale down a recipe," Cabral said. "But the classes will also offer kids a chance to play in the kitchen. They get to experiment, be creative, and, in the end, they'll have a yummy treat to share.
Class size is limited. To register for one or more sessions, please go to: hcc.edu/bake-with-me
PHOTO: (Thumbnail) Chef Maureen Benton in the bakeshop kitchen at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute. (Above) Chef Maureen Benton leads a Summer Youth baking class at the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute in 2018.
