Outside of Mexico, not many people know that on St. Patrick’s day, Mexicans honor the San Patricios, Irish soldiers of the St. Patrick's Brigade who switched sides to fight and die alongside their Catholic Mexican compatriots in the Mexican-American War of 1846 -1848. Interesting tidbits of Mexican culture and history are just a part of this fun, hands-on workshop with Chef Erika Araujo, who will walk you through the traditions and recipes of two classic Mexican dishes associated with this holiday:…

March Break Cooking Class for Kids Tamales are an essential and ancient Mexican dish – soft cornmeal dough (masa) stuffed with a flavourful filling, wrapped in corn husks or banana leaves and steamed. Portable and self-contained, tamales are a popular street food with countless variations found all across Mexico. In this fun March Break class for kids 7-17, Chef Erika Araujo will share recipes and demonstrate how to make 3 kinds of tamales popular around Mexico City: chicken tamales with green…

Register by TUE Apr 20 Many classic French pastries such as profiteroles, croquembouches, éclairs, sweet crullers and savoury gougères, all rely on the delicate French pastry dough known as pâte à choux, or choux pastry (named after the French word for cabbage, which some small round choux puffs resemble). They’re versatile for both sweet and savoury dishes, and easy to make — once you know how! In this hands-on virtual course, pastry chef Justine Lam will lead you through preparing choux…

Register by FRI Apr 23 Every culture has their comfort-food dumplings, and warm, hearty Polish pierogies are right up there with the best of them. In this fun, hands-on workshop, Maria Rozynska leads you through the process of kneading & rolling, filling & shaping, and boiling & frying homemade pierogies from scratch. You’ll learn an easy-to-make pierogi dough along with 3 traditional Polish fillings: classic potato & farmers cheese, savoury mushroom & sauerkraut, as well as a sweet prune filling for delicious…

Register by TUE Apr 27 The appeal of tiramisu is pretty self-evident — a delicious trifle of light biscuits, aromatic coffee and liqueur and rich zabaglione filling. On the strength of its undeniable charms, and the occasional high-profile endorsements (Tom Hanks mentions it in Sleepless in Seattle in 1993), tiramisu — very quickly and only quite recently — has gone one to become one of the best known Italian desserts in the world, despite not being mentioned in print in Italy until 1980.…

Register by SAT May 1 Fermentation has been used for millennia to preserve fresh vegetables while enhancing the flavours and nutritional profile. Naturally fermented foods use salt (or a culture starter in some cases) to create a welcoming environment for good bacteria. Through the process known as process lacto-fermentation, these probiotic bacteria naturally preserve the ferments and provide the familiar sour taste of sauerkraut and sour pickles. These living cultures enhance the nutritional profile of the ingredients while retaining vitamins…

Register by SUN May 23 Pressure cooking, by its very nature, is a faster and healthier way to prepare foods. Nutrients are preserved at much higher rates than other, conventional cooking methods, flavours are intensified and, again, cooking time can be reduced by up to 70%. Throw in the fact that you are using less energy, wasting less water and how can you go wrong? Unfortunately, many of us have scary memories of our grandmother’s stove-top pressure cookers, hissing, spitting…