San Francisco/Bay Area/Portland & NYC Baking and Knife Skills Classes: A Calendar!

2007: For the curtrent calendar of upcoming classes, click here.

**May 10 ANNOUNCEMENT: The

Sunday May 20, 2007 Ice Cream & Sorbet is FULL!! Thank you for your interest!**

What's Next:

Sunday May 6, 2007 Pie & Galette Dough 1 - 3:30 pm

Sunday May 20, 2007 Ice Cream & Sorbet 1 - 3:30 pm

Sunday June 3, 2007 TBA

Sunday June 10, 2007 TBA

New Price: $80

End of June: A Knife Skills Class and possibly a Baking Class in NYC!

Mid July: A Knife Skills Class and possibly a Baking Class in Portland, Oregon!

Why:

I believe one must learn the hows as well as the whys of baking and working with seasonal fruits at their peak. Students receive tried and truly tested recipes, a thorough lecture and time in a kitchen large enough to see and practice efficient methods. Afterwards we sit down and eat our spoils!

When, Where & How Much:

Baking classes take place between 1-3:30 pm in North Berkeley, California, close to public transportation and plenty of parking. The price is $80 per person. Details of location are disclosed to registered students a few days before the class. There are two $45 spots reserved in each Baking Class for "assistants." I make these spots available to students who may otherwise not be able to afford the class. Assistants arrive early and stay a little later to help clean up. If you feel you qualify, email me directly.

How To Sign Up:

To register for a class, pay by simply clicking on the Paypal link (located in the right hand column of Eggbeater). Make sure to specify which classes you're signing up for. If you wish to send me a check, email me (Email link is in the upper left hand column of Eggbeater) and I will give you a snail mail address.

Subjects I've Taught:

Baking With Chocolate, Seasonal Fruit Desserts, Caramel, Cookies, Custards, Egg Whites, Knife Skills, Pie Dough, The Art of the Quenelle -- an elegant French technique for creating the "egg shape" with one spoon or two, and Pate a Choux.

The Mailing List:

If you want to be a person who finds out about the subjects of my next class RIGHT AWAY, without having to traipse back here all the time, I keep a small mailing list and send out the announcement to those people first. Email me if you want to be placed on my own personal Shuna Lydon Mailing List. This list is shared with no one, it only exists in my email program, and it's for this purpose exclusively, so you won't hear a peep out of me unless a class is on the horizon!

Links To My Other Classes:

All classes written about on Eggbeater. {Look in the comments sections for student feedback.}
Shuna's classes advertised on Guy Prince's blog Meathenge.
Sean Timberlake writes about a pie dough class of mine.
Anil Dash, the one and only, writes about my first ever Knife Skills Class!
I talk about the finer points of Caramel, as the subject of one of my classes, on KQED.
Pavlova, one of the desserts covered in the Egg Whites Class, at Simply Recipes.
My latest Knife Skills Class reviewed by Catherine at Albion Cooks.
Seasonal Fruit Desserts Class reviewed by the formidable Anita at Married With Dinner.
Rachel Keller reviews Seasonal Fruit Dessert Class at Yelp.

 

Who is Shuna Lydon?

I am a seasonal produce-inspired pastry chef with over 14 years experience cooking and baking professionally. My style seamlessly links savory and sweet ingredients and methods, creating familiar and innovative desserts with a focus on local, seasonal and sustainable produce. I have worked in such notable kitchens as Gramercy Tavern and Verbena in Manhattan, The French Laundry and Bouchon in Yountville and Citizen Cake and Aziza in San Francisco.

I was a featured Chef in 7X7 Magazine, and as well my desserts have garnered attention in The SF Chronicle, Gourmet, SF Magazine and others.

The Shop with The Chef program in the SF Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market is where I began teaching over seven years ago. Later I went on the be a baking Instructor with Sur La Table, and soon after I ventured out on my own, teaching these "private classes." My classes are thorough, and chock full of information and stories about the many kitchens I've worked in. I think you'll find that, even if you have never taken a cooking class before, you will enjoy mine.

Come One, Come All. Come Hungry To Learn!

Comments

[cheryl]

Hi there- okay not everything in the this blog is everyone's cup of tea but I think you are doing a good job of letting the world know about the pastry industry from an insider's prespective and also doing a good job of helping pastry novices learn more about the craft and the great fruit here in the Bay Area. Keep writing and teaching.

[aimee]

Geesh. I for one read your blog daily, and while not everything is useful or applicable to my life, I always find it interesting. Why read it if you don't want to see the world from another person's perspective? See that, I delurked for you!:)

Anyway, I would love to see a knife skills class in NYC! I'm a current pastry student and there's only one class devoted to knife skills for pastry students (and of course, it's booked). Sign me up!

[Calichef]

Holy cow, Sue! Didn't your mother teach you that if you can't say something nice to say nothing at all? Or maybe you're just a troll that we should all ignore?

But seriously, if you don't like this blog, don't read it. I doubt if anyone is holding a gun to your head and forcing you to read here.

One more thing, you accuse Shuna of whining, but you are the only one I see whining.

[Michelle]

Bleh, ignore Ann.

I hope for a baking class in Portland.

Yours is one of my favorite, most useful blogs and not only that, it's linked me to other interesting and useful blogs.

Your recipes are stellar and always leave me wanting more. I always tell people that if they want a recipe from the internet, they need to look for good blogs because spammers have ruined search engines.

And the photography is better than I've seen in some books/mags.

[Erin]

Baking class in Portland, you say? And I was thinking those San Franciscans were so lucky! Please keep us informed - I'll definitely sign up!

[shuna fish lydon]

Cheryl, I'm honored to have you here! Pastry Chefs ALWAYS invited to speak at eggbeater!

Aimee, You're on the NYC mailing list! Thanks for your early interest!

Calichef, flame/spam like that just gets erased as soon as I see it. O yeah, I'm also quite fond of blocking IP addresses now too. But thanks for the back up.

Michelle, your words are appreciated. Thanks for saying them. My camera isn't the best, but I try nonetheless... If you come back can you explain this to me? "because spammers have ruined search engines." thanks!

Erin, you're on the Portland mailing list! thanks. I hope to meet you soon.

[HungryHippo]

Oh wow! Classes in NYC too. I would love to attend a baking class. Please let me know when you are planning classes here--if I'm in town then, I will be sure to attend!

[Michelle]

I'm only a wannabe nerd, but basically there is way to manipulate google so that your website always shows up first. I find if I try to search, cooksdotcom always shows up first followed by sites that all have the same recipe. It used to be worse.

I really do find blogs or websites I consider reliable to give me better results. For instance, Sailu's Kitchen is one I use quite often. Granted, I mainly use the web for ethnic foods or pastry as those are my weaker areas.

I made the caramel cake last night. The browning of the butter added SO much flavor.

[shuna r]

Hi- I can't come to a pastry class...Read about your pies and would like to improve mine -what do you mean when you use kosher salt -it couldn't be the coarse salt...I don't think that would disolve in the pastry

[Katie]

Oh, Shuna! I am swooning over the idea of you teaching a baking class in Portland -- I am so, so there! How exciting!

[shuna fish lydon]

Great! All of you who have asked are now on your respective cities' mailing lists! Can't wait to teach in another city!

Shuna R,

I like kosher salt to show up in my mouth but if you want a salt that will "dissolve" in the dough, just use a smaller grain salt, yes, or a salted butter. There are especially delicous salted butters coming from France these days...

[Johanna]

both my boyfriend and i love this blog! thank you for writing it. i'm so excited to make the devil's food cake by the way - and we are so excited about the prospect of your coming to new york to teach a baking class! (well actually he's more into the knife skills and i'm more into the baking)! hopefully it will be on sunday like most of your classes seem to be. i look forward to more info!

[Aaron]

Wow...you taught an entire class on the Quenelle?!
That's so cool.
Any chance you might repeat the pie and galette dough class when stone fruit roles around? It's a subject I'm dying to learn more about, but I can't make it on that date.

[shuna fish lydon]

Johanna, wow, thanks! you are on the list!

Aaron, I gave a private lesson in quenelle but you could say I've taught SCHOOLS of people the art form-- if you count all the cooks & chefs I've trained!

I might teach this class again in the summer but this one will be its 3rd round so I can't make any promises.

[Tai-Tai]

Now I really wish I was home in PDX instead of China. Bummer for me!

[Julie]

Oooh...Shuna please count me in for NYC classes! I'll find a way to be there, by hook or by crook. Maybe I'll get a relative to give them to me as a wedding present...

[Ninabeans]

Shuna! Please let me know when the NYC classes are! I'm selfishly hoping they're not on the 29th or 30th so that I can come!

[Ninabeans]

Shuna - Please let me know when the NYC classes are. I'm selfishly hoping they're not on the 29th or 30th so that I can come!