LYNCHBURG — In an effort to enrich the community through the culinary arts, The Flower District, located at 2204 Bedford Ave., is expanding its repertoire with a variety of cooking classes led by Chief Operating Officer Amy Wisniewski.
Flour District, known for its artisan pastries and gourmet coffee, is expanding its culinary education and experimentation with the installation of a teaching kitchen.
“When we opened, Stephanie Fees incorporated this wonderful teaching kitchen into the back of the building,” Wisniewski said. “The vision was to create a space not just for production, but to foster a culinary community through classes and workshops.”
Since taking over in August, Wisniewski has wanted to diversify and expand the teaching kitchen program.
“We started with a modest offering of three classes and now have a portfolio of over 15 classes,” she said.
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Classes typically have around 12 participants, but certain events, such as wine tastings paired with light snacks, can accommodate up to 20 people. Wisniewski said some classes, such as pasta-making with Fees, who owns Scratch Pasta next door, are small, with only 10 participants.
Classes range from pastry workshops to pizza making and sourdough bread baking.
Sandy Harris took three classes in the kitchen. Pasta Making with Scratch Pasta, Baking 101: Yeast Dough, Masterclass: Afternoon Tea Service.
“I'm a big fan of The Flower District and when I found out they were offering a course I thought this could be a fun and unique way to learn new skills and share memories with friends. “I realized,” she said. “My first class was pasta making.I originally bought tickets as a Christmas present to do with a friend.''
She said it was a fun shared experience where they both learned new skills, but also got to know each other's lives through a casual setting.
“Since I attended the yeast workshop alone, I was a little worried that I would feel left out, but Maria, who taught the class, created a very common feeling in our learning experience. “It allowed us all to share the same experience and compare notes and get a feel for how we coped with each new technique,” she said. . “The tea service course was so much fun because I was able to enjoy and take notes on how it was served while learning each step of the process.”
The newly launched Cook Bedford series brings other eateries across the street, including Taco Jesús and Marsh Roots Seafood, into their kitchens to offer unique classes on how to make fresh corn tortillas and prepare shellfish. To do.
“People love the chance to learn something new without leaving the city. Our classes are affordable, family-friendly, and perfect for spending quality time with friends,” Wisniewski said. Told.
She said the classes are not just about learning new skills, but about building connections and discovering new talent while having fun.
“It's fun. It's different from school, so it doesn't have to be serious,” she said. “This is a good time. You might want to learn how to be good at something you were probably too scared to try. But it should be fun and interactive.” It is.”
