Culinary Classes for the Curious
Classes at the 1909 Culinary Academy are all about the hands-on exploration of foods. From learning the fundamentals of cooking to the preparation of fine dining dishes, we have a class that will have you falling in love with foods.
Many classes are family friendly. Some classes are geared toward vegan and gluten conscious guests.
The 1909 Culinary Academy is a licensed establishment. Alcoholic beverages are available to purchase by those 19 years of age and over when proof of age is presented.
Current Classes
April 2024 Culinary Calendar
Korean Cuisine
Our Most Popular Theme!
Friday, April 26
6:00 – 9pm
Travel with us on a Korean culinary adventure. Largely based on rice, vegetable and meats, this cuisine is all about the side dishes.
Amazing Mint
We’re MINT to be together!
Saturday, April 27
6:00 – 9pm
Some ingredients are MINT to be together! During this theme we’ll explore a variety of dishes where MINT is the focus of the dish.
Cooking with Beer
Sunday, April 28
3:00 – 6pm
Get ready for a mouthwatering experience ~ “Cooking with Beer,” where we’ll tantalize your taste buds with three exciting dishes using local beer from Upper Thames Brewing.
May 2024 Culinary Calendar
Simple Soup Series: Lobster Bisque
Wednesday, May 1
6:00 – 8pm
Join us for a simple soup-er experience of making a delicious pot of LOBSTER BISQUE to share with your fellow foodies.
Taco ’bout Fun
Family Friendly Event
Friday, May 3
6:00 – 9pm
Taco ’bout a fun? We’ll be making fresh salsa, guacamole, mango salsa, slaw, and then sampling all our favourite toppings on chicken or fish tacos!
Cinco de Mayo
Sunday, May 5
3:00 – 6pm
We’re celebrating Cinco de Mayo with this exciting class featuring a signature Chipotle sauce, Mexican Rice, Spicy Black Beans, Barbacoa beef, and crispy fish tacos.
Simple Soup Series: Minestrone
Wednesday, May 8
6:00 – 8pm
Join us for a simple soup-er experience of making a delicious pot of Vegetarian MINESTRONE soup to enjoy with your fellow foodies.
Singles Night: Culinary Edition
Friday, May 10
6:00 – 9pm
Join us for an evening designed to tease your senses as we mix and mingle in our historic kitchen.
It’s a Culinary adventure for Singles!
Cuisine of Germany
ALL NEW MENU
Saturday, May 11
6:00 – 9pm
An all new menu awaits you in this exciting culinary theme featuring classic dishes from Germany.
Soft Pretzels, Schnitzel with Spaetzel and Sauerkraut, and a German Pancake for dessert.
Mother’s Day: Fresh Ricotta Cheese
Sunday, May 12
3:00 – 6pm
Her new favourite dish is here.
Say THANK YOU to Mom with a culinary experience at our historic schoolhouse.
Our theme: Fresh Ricotta Cheese
Seniors Series: Loving Lunchtime
ALL NEW SERIES
Wednesday, May 15
10:00am – 1:00pm
In this new series we’ll focus on cooking for Seniors. Loving Lunchtime is all about single servings and budget friendly recipes.
Simple Soup Series: New Orleans GUMBO
Wednesday, May 15
6:00pm – 8:00pm
Join us for a simple soup-er experience of making a delicious pot of New Orleans style GUMBO to share with your fellow foodies.
Ricotta Cheese
Friday, May 17
6:00pm – 9:00pm
Your new favourite dish is here and it all begins with fresh Ricotta Cheese. We’ll make three recipes from our batches of cheese.
Simple Soup Series: Asparagus Soup
Wednesday, May 22
6:00pm – 8:00pm
Join us for a simple soup-er experience of making a delicious pot of ASPARAGUS Soup made with fresh, local asparagus.
Summer Steaks
Saturday, May 18
6:00pm – 9:00pm
This popular theme is back with all new recipes that are ideal for summer. Quick, versatile, and delicious dishes to enjoy all season long.
Asparagus
Fridayday, May 24
6:00pm – 8:00pm
Details coming soon
June 2024 Culinary Calendar
Private Culinary Event
Friday, June 1
6:00pm
We’ll be focusing our attention on a private culinary event.
Summer Seafood
Saturday, June 8
6:00pm – 8:00pm
We’re getting ready for summer with four exciting seafood recipes that are great for lunch, dinner, or easy entertaining.
Spring Preserve Series
Strawberry Jam & BBQ Sauce
Wednesday, June 12
6:00pm
Preserving… is in our roots and is how we got our start. Join us for an evening of preserving the best fresh, local ingredients of spring. We’ll be making Strawberry Jam and BBQ Sauce.
Each guests will take home their share of the jars we make together.
Spring Preserve Series
Strawberries in Syrup & Sweet and Sour Pepper Relish
Wednesday, June 19
6:00pm – 8:00pm
Preserving… is in our roots and is how we got our start. Join us for an evening of preserving the best fresh, local ingredients of spring. We’ll be making Strawberries in Syrup as well as Sweet & Sour Pepper Relish.
Each guests will take home their share of the jars we make together.
Past Culinary Classes
Caribbean Cuisine
Bernia is ready to share his secrets to Caribbean Cuisine, so get ready for a spicy evening of hands-on culinary adventures.
Poke Bowls and Power Bowls
This is a collection of some of our favourite Poke Bowls and Power Bowls, made up of a protein, vegetables, grains, and delicious dressings.
Fall Preserving
Preserving…it’s in our Roots. This festive event of preserving three unique canning recipes that’ll be ideal for holiday entertaining and gift giving.
Marvellous Mushrooms
We have an all new menu for this popular theme. Marvellous Mushrooms is a night focused on this delicious veg that is know to fight cancer!
All about Apples
Seasonal Series: Orchard crisp apples are in season. Explore 4 recipes featuring a variety of apples including MacIntosh, Cortland, Honeycrisp, and Mutsu.
Cooking with Coffee
It isn’t just a morning beverage! Coffee brings everyday dishes and drinks to life. Come explore unexpected recipes featuring COFFEE!
Loving Lamb
Join us for a night filled with recipes featuring lamb. From lamb chops to smash burgers, local lamb is the star of this class.
Autumn Soups
That chill in the air means that it’s time for SOUP! Join us for an evening focused on autumn vegetables that make these recipes soup-er.
Sizzling Steak
From Inside Round to Beef Tenderloin, we’ll investigate a variety of steaks to find out the best way to cook and present each cut of meat including Steak Tartare and Steak Frites.
Intro to Japanese Cuisine
Join Chef Josh as he shares his experience in making sushi rice, tempura,
and maki rolls.
Asparagus
It’s Asparagus season! Join us for a night of exploring signature dishes featuring our favourite springtime vegetable.
International Salads
From Japan to Lebanon, we’ll discover popular summer salads from around the globe. Summer is all about exploring exciting new dishes.
The African Experience with Khadijah Haliru
Nigerian born, Khadijah Haliru will be leading this exciting class filled with dishes showcasing African culinary favourites.
Build a Board: Charcuterie Styling Tips
Building a charcuterie board is all about creativity, delicious foods, and personal style. Join us for an evening of hands-on exploration.
Sous Vide Cooking
In this introductory lesson, Bernia and Chef Zehr provide an overview of sous vide packaging and preparation as well as how the technique is used.
Cooking with Wine
Red and White Wine make excellent cooking companions. Join us for an evening of exploring techniques for cooking with wine.
Glorious Garlic
Chef Murray is back in the kitchen for a night filled with recipes featuring garlic grown right on our property at the 1909 schoolhouse.
Advanced ~ Travel to Thailand
Travel with us to explore the flavours of Thailand in this class designed for intermediate and advanced guests.
Vegan & Gluten Free
Do you have vegan and gluten-free friends and family members? From celiac disease to gluten sensitivity, this class is for you.
SAY CHEESE!
Join us for a night of cheesy discovery. Learn all about the many varieties of local cheese and what foods they’re ideally paired with. You’ll never buy boxed mac n’ cheese again once you taste Chef Zehr’s tantalizing cheese sauce that was the delight of Prince Charles on his last official visit to Canada. We promise…it’s a gouda thing!
Satisfying Seafood
Travel to picturesque Prince Edward Island (without leaving Ontario) as Chef Zehr demonstrates how to cook savoury mussels, shuck oysters, make tender calamari and even learn how to make classics such as Clams Casino and Salmon En Papillote.
Taste of India
Learn to create exotic Indian dishes with Chef Zehr as he guides you through India to create pakoras, fresh Naan bread, Butter Chicken with Rice and finish up with a hearty saffron and nut rice pudding.
Beautiful Bread
From Sourdough and French Brioche to savoury Focaccia bread, we’ll explore the world of breads and learn how to make these from scratch. Chef Zehr may even have some gluten free tips up his sleeve for this class.
Canning & Preserving Classes
Sage Advice
This class is a guide to growing herbs with sage advice on not only how to pair them with your favourite foods, but how to dehydrate and dry your home grown savoury delights to extend their season.
We be Jammin’
Now is the time to preserve those sweet little berries while they’re in season. Join us for a night of making home-made jam as we learn the fundamentals of turning beautiful berries into a sweet treat that you’ll be proud to serve.
Peas be Mine
Your favourite vegetables are at Your Farm Market and it’s time to start capturing those fresh, juicy flavours for the freezer. Learn how to prepare sweet peas and green beans before they are blanched to hold their brilliant colours.
It’s a Big Dill
From gherkins to bread and butter, a jar of homemade pickles is a delight to enjoy all year round, but now is the time to pack those crunchy little pickles away. Tonight, we’ll take on a simple yet delish recipe for DILL pickles. Get your garlic on!
Relish the Season
Zucchini, cucumber, and corn are just a few of the affordable July vegetables that can be turned into a homemade accompaniment for grilled sausage, burgers, and hot dogs that last well beyond the outdoor grilling season. Too many zucchini? Let’s turn those surplus zucchini into a tasty relish.
Salsa
After this class, people will want your salsa recipe! Find out what kind of tomatoes to use in salsa and how to select and prepare peppers for just the right amount of heat.
Apple Sauce
It was Matt Damon who made this phrase famous in the movie, Good Will Hunting, but in this final preserving class of the season you’ll learn all about them apples and which variety is best for eating, baking, juicing, canning, and saucing.
From Our Students
I loved how easy it was to ask questions of the chef as we worked throughout the evening. I learned so much and can’t wait to get canning again at home.
I had no idea you could freeze asparagus and that it is so easy to use in soups and sauces. I’ll be filling my freezer with local veggies this summer.
It was such a fun evening for my teenage daughter and I to experience together. It was fun to see how excited she got at her new found success in the kitchen. The simple techniques we learned will make it so much fun to cook together at home.
We are so excited to see the old schoolhouse being used for classes in our town. We’ve taken classes with Chef Zehr before and we will be regulars at this new facility!
Address
5183 Trussler Rd, Ayr, Ontario. N0B 1E0
Phone
226-228-8283