A.Chef's

2020 Status Update:

Gingerbread Classes

"The space involved, the time involved the loss of the kitchen to other events, all add up to the sad fact that the option to offer a private one-time gingerbread event would simply be totally space and time prohibitive in 2020."

Hi all! Just a note to fill everyone in on the Gingerbread questions for 2020 – many have already  been asking!
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So the first announcement is a hard one, but it’s as simple as this: While we have loved every year (12 years in a row!) of the amazing event and family time and traditions that the Gingerbread workshops have provided for us and for you, we are no longer offering the workshops.  Not in any capacity.  Not even for a private booking. I know. Not easy to write, not easy to read. And it was a decision our crew thought about and discussed for these last four months in great detail.  So let’s talk for a bit about why so you know a LOT of thought went into this incredibly tough decision:
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Here’s a bit about the actual process of making three weeks of non-stop gingerbread home building and decorating actually happen on the scale required for The Studio:
Each year, our annual Gingerbread calendar begins here at The Studio in October! Michael orders in hundreds of pounds of rye and all-purpose flour, and heads to Lowes to order the wood to be cut for the bases of the houses.  In the kitchen mid-October, Chef Greg begins the process of making every ounce of gingerbread dough, from scratch here in the Studio for about a four-week run.

This dough is one that does not like to be more than doubled and its heavy and intense to mix.  We use a huge stand mixer and work in small batches to get the job done.  

A double batch will yield us approximately 2.5 houses. We have 100 to make.
Once he’s made a batch of dough, it is hand rolled, and templates provide a guide as he hand cuts each and every piece of the home.  
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The home’s walls, dormers and roofs are carefully baked, cooled and stored in air-tight containers.  Through the early weeks of November, our guests begin to see racks that were once full of pots and pans, slowly filling with bins and bins of baked gingerbread pieces!
Over Thanksgiving weekend we come in with a temporary crew who will stay with us through December, and we start the process of wrapping all 100 boards, and building each and every home by hand.
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We can store about 40 houses at a time in the Studio, so we get those first 40 or so done in time for the first few days of gingerbread workshops and for the remaining December days and nights it’s a constant rotation of building, holding class, building, holding class, etc.  
Because this process literally takes over our entire kitchen from Thanksgiving to December 20th – its been the only thing we can offer in those weeks.  

There are always houses everywhere so there’s no space for cooking classes of any kind during that time frame. And, because the process is so incredibly space and time consuming, when we offer gingerbread we offer nothing else. So, we either commit to all gingerbread, or no gingerbread.  The space involved, the time involved the loss of the kitchen to other events, all add up to the sad fact that the option to offer a private one-time gingerbread event would simply be totally space and time prohibitive.
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So why the change this year? Well that’s easy; 2020 has certainly changed how so many of us “gather” and if you were ever a part of one of our gingerbread experiences, you know it was CROWDED.  That of course, was a big part of the fun! But, it’s also simply not a safe set up in the new world of social distancing.  Consider this – let’s say we did small groups, five houses, for a private party, but each house is a family of…4-5? That’s at least 20 people before staff and crew in a tight space; not “Covid-Cool” by any stretch.
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We are sad to say goodbye to such a big tradition.  The gingerbread experiences at The Studio have been epic!  And, what we will provide everyone is an opportunity to create their own at home with our tried and true recipes.  While the process of making 100 of these takes weeks, you can make one at home with some simple planning; we promise!

In lieu of Gingerbread classes we will be offering:

Private Parties

The silver lining in all of this is that for my guests that have literally begged us for years to create space for their own private holiday cooking class, well its FINALLY your turn!  We have created four amazing menus to choose from and you can book a private event with us, Wednesday through Saturday at noon, 3pm or 6pm.

Themes you and your party will love!
All party themes are just $65.00 per person for the month of December only!