Sweet Date with Lavender (First Ever Workshop)
After selling Red Bean Fleecy Cake at the beginning of June for CHIME at Markham People's Community Church, a young staff member, Ms. Erica approached me about hosting a dessert-related workshop for new and young Torontonians. Initially, I had doubts about my ability to teach, as I'm relatively new to the F&B industry. However, after spending the past 1.5 years making cakes on my own, I felt a bit lonely and missed interacting with real people. Coming from an education background, I thought maybe I could handle this.
So, I promised to host a workshop by the beginning of July. It was lavender season, and lavender desserts are one of my specialties (my Lavender Lemon Rare Cheesecake is the bestseller). I had tried various lavender-flavored treats from other places, but they couldn't satisfy my taste. That's why I decided to make Lavender Panna Cotta, which is easy enough for beginners yet special enough that you can't easily find it elsewhere.
Panna Cotta requires a couple of hours of refrigeration, so I needed something else to fill the time. I divided the workshop into three parts: 1) Panna Cotta Making, 2) tasting freshly brewed Lavender Lemonade while learning about the history and medicinal uses of lavender through a PowerPoint presentation, and 3) making Lavender sachets by upcycling used clothing brought by the participants.
After extensive preparation and rehearsals, my first-ever workshop was a resounding success! All the participants thoroughly enjoyed the workshop, and I received a 5 out of 5 rating from their reviews. In addition to making dessert, they had a great time making the sachets. One couple even brought their baby's old clothing and transformed it into fragrant and warm sachets filled with love.
I was pleasantly surprised to find that everyone in the workshop loved lavender as much as I do. I had expected a few lavender skeptics, but it turns out they all enjoyed it. I even received a constructive suggestion that my time management was perfect but that I could incorporate more interaction with the group. Noted! I hear you! The workshop will be running again soon for the general public, and I'll make sure to include more chit-chat.
I'd like to extend my heartfelt thanks to Ms. Erica for the invitation and her assistance in organizing the workshop. Also, a big thank you to Sara for taking professional photos during the workshop.
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