A Fabulous Week of Sugar Flowers with Ron Ben-Israel

This post is SO long overdue! We moved into our new location on the weekend of November 6th. On November 14th we greeted the flower Maestro Ron Ben-Israel at our brand new classroom....and we have been going non-stop ever since! So please forgive my delay - but as the saying goes, the best things are worth waiting for!

Ron is simply amazing! He has such an affinity for all things sugar, however he is most well known for his life-like sugarpaste flowers. Not only is he supremely talented, his personality lights up the room. Going through all the images from the 2 classes, Ron's personality shines through and you cannot help but smile when he is around. We were beyond honoured to have hosted Ron's first classes in Canada and we will be waiting anxiously for his return.

We hosted 2 classes with Ron that week - both were 3 fun-filled days of sugarpaste flowers: the calla, sweet pea, cattleya orchid, peony and the classic rose. Not only did Ron share his techniques for creating beautiful sugarpaste flowers, he also ended the day with a frank open discussion about business, cakes, and everything in between! This was invaluable to the students.

Now for the pictures....there were so many wonderful images, it was so hard to choose - but here is a collection of some of my favourites from the week - I think they really document the full class experience.

Happy times in the classroom

Don't you just LOVE our interactive classroom??!!

Students were treated to one-on-one attention throughout the class

To celebrate our brand new classroom - champagne & orange juice for all!

So proud of his students

Our first group of students - thank you everyone for attending!

A picture is worth a thousand words!

Ron providing personal attention to each and every student

He misses nothing - here he is loving Konstadin's shoes!

Judy & Vik - all smiles after learning the rose

Teacher approves!

Flowers all ready for dusting...

Ron is happiest with a sugar flower in one hand and tea in the other!

Thank you again Ron for an amazing and colourful week - we loved every single minute!

Muppets & Monsters & Magic Oh My! Part 2

The following day Lauren was back to teach her newest installment to the series - Monsters 301! In this class students learned how to create an edible standing monster which would make a fabulous centerpiece to any party or cupcake display. Armed with a support structure, modeling chocolate and rice crispy treats, we all got to making our colourful army of monsters. Every one had their own take on the project - again the bright colours and expressions created by each student brought a smile to your face. With characters like Lauren & Karie along with all the monsters - you couldn't help but laugh all day long.

Each student station ready to go - complete with detailed handout and structure

The lovely Lauren Kitchens - isn't she cute??!!

Students having fun creating texture

Watching monsters come to life...

Karie - 'nuff said! LOL!

Not much longer now...

The finishing touches ...

Check 'em out guys!

Another AMAZING class with the talented & lovable Lauren Kitchens! Thank you again for joining us!

And yes I did make my own monster - here he is. His name is Fernando

Muppets & Monsters & Magic - OH My! Part 1

We are off to an amazing start here at Flour Confections! At the beginning of February we hosted 2 amazing days with the talented & adorable Lauren Kitchens of Fancy Cakes By Lauren. Lauren is a 2 time Gold medal winner at Food Network Challenge and she is best known for her performance in the FN Sesame Street Challenge. Although she didn't win that Challenge, she won the hearts of the public with her creative interpretation of Muppetizing the judges of Challenge!

Our first class with Lauren was Character Sculpting 101- where everyone was asked to create their own Muppet of a friend, loved one or themselves. We all had a blast learning her techniques on how she created these characters and bringing our own Muppets to life. Walking around the room, you couldn't help but smile when you saw all the different characters - from young to old.

Students working away on the beginnings of their Muppets

Lauren guided students every step of the way

Creating the signature open mouth - love how handy our TV is!!

Muppets are starting to come to life

Discussing the fine details

Getting it just right!

Each and every Muppet was unique and fabulous! Here are a couple of my favourites from the class

And of course I had to make a Muppet of myself - complete with the flour logo!

Thank you Lauren & Kerri for a fabulous class - we all had an amazing time!

Stay tuned for part 2 - Monsters!