Kilbirnie Patisserie Sugar Flour Is Transforming into a Pastry School

This year Sugar Flour brought a sweet taste of France to our cool little capital. Its treats quite simply are sent from the heavens to fulfill the stomach, along with the eyes.

The weekend-only patisserie and restaurant will shift from bringing you exquisite pastries and mouth-watering tarts, to open its doors as Kilbirnie's very own pastry school. You may miss their delectable goodies, but as the saying goes: 'teach a man to fish and you'll feed him for a lifetime' — and that is just what Maxine Scheckter is out to do by opening the doors of Sugar Flour pastry school.

Maxine is a 22-year-old chef who studied pastry and cooking at Weltec. Following, she went on to study in Paris at Ferrandi, work under Heston Blumenthal at The Fat Duck, and perfect her trade at patisseries in Paris, Wellington institutions and the UK. Maxine has developed a deep passion and has it down to a fine art, with her pastries looking almost too good to eat.

As of January 2019, Sugar Flour will be offering a whole range of classes to educate (and feed) the masses on the art of pastries and all kinds of French sweets. There will be two to three classes per week, with most of them running for two hours and the occasional full-day class to really get your hands dirty and grasp French baking.

The classes are open to one and all, with the cost depending on the content of the class. Some classes which have already sold out were on offer from $85-100. Maxine expressed her aim of hosting school holiday classes for children to learn and nibble along the way, for $30-40. And for the pastry enthusiast, Sugar Flour offers a two-hour one-on-one option for $175.

What is it that you'll learn to compose in the classes? There will be classes on fruit tarts, chocolate tarts, glazed gateaux, croissant, confectionary, croquembouche, with even some savoury classes dolloped here and there.

The classes will cover an assortment of skill levels, meaning anyone can try their hand at puff pastry. Even classes and consulting for professional chefs who desire to improve upon their skills are invited to come along.

You'll be able to keep all the recipes of everything you learn, whilst carrying your creations home with you to impress your friends. Get in quick — for classes sell out faster than you can down one of their chocolate caramel pear tarts.

While the patisserie that you know will be closing, Sugar Flour will spring back to life as pop-up events every now and then.

To book a class and for more information, email Maxine at [email protected].