Elegant French Patisserie Retreat
Class Dates/Times: Monday, September 14 to Friday, September 18, 2026 | 9:00AM - 4:00PM (Lunch included each day)
PLUS 2 Evening Events (2 Chef Night Cooking Classes*) Mon & Wed 6:00PM - 8:30PM
$2,399.00 (includes all classes/lunches/swag bag) Single Baker**
**Bring a friend to share your station for $200.00 extra (they’ll get a swag bag too!)
Step into a refined, hands-on viennoiserie retreat designed for passionate home bakers ready to deepen their craft in laminated doughs. Over five immersive days, Pastry Chef and Chocolatier Mary Storey will guide you through the artistry and precision of classic French pastry in a relaxed, inspiring environment.
You’ll develop a strong foundation in laminated doughs, mastering both croissant and puff pastry while exploring their distinct characteristics, similarities, and best applications. Through guided, hands-on practice, you’ll refine essential lamination techniques—from proper butter lock-in to a range of folds—along with shaping methods that define the structure, texture, and finish of each pastry.
Building on these skills, you’ll create a repertoire of classic French fillings entirely from scratch. Learn to craft silkycrème pâtissière, rich frangipane, airy mousseline, glossy ganache, and deeply flavored caramel—each designed to elevate your pastries to a professional standard.
Throughout the retreat, you’ll produce an elegant collection of both traditional and modern viennoiserie, with a focus on flavor, technique, and presentation. Your creations will include sweet and savory croissants, pain au chocolat, pain aux raisins, almond croissants, kouign-amann, galette des rois, chaussons aux pommes, and delicate palmiers.
More than a class, this retreat is an opportunity to slow down, refine your techniques, and build the confidence to create bakery-quality viennoiserie in your own kitchen.
As we are located just across from the beach, the experience also invites moments of relaxation—beach chairs are available if you’d like to unwind by the water between daytime and evening sessions. You’re also welcome to bring a non-baking travel companion to join the evening classes as your guest, sharing your workstation (at no additional charge.)
This class is suitable for the following Dynamic Duo types:
YES: Parent/Grandparent & Child - As these are full day classes, they are more suitable for accompanied older children (10+) (or younger children with a keen interest in baking.)
YES: Couples
YES: Friends (you will share all equipment/ingredients for 1 recipe/batch…we let you rock, paper, scissors if the recipe doesn’t divide equally.)
Q:What is a Dynamic Duo?A: It’s basically two people sharing the same workstation. You share all equipment and ingredients for a single batch of whatever we’re making that day. Don’t worry, we won’t stick you with some random stranger- if you want to fly solo, you’ll have the station (and all the yummy food) all to yourself! On Chef/Date Nights (the two evening classes) you will always have enough for two and generally extra to bring home too.
These are full-day classes, please wear comfortable shoes (stools will be provided) and have long hair tied back. For the comfort of all our students and staff, we ask that you refrain from wearing perfume or cologne. You may wish to bring a cardigan or sweater as the kitchen is kept at 68F. You will warm up once you start working!
Breakdown of the recipes/techniques you will learn:
Lamination Techniques:
Proper butter lock-in
Arange of folds
Shaping methods for a variety of different pastries
Classic French Fillings:
Silky Crème Pâtissière
Rich Frangipane
Airy Mousseline
Glossy Chocolate Ganache
Deeply Flavored Caramel
French Viennoiserie:
Sweet and Savory Croissants
Pain au Chocolat
Pain aux Raisins
Almond Croissants
Kouign-amann
Galette des rois
Chaussons aux Pommes
Delicate Palmiers
Please read our FAQ’s on the RETREATS page BEFORE booking.
Email us at info@fabbaker.com if you have any further questions.
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