Small-group cooking and bread-baking classes in Robin Collins's home kitchen at Applewood Manor.
Robin's love of cooking came from her mother, Mary Grace Ritchey. Cooking alongside her mother and sisters for family meals — drawing on her Italian and Lebanese heritage — gave her the confidence to explore other cuisines wherever life took her.
Robin has lived in several states and travelled widely, exploring each cuisine and often taking classes to master the techniques. Over the years she has hosted dinners for up to fifty, sharing her love of food, wine, and bread baking with friends, family, and her husband Stephen's work associates.
In 2020 Robin bought and ran the Applewood Manor Bed and Breakfast, where she continued cooking for guests, hosted Michelin-star chefs at special dinners, and taught small culinary classes. In 2024 the inn closed and Applewood Manor became home. Today, Robin is opening her kitchen again — to teach, to share, and perhaps to pass along a few family recipe secrets.
Each class is small — a maximum of four — and built so you'll leave with the confidence to make it again at home. Choose a class below, or get in touch and we'll build one together.
Baguettes and basic shapes by hand — shaping, scoring, baking. One dough, many breads to take home.
Mixed-grain breads, sourdough, ciabatta — and a real understanding of fermented dough that travels home with you.
Sweet enriched dough shaped into golden, glossy knots. Easier than they look. Better than any bakery's.
Boil-then-bake the proper way: chewy, crusted, and far better than anything store-bought. Plain or seeded.
Your weekly loaf, sorted. Soft, sliceable, freezes well. Never buy grocery-aisle bread again.
One supple dough; three things to do with it: pizza, focaccia, and an olive bread worth showing off.
Hand-rolled pasta with Robin's family red sauce — the recipe she grew up with, taught the way it was taught to her.
The proper Bologna way — slow-simmered ragù, fresh sheets, layered patiently. Vegetable lasagna option available.
Light, pillowy ricotta gnocchi — quicker than potato gnocchi, just as satisfying — with a bright pesto from scratch.
Lebanese-style hand pies for the freezer — quick lunches, easy snacks, real dinner when the day got away from you.
One crust, endless possibilities — quiches, tarts, fruit pies. Choose your direction; we bake all morning.
Coming up: summer pies, ice cream, holiday desserts, Christmas cookies. Or invite a few friends and we'll build something together.
Every class begins with one student's request — then opens up to fill the four seats. So your friends, neighbours, or someone new can join you at the table.
Browse the classes above. Each one runs about three hours unless noted, with a maximum of four students at the kitchen counter.
Tell her which class, your preferred dates, and how many of you. She'll confirm a date that works — and send pricing if the class needs more than the basic rate.
Once your date is set, Robin lists it under Upcoming on the site — friends, neighbours, or strangers can join you until the four seats are filled.
Show up hungry. Leave with full hands — what you made, what you learned, and a few of Robin's notes for at home.
A mix of seasonal classes Robin has put on the calendar and open classes from students who have already booked. If a date catches your eye, email Robin to claim a seat.
Saturday, 9am – 12pm · Hands-on bread basics. Beginners welcome. Open class.
Saturday, 10am – 2pm · Peach, plum, blueberry — whatever the market has that morning. Seasonal.
Saturday, 11am – 2pm · Custard, no-churn, and a sorbet. Cold mornings made worth it. Seasonal.
Saturday, 9am – 1pm · Christmas-morning loaves you can make and freeze. Seasonal.
Saturday, 10am – 3pm · Five classics for the holiday tin. Bring a box, take some home. Seasonal.
Don't see what you're looking for? Email Robin and she'll schedule a class around you.
Mondays, mostly. Quick thoughts, a recipe, what to do when the dough doesn't rise — and small things from the week worth writing down.
Last Tuesday I pulled a bowl out from the proofing spot and the dough hadn't budged. Here's what I check, in order, before I start over.
Read the note →
The recipe my B&B guests asked for at every checkout. The trick is in the second proof.
Read the note →
A few notes from a week at La Vecchia Scuola Bolognese, and the small Italian habit that changed how I cook at home.
Read the note →Tell Robin which class, when you'd like to come, and how many of you. She writes back personally — usually within a day or two.
culinary@applewoodmanor.com