Building Skills That Actually Matter in Your Kitchen
We've been teaching home cooking at Place du Royaume's food court since early 2024. What started as weekend pizza-making demos turned into something more structured when people kept asking about longer programs.
Our approach is pretty straightforward. You spend time with us in a real kitchen environment, working through recipes that make sense for everyday life. No fancy equipment requirements or unrealistic expectations about becoming a professional chef overnight.
The sessions run from September through November 2025, with a second cohort starting in January 2026. Most participants are working adults who want to cook better meals at home without spending their entire weekends meal prepping.
Three Paths Through Our Program
Each track focuses on different aspects of home cooking. Pick based on what you actually want to cook more often.
Foundation Track
Dough basics, sauce building, cheese selection. This covers the core stuff you'll use repeatedly. We spend a lot of time on fermentation timing because that's where most people struggle initially.
8 weeks, Tuesday eveningsTechnique Track
Oven temperature management, topping distribution, timing adjustments for different styles. More hands-on practice with immediate feedback on what's working and what needs adjustment.
10 weeks, Thursday eveningsCreative Track
Recipe adaptation, seasonal ingredient swaps, developing your own combinations. For people who've got the basics down and want to experiment without wasting ingredients on failed attempts.
6 weeks, Saturday mornings
Callum Thériault
Dough fermentation specialist who runs our foundation sessions
Saoirse Dufresne
Handles technique workshops and troubleshooting sessions
Linnea Vachon
Leads creative track with focus on seasonal ingredients
Petra Gaudreault
Coordinates weekend intensive sessions and special workshops
What the Timeline Actually Looks Like
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1
August 2025 Registration Opens
Applications accepted through our contact page. We cap groups at 12 people to keep the sessions manageable and give everyone enough workspace.
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2
September 2025 Fall Sessions Begin
First cohort starts with foundation and technique tracks. Sessions run weekly with optional practice time on weekends if you want extra kitchen access.
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3
November 2025 Session Completion
Most tracks wrap up before the holiday season. We do a group cooking session where everyone makes something they've been working on throughout the program.
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4
January 2026 Winter Cohort Starts
Second round begins with adjusted timing based on feedback from fall participants. Same structure but we tend to focus more on cold-weather cooking during this session.