Esteemed chocolatier Norman Love and his award-winning team of pastry chefs at Norman Love Confections will be offering a series of cooking classes this spring and summer for those interested in learning to create artisan confections and exquisite desserts.
“Cooking with Love” features 12 distinct, one-night courses suitable for individuals and groups of friends looking for an interactive, social experience. Love and his talented team will share some of their baking and cooking techniques with participants, who each will have an opportunity to create desserts to take home.
Participants in Norman Love’s chocolate classes will make mouthwatering chocolate Easter eggs, truffles, candies and other items. Pastry classes including the making of cookies, cupcakes, cake pops, desserts, cakes and three types of succulent Thanksgiving pies.
“Our culinary team enjoys the cooking classes as much as our students, so we’re looking forward sharing some recipes, cooking techniques and decorating styles to take your sweet treats and desserts to the next level,” said Norman Love, founder and owner of Norman Love Confections.
Classes begin March 23 and run through September, and cost $95 per person, plus tax. Each class begins with a reception from 6:15 – 6:45 p.m. at the Fort Myers Chocolate & Dessert Salon, 11380 Lindbergh Blvd. in Fort Myers. Participants then move toward the Norman Love Pastry Shop for the class, which runs from 6:45-9:30 p.m. The Chocolate and Wine Tasting class will be held at the corporate office.
Class sizes are limited, so early reservations are encouraged. For more information or to make reservations, please call Norman Love Confections at 866-515-2121 or visit NormanLoveConfections.com.
CHOCOLATE CLASSES
Easter Eggs: Create your very own Easter egg chocolate sculpture filled with delicious Swiss Milk Truffles. Our Chocolatiers will guide you in hand painting your own dark chocolate egg and teach you how to cast and assemble them! You will also learn how to create modern Swiss shell filled truffles and hide them inside your egg. Finally, they will all be beautifully packaged and ready to give or enjoy yourself!
Dates: March 23, March 30
Truffles: Learn why the name Truffle holds such an elegant and delectable place in the hearts of all. In this class you will master the 100-year-old art of truffle making. From the luscious dark chocolate hand formed to the modern Swiss shell filled, you will create these treats by yourself with the guidance of our Chocolatiers and bring the finished treasures home to enjoy.
Dates: May 25, July 27
Chocolate and Wine Tasting: Join us for a deliciously elegant night of Chocolate and Wine pairings. Let our Chocolatiers explain for you the unique qualities of each of the featured chocolates as well as the history of chocolate making and the processes that create the amazing confections we’re famous for. You will also learn about the art of matching a wine to the different chocolates and get to try them both together in raw and finished form.
Dates: May 11, Sept. 7
Molded Candies: Be a Chocolatier for a night! Let the Chocolate Masters at Norman Love Confections teach you how to make the jewel-like treasures we are so famous for! You will be able to make everything yourself with the guidance of our staff from hand coloring to casting liquid chocolate and mixing the custom ganaches to fill your candies! Enjoy a night of sweet success and take home all of your treasures when you are done!
Dates: April 20, July 13
Chocolate Confections: Norman Love Confections is more than just beautiful molded chocolates. We also have a wide variety of chocolate confections which you now have the opportunity to learn. Discover the secrets of our Chocolate Barks, Chocolate Caramel Squares, Chocolate Fudge and Truffle Pops, all yours to enjoy and take home at the end of the class.
Dates: June 8, Aug. 10
Simple Décor: This class will provide an introduction to tempering chocolate and some popular chocolate décor making techniques. Learn how to make chocolate curls, petals, fans, triangles and transfer sheets. Use your décor to embellish a 6” chocolate mousse cake that is provided for you to decorate and take home.
Date: Sept. 21
Shoe Painting: Choose between a premade white, milk or dark chocolate shoe (please provide preference when enrolling in class), then decorate it with melted cocoa butter colors, sprinkles and shimmers. For added delight, learn the technique of making hand-rolled truffles to display in your finished shoe.
Dates: June 22, Aug. 24
PASTRY CLASSES
Cookies: In this class, you will learn techniques for creating some cookies that are permanent classics as well as some new recipes you can add to your repertoire. Master the perfect chocolate chip cookie, the always popular peanut butter cookie, the unique but undeniably delicious coconut macaroon and the classic cut-out sugar cookie.
Dates: April 20, July 13
Cupcakes and Cake Pops: Learn to create fun and festive decorated cupcakes and cake pops. Students will be shown how to make buttercream and create cute and playful cupcakes using various piping techniques, as well as make the surprisingly simple but popular cake pops.
Dates: May 25, July 27
Desserts at Home: A class for the dinner party entertainer in us all! You will learn to master four elegant home desserts that are sure to impress your guests. You will learn how to make the perfect fruit tart, the rich and decadent chocolate lava cake, a delightfully rich chocolate mousse and the simple but delicious chocolate fondue.
Dates: June 8, Aug. 10
Thanksgiving Pies: Usher in the magic of the holiday season with the mastery of your favorite holiday pies! In this class, you will learn to make fresh pie dough, and then use it to make the famously popular pumpkin pie, the nostalgic and comforting apple pie, and the ooey gooey scrumptious pecan pie.
Date: Sept. 21
Naked Love: Learn how to make our Ultimate Chocolate Naked Love Cake, including the super moist chocolate cake, the rich baked chocolate ganache and the decadent chocolate frosting, all layered together to make an attractive, delicious masterpiece.
Dates: June 22, Aug. 24
About Norman Love Confections
Founded in 2001 by Norman and Mary Love, Norman Love Confections creates and distributes handcrafted artisanal chocolates from its corporate headquarters at 11380 Lindbergh Blvd. in Fort Myers, Florida. The award-winning Fort Myers-based chocolatier has been lauded more than a dozen times by a leading consumer ratings magazine, including recognition six times for producing the best ultra-premium chocolates in the nation. Forbes.com included Norman Love Confections BLACK line on its list of the nation’s top 10 truffles; The Huffington Post listed it among the six best U.S. destinations in its Chocolate Lover’s Travel Guide; and USA Today named Love as one of its top 10 entrepreneurs for 2014. Love has recently been named as the inaugural inductee of Dessert Professional Magazine’s Chocolatier Hall of Fame, partnered with local chefs to present a six-course meal at the James Beard House in New York and Norman Love Confections was ranked among the top 10 shops in the world for chocolate lovers by U.K. media outlet Daily Telegraph.
Norman Love Confections has four Chocolate Salons in Southwest Florida, and chocolates, gift baskets, sipping chocolate and Love’s book, “Artistry in Chocolate, A Story of Love,” also can be ordered online at www.normanloveconfections.com. In addition, Norman Love Confections chocolates and desserts are offered on 18 Princess Cruises’ ships through the “Chocolate Journeys” partnership and at independent retail locations throughout the U.S. For more information visit www.normanloveconfections.com or call 239-561-7215.
