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in The Farms: An Allerton Folk School

Talking & Tasting: Intro to Wines of the World (Jan 31)
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Talking & Tasting: Intro to Wines of the World (Jan 31)

$60

with Mike Lee

Calendar Jan 31, 2025 at 6 pm

Experience Level: Beginner

Take part in a new wine education class at Talking & Tasting: Intro to Wines of the World on Friday, Jan. 31 from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Mansion Library.

Renowned wine educator and television personality Mike Lee will lead this delightful and delectable wine class, where he will walk students through the art of wine tasting as an introduction to Wines of the World. 

Each class will include tastings of 5 to 6 wines. You must be at least 21 years old to participate. Consider making it a weekend getaway and book a room overnight as part of Allerton's Weekend Wind Down series.

$60/person (Ages 21+). Register by Jan. 22. All sales are final.

Weekend Wind Down room rates are $110/night. To make a reservation, please call 217-333-3287.

If you will need disability-related accommodations to participate, please email Olivia Bunting at owarren@illinois.edu.

About the Instructor

Mike Lee is an accomplished wine, spirits, and beer educator with 9+ years in the alcohol industry. Having achieved the Wine and Spirit Education Trust (London) Certified Educator achievement in Wine, Lee is certified to teach levels 1 and 2 internationally. With experience with class sizes large and small, he is known for his ability to adapt to any learning environment with excellent facilitation skills.

(SOLD OUT) Beginner Sourdough Breadmaking (February)

$75

with Hannah Fink

Calendar Feb 9, 2025 at 2 pm

Experience Level: Beginner

Learn about the process of making sourdough bread at Beginner Sourdough Breadmaking on Sunday, Feb. 9 and March 16 from 2 to 5 p.m. in the Mansion Kitchen and Carriage House. (Each class will cover the same material).

Instructor Hannah Fink will cover the basic biology of a ferment and what it means to a sourdough culture, how to mix sourdough, how to maintain a healthy starter in your home and the importance of baking with regionally grown grains. Students will also get hands-on experience as they learn to mix sourdough.

Prepared dough will be available to showcase baking and for students to prepare a snack toward the end of class. Students will take home their own jar of sourdough culture, a sample of gains from Janie’s Mill, as well as printouts of everything covered, simple recipes and a thorough list of resources.

$75/person. Register 10 days before each workshop. All sales are final.

Registration links:
— Feb. 9
— March 16

Learn more about the space where your course will take place here. If you will need disability-related accommodations in order to participate, please email owarren@illinois.edu.

By attending, you consent to your image being used in Allerton marketing, social media and publications. Please alert the photographer or videographer if you do not want your image taken.

About the Instructor

Hannah Fink — a baker and local food enthusiast — started Tooth Butter Cottage Bakery in Urbana so she could be at home with her son and still keep her hands in dough. She revels in naturally leavened bread and quality pastries and focuses on organic whole grains, mostly stone milled from Janie’s Mill in Ashkum.

She is of the firm belief that a “toothy dose of good butter” is the best start, which led to the name of her business that bakes for special orders and pop-up collaborations with fellow creators.

Hannah started baking about 10 years ago while working in the music industry in Nashville and ended up falling in love with enough to change careers. She started as a bread delivery driver, then worked as a kitchen manager at Pear Tree Estate in Champaign and as a pastry manager in Michigan.

Fink is a member of the Artisan Grain Collaborative and is looking forward to passing on the knowledge she has gained on breads and grains.

About The Farms

The Farms: An Allerton Folk School, offers classes, workshops, and gatherings focusing on art, health & wellness, history, nature & outdoor education, or science. All experiences value hands-on, experiential teaching and learning, and are facilitated by and for the members of the community.

See the complete Spring Session schedule here.

Full Course

Wedding Cookie Decorating

$75

with Jennifer Holhubner

Calendar Feb 15, 2025 at 12 pm

Experience Level: Beginner

Learn about decorating wedding-themed cookies at Wedding Cookie Decorating on Saturday, Feb. 15 from 12 to 3 p.m. in the Mansion Carriage House.

Cookie decorator Jennifer Holhubner will walk students through decorating with royal icing, crusting butter cream and rolled buttercream as they learn wet-on-wet techniques, outlining, flooding how to make flowers. Each student will receive directions for five different cookies.

$75/person*. Register here by Jan. 31. All sales are final.

*Students should bring a take-home container.

If you will need disability-related accommodations to participate, please email Olivia Bunting at owarren@illinois.edu.

By attending, you consent to your image being used in Allerton marketing, social media and publications. Please alert the photographer or videographer if you do not want your image taken.

About the instructor

Champaign-Urbana native Jennifer Holhubner taught herself how to decorate cakes when she was 16 years old and took up cookie decorating in 2019.

“Although they intimidated me, I forged on and got better with each order. I still have room to grow as we all do in whatever task we take on,” she said. “But I love to share the aspects of baking and decorating. I can actually now say, I am cookier!”

Jennifer also teaches decorating classes at Parkland College.

Wines of the World (Feb 19): Navigating Blends – The Art of Winemaking

$60

with Mike Lee

Calendar Feb 19, 2025 at 6 pm

Experience Level: Beginner

Take part in a delicious series at Wines of the World on Wednesdays, Feb. 19, March 12, March 26 and April 9 from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Mansion Solarium.

Renowned wine educator and television personality Mike Lee will lead this delightful and delectable wine class, where he takes students on an enchanting journey through the vineyards both domestically and across the globe. With a wealth of knowledge and passion for introducing students to tasting, talking, and understanding wine, Mike’s engaging style immerses students in wines of the world.

Mike’s class is for beginners and wine lovers alike, from the refined elegance of Bordeaux to the inspiring hills of Tuscany, the bold flavors of Rioja and the full, rich vintages of California. Each class will include tastings of 5 to 6 wines (see below for details on varieties).

$200/person for the entire series* or $60/class (Ages 21+). Register by Feb. 12th or one week before each class. All sales are final.

Registration links:

Feb. 19: Navigating Blends/The Art of Winemaking — discover the world of blended wines and why winemakers choose to blend

March 12: Sense of Place — a class contrasting wines from regions across the globe

March 26: Oregon and Washington — exploring American winemakers outside of California

April 9: Choosing Wines for Any Occasion — Match wines to seasons and occasions

*Sign up for all four classes individually and use the promo code “WINE40” to get $40 off at checkout.

Learn more about the space where your course will take place here. If you will need disability-related accommodations in order to participate, please email owarren@illinois.edu.

By attending, you consent to your image being used in Allerton marketing, social media and publications. Please alert the photographer or videographer if you do not want your image taken.

About the Instructor

Mike Lee is an accomplished wine, spirits, and beer educator with 9+ years in the alcohol industry. Having achieved the Wine and Spirit Education Trust (London) Certified Educator achievement in Wine, Lee is certified to teach levels 1 and 2 internationally. With experience with class sizes large and small, he is known for his ability to adapt to any learning environment with excellent facilitation skills.

About The Farms

The Farms: An Allerton Folk School, offers classes, workshops, and gatherings focusing on art, health & wellness, history, nature & outdoor education, or science. All experiences value hands-on, experiential teaching and learning, and are facilitated by and for the members of the community.

See the complete Spring Session schedule here

Talking & Tasting: Intro to Wines of the World (Feb 21)

$60

with Mike Lee

Calendar Feb 21, 2025 at 6 pm

Experience Level: Beginner

Take part in a new wine education class at Talking & Tasting: Intro to Wines of the World on Friday, Feb. 21 from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Mansion Library.

Renowned wine educator and television personality Mike Lee will lead this delightful and delectable wine class, where he will walk students through the art of wine tasting as an introduction to Wines of the World. 

Each class will include tastings of 5 to 6 wines. You must be at least 21 years old to participate. Consider making it a weekend getaway and book a room overnight as part of Allerton's Weekend Wind Down series.

$60/person (Ages 21+). Register by Feb. 12. All sales are final.

Weekend Wind Down room rates are $110/night. To make a reservation, please call 217-333-3287.

If you will need disability-related accommodations to participate, please email Olivia Bunting at owarren@illinois.edu.

About the Instructor

Mike Lee is an accomplished wine, spirits, and beer educator with 9+ years in the alcohol industry. Having achieved the Wine and Spirit Education Trust (London) Certified Educator achievement in Wine, Lee is certified to teach levels 1 and 2 internationally. With experience with class sizes large and small, he is known for his ability to adapt to any learning environment with excellent facilitation skills.

Learn to Bake Scones

$45

with Leah Bodine

Calendar Feb 24, 2025 at 5:30 pm

Experience Level: Beginner

Level up your coffee and teatime and Learn to Bake Scones on Monday, Feb. 24 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the Mansion Carriage House.

Scones are the perfect companion for warm beverages, and in this workshop Chef Leah Bodine will lead students through the process of mixing batter for two different flavors of scones. Students will take home recipes, instructions and dough to bake their scones at home.

$45/person. Register here by Feb. 17. All sales are final.

Learn more about the space where your course will take place here. If you will need disability-related accommodations to participate, please email Olivia Bunting at owarren@illinois.edu.

By attending, you consent to your image being used in Allerton marketing, social media and publications. Please alert the photographer or videographer if you do not want your image taken.

About the instructor

Leah Bodine calls herself the ‘accidental chef’ with years of experience in the food industry. She started her catering company, Blue Dragonfly Catering, to express her creative mind in food preparation and cultivating recipes. She loves sharing her skills with others and seeing the fascination on students’ faces when they realize how creative they can be and how easy it is to do so.

Her experiences in the food industry have led her to live in Paris and cater for rock and country legends.

About The Farms

The Farms: An Allerton Folk School, offers classes, workshops, and gatherings focusing on art, health & wellness, history, nature & outdoor education, or science. All experiences value hands-on, experiential teaching and learning, and are facilitated by and for the members of the community.

See the complete Spring Session schedule here

Will run

Wines of the World (March 12): Sense of Place

$60

with Mike Lee

Calendar Mar 12, 2025 at 6 pm

Experience Level: Beginner

Take part in a delicious series with an international flavor at Wines of the World on Wednesday, March 12 from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Mansion Solarium.

Renowned wine educator and television personality Mike Lee will lead this delightful and delectable wine class, where he takes students on an enchanting journey through the vineyards both domestically and across the globe. With a wealth of knowledge and passion for introducing students to tasting, talking, and understanding wine, Mike’s engaging style immerses students in wines of the world.

Mike’s class is for beginners and wine lovers alike, from the refined elegance of Bordeaux to the inspiring hills of Tuscany, the bold flavors of Rioja and the full, rich vintages of California. Each class will include tastings of 5 to 6 wines (see below for details on varieties).

$200/person for the entire series* or $60/class (Ages 21+). Register by Feb 12th. or one week before each class. All sales are final.

Registration links:

Feb. 19: Navigating Blends/The Art of Winemaking — discover the world of blended wines and why winemakers choose to blend

March 12: Sense of Place — a class contrasting wines from regions across the globe

March 26: Oregon and Washington — exploring American winemakers outside of California

April 9: Choosing Wines for Any Occasion — Match wines to seasons and occasions

*Sign up for all four classes individually and use the promo code “WINE40” to get $40 off at checkout.

Learn more about the space where your course will take place here. If you will need disability-related accommodations in order to participate, please email owarren@illinois.edu.

By attending, you consent to your image being used in Allerton marketing, social media and publications. Please alert the photographer or videographer if you do not want your image taken.

About the Instructor

Mike Lee is an accomplished wine, spirits, and beer educator with 9+ years in the alcohol industry. Having achieved the Wine and Spirit Education Trust (London) Certified Educator achievement in Wine, Lee is certified to teach levels 1 and 2 internationally. With experience with class sizes large and small, he is known for his ability to adapt to any learning environment with excellent facilitation skills.

About The Farms

The Farms: An Allerton Folk School, offers classes, workshops, and gatherings focusing on art, health & wellness, history, nature & outdoor education, or science. All experiences value hands-on, experiential teaching and learning, and are facilitated by and for the members of the community.

See the complete Spring Session schedule here

Talking & Tasting: Intro to Wines of the World (March 14)

$60

with Mike Lee

Calendar Mar 14, 2025 at 6 pm

Experience Level: Beginner

Take part in a new wine education class at Talking & Tasting: Intro to Wines of the World on Friday, March 14 from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Mansion Library.

Renowned wine educator and television personality Mike Lee will lead this delightful and delectable wine class, where he will walk students through the art of wine tasting as an introduction to Wines of the World. 

Each class will include tastings of 5 to 6 wines. You must be at least 21 years old to participate. Consider making it a weekend getaway and book a room overnight as part of Allerton's Weekend Wind Down series.

$60/person (Ages 21+). Register by March 5. All sales are final.

Weekend Wind Down room rates are $110/night. To make a reservation, please call 217-333-3287.

If you will need disability-related accommodations to participate, please email Olivia Bunting at owarren@illinois.edu.

About the Instructor

Mike Lee is an accomplished wine, spirits, and beer educator with 9+ years in the alcohol industry. Having achieved the Wine and Spirit Education Trust (London) Certified Educator achievement in Wine, Lee is certified to teach levels 1 and 2 internationally. With experience with class sizes large and small, he is known for his ability to adapt to any learning environment with excellent facilitation skills.





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