Experience Level: Beginner

Learn to get festive with your cookies at Holiday Cookie Decorating on Tuesday. Dec. 3 from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Mansion Carriage House. Participants will use royal frosting and two types of butter cream, and instructor Jennifer Holhubner will demonstrate and explain flooding, wet-on-wet technique, outlining, and how to form flowers and cut out butter cream.

Cookies will be provided and participants should bring a container to take home their decorated cookies.

$75/person. Register by Nov. 24. All sales are final.

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

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.

Experience Level: Beginner

Take part in a delicious series with an international flavor at Wines of the World on Wednesday, Dec. 4 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 of Europe and California. With a wealth of knowledge and passion for introducing students to tasting, talking, and understanding wine, Mike’s engaging style immerses students in the Old World.

Mike’s class is for beginners and wine lovers alike, from the refined elegance of Bordeaux to the inspiring hills of Tuscany and the bold flavors of Rioja. Each class will include tastings of 5 to 6 wines. You must be at least 21 years old to participate.

$60/person* (Ages 21+). Register by Nov. 28. All sales are final.

*Or $200/person for the entire series. Sign up for all four classes and use the promo code “WINE40” to get $40 off at checkout.

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.

Experience Level: Beginner

Experience the fun of cooking together as a family at Family Pasta Night on Tuesday, Dec. 10 from 5 to 7:30 p.m. in the Mansion Carriage House.

In this family-friendly workshop led by Blue Dragonfly Catering owner Leah Bodine, you will learn how to make gnocchi, basic marinara, meatballs and tiramisu.

$70/family. Register by Dec. 3. All sales are final.

If you will need disability-related accommodations in order to participate, please email owarren@illinois.edu.

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.