by TM Petaccia

Wentworth & Fenn cooking classes will teach French macarons and other baked goods. TM Petaccia/UP

Samantha Ward, chef/owner of the Wentworth & Fenn artisanal pastry shops, is planning a series of small hands-on pastry classes she hopes to begin as early as September at the pâtisserie’s Camp North End location.

“Teaching how to decorate cakes, make macarons, and bake bread brings us a lot of joy,” she says. “It’s a way we can share our skills with others.”

Classes will be limited to a maximum of four students. They will begin with the instructor doing step-by-step demos, followed by the attendees executing what they saw with additional guidance from the instructor. “Students will go home with the items they created in class, plus I’ll probably add a few extra treats from the shop,” Ward says.

Ward will initially conduct the classes herself, with her associate pastry chefs eventually taking over selected sessions.

Currently, classes are planned in beginning and advanced cake baking, bread baking, and French macarons. Special holiday-themed classes are also planned in December. Future classes will include curated beverages.

Ward launched Wentworth & Fenn in 2018, doing popup sales and events in a customized trailer she named “Selma.” She opened her first brick-and-mortar shop in Camp North End in 2020. An Uptown location in the renovated “The Alley” at Latta Arcade opened earlier this year. She is the 2022 Unpretentious Palate Pastry Chef of the Year.