Gingerbread Houses & Cocoa Kitchen [Children’s Workshop]
About the Workshop
Participants mix gingerbread dough using winter spices and molasses, roll it out and cut out walls and roofs for mini houses. While the pieces bake, children blend cocoa powder with spices and sugar to prepare a hot cocoa mix. Once the gingerbread cools, kids build and decorate their houses with icing and natural decorations like dried fruit, nuts and seeds. The class ends with a warm cup of cocoa, sharing their structures, and cleaning up.
Skills & Learning Goals: This class teaches dough preparation, rolling, baking, structural assembly and decoration. Children explore math and engineering concepts (balance and angles) and practice teamwork and patience. By making cocoa mix, they learn about proportions and ingredient functions, further building independence and confidence. (Children ages 4-12)
About the Instructor
Fatemeh Tirafkan is a professionally trained chef, artisanal preserver and culinary instructor with more than a decade of experience sharing my passion for food. After honing her skills in commercial kitchens and establishing the small‑batch preserves company Joojoo_jam, she began teaching to inspire others. Her classes span baking, jam‑making, fermentation, scratch bread, family dinners and child‑friendly cooking, and she has led them in community centres, farmers’ markets, public libraries, school kitchens and private studios throughout Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley. From Burnaby’s neighbourhood hubs to outdoor farm settings and festival pop‑ups, she designs hands‑on workshops that demystify techniques while celebrating seasonal produce and cultural diversity. Fatemeh is known for having a patient, Montessori‑inspired teaching style that empowers participants to explore new ingredients, build practical skills and gain confidence in the kitchen.
Date and Time
Sunday, November 16th, 10 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Location
UBC Farm
Cost
- General: $59.85 (includes GST)