Saturday
December 1

Challah for Hunger brings people together to bake and sell challah bread to raise money and awareness for social justice. Their network of 78 chapters around the world engages 3,500 volunteers annually. Their volunteers, who are college students, come together as a community, bake bread, learn about hunger in their community and abroad, and sell the bread to raise funds for charities fighting hunger. Join Challah for Hunger’s Carly Zimmerman at COOK when she will demo three different, delicious challah styles that you will, of course, sample: potato and chive challah (aka latke challah), hot cocoa challah and orange marmalade challah. This is the perfect class for the novice bread baker or those looking to expand their baking repertoire. Plus, this comes just in time for Hanukkah! 

Sunday
December 2

‘Tis the season to get your bake on! A graduate of Chicago’s French Pastry School, Aaron Manuyag is headed to COOK to demonstrate and serve a selection of festival sweet treats: bûche de noel, eggnog, chocolate bourbon pecan tart, chocolate mint marshmallows and apple cheddar pie. Aaron oversees the many pastry and dessert offerings of High Street Hospitality Group, including the pastries and desserts at High Street on Market, as well as those for sister restaurants Fork and a.kitchen. He joined the group in February 2018 after nearly eight years in Chicago, working at such esteemed restaurants and bakeries as Nico Osteria, Sepia and Floriole Bakery, most recently as pastry chef at the Loews Chicago. 

Friday
December 7

Located at 5th and South Streets, Puyero is a piece of Venezuela from Chef Manuela Villasmil brought into the heart of Philly. Prior to opening in 2017, Manuela, along with her husband Gil and his brother Gil and Simon Arends, noticed that Venezuela was underrepresented in Philadelphia’s vibrant dining scene, when compared to other Latin American cuisines. We’re thrilled to welcome back Manuela this December as she prepares a traditional Venezuelan holiday feast: pan de jamón (rolled bread filled with ham, raisins, and olives); ensalada de gallina y papa (chicken and potato salad); hallaca (Venezuelan tamale filled with chicken stew or chicken and pork stew); and brazo gitano (rolled vanilla cake filled with dulce de leche). Plus, to get you in the spirit of the holidays, we'll also be serving ponche de crema, a Venezuelan eggnog.