Enjoy Baklawa & Holiday Cheer at Cayuga’s Culinary Institute with Celebrity Chef, PBS Host Julie Taboulie®

Cayuga Community College and celebrity chef, award-winning author and PBS host Julie Taboulie® are partnering in December for a pair of culinary classes celebrating baking and holiday cheer.

“Baklawa for Beginners” at Cayuga’s Culinary Institute will walk attendees through crafting and baking Taboulie’s® famous baklawa for friends and families this holiday season. The classes will also offer other delectable authentic Lebanese and Mediterranean sweets and pastries for attendees to enjoy.

“I’m thrilled to bring my special sweet-treat to life with my personally guided hands-on culinary courses at Cayuga’s Culinary Institute,” said Taboulie®. “Each participant will bring home their beautiful freshly baked baklawa to share with family, friends, co-workers, neighbors, you name it, just in time to enjoy during the holiday season!”

The one-night courses are scheduled for 5:30-7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 6, and Wednesday, Dec. 13, at the Culinary Institute at 161 W. Genesee Street in Auburn. Registration can be completed by calling Cayuga’s Office of Community Education and Workforce Development at 315-294-8841.

Emily Cameron, Cayuga’s director of the Office of Community Education and Workforce Development, said the courses with Taboulie® offer a delicious option for people to enjoy a culinary delight they can replicate for the holidays.

“Julie is an award-winning author and fantastic chef who is renowned for many dishes, but particularly for her baklawa. This is a great opportunity to learn the perfect holiday dessert from one of the best,” said Cameron. “We’re so happy to be working with Julie again, and we look forward to enjoying baklawa and other delicacies.”

Baklawa is Taboulie’s® most requested recipe, particularly during the holiday season. The hands-on, interactive courses will show attendees how to bake their own hand-crafted baklawa, and give them the chance to learn directly from Taboulie®. All ingredients and materials will be provided for attendees.

Taboulie® launched her first cooking show, “Cooking with Julie Taboulie,” in 2012. She served as creator, host and executive producer of the show, which earned an Emmy nomination and other awards. Taboulie’s® new show, “Julie Taboulie’s Lebanese Kitchen,” currently airs nationwide on PBS and Create TV.

In 2017 she won the World Gourmand Award for Best Mediterranean Cookbook in the United States for “Julie Taboulie’s Lebanese Kitchen: Authentic Recipes for Fresh and Flavorful Mediterranean Home Cooking.” Copies of the cookbook personally signed by Taboulie® will be available for purchase both nights.

The classes will also offer tours of the 2,250-square-foot, state-of-the-art Culinary Institute, which opened in 2021. The Institute is the home for Cayuga’s Culinary Arts degree program and is frequently open for one-night classes throughout the year.

For information about the College’s Culinary Institute, visit https://www.cayuga-cc.edu/academics/schools/soma/degrees/culinary-arts/. For more details about Taboulie®, visit https://www.julietaboulie.com.