Over Spring Break last March, I had the opportunity to attend a baking workshop put on by the people at Kinfolk Magazine. According to Kinfolk Magazine’s website, this is what their gatherings are meant to be about: “The Kinfolk community gatherings are an invitation to engagement: engaging with new skills, new relationships, and a refreshed understanding of the physical world around us. We'll focus on cooking, gardening, the culture of the table, and other hands-on practices we find life-enriching.”It was held in Awendaw just outside of Charleston, South Carolina on a rainy Saturday morning.
As we approached the house where it was held, we were welcomed by excited goats behind a fence in the front yard as well as a captivating view of the intercostal waterway behind the house. The home itself was a lovely, simple space with wooden bookshelves, and hard wood floors surrounding you. There were candles aglow as well as too many cookbooks to count and the smell of cookies delighted our senses as we walked through the front door. The lady whose house we made use of was Tara Derr Webb and she was very sweet and fun to talk to. Our hostess for the workshop was Hannah Ferrara, who was from Asheville, North Carolina and an experienced baker by trade. She introduced us to what we would be making for the day, but told us not to worry if we didn’t end up getting to some recipes because the day was more about making relationships with the people around us and enjoying ourselves, while baking scrumptious food.
It was lovely meeting all of the women that came to this workshop as well because who knew half of them were artists like me! One had studied photography in college, another was a graphic designer with her own design business, another was a freelance photographer, and our hostess was a jeweler with her own jewelry business called Another Feather. Some of my favorite recipes that we made consisted of when we made our own pie crust from scratch, these gluten free chocolate almond cookies, as well as when we attempted making our own butter by doing it the old fashioned way and shaking a jar that had a marble, and heavy cream mixed with raw buttermilk in it.
Of course the best part of the day was when we got to sit down in the afternoon and partake in all the sweets we had made with all the good whole ingredients brought, while sipping on hot tea and French press coffee. The rain actually stopped for our feast so we were able to sit out on the porch and enjoy all of our baking treats and each other’s company. All in all, it was an exceptional day spent baking, making new friends, and learning about each other’s passions, while gaining some new baking skills.