French Bistro Desserts Cooking Class

Master iconic French bistro desserts at this baking and desserts class in St Kilda!



6.5 hours Location St Kilda Class size 1 to 7 guests   $295
Discover the art of creating heavenly French bistro desserts in Melbourne!
In this workshop, you will learn the secrets behind classic French desserts that are sure to tantalise your taste buds.
Our repertoire includes an array of mouthwatering treats such as the famous Chocolate Concorde (a delectable mousse and meringue cake), apple or pear tart tatin (with our own puff pastry), Tarte aux Mendiants (the divine nut and frangipane tart), île flottante (floating islands or oeufs à la neige), snow eggs (petit lemon and meringue tarts), vanilla bean and passionfruit bavarois, crème brûlée, chocolate délice mousse cake, soufflés, classic crème caramel, savarin, rum baba, passionfruit roulade, clafoutis, and the list goes on. Also included are petit fours such as madeleines, speculoos, langues du chat tuiles, and canelés.
All classes are small, hands-on, relaxed, fun, and informative. Beginners are welcome and encouraged. You will start the class with a tea, coffee or cold drink and a cake or biscuit made in-house in the Cooking on the Bay kitchen.
Immerse yourself in the joy of creating these delightful delicacies as you follow our expert instructions. As a memento of your culinary adventure, you'll take home a comprehensive recipe booklet that includes all the recipes we worked on, enabling you to recreate these delicious treats in the comfort of your own kitchen.
After all the hard work, it's time to indulge! Gather around the table and savour the fruits of your labour as you enjoy all the desserts you cooked. To complement your sweet feast, we also provide a light savoury lunch and wine. This is your chance to relax, unwind and relish in the flavours of your creations.

Upcoming dates for French Bistro Desserts Cooking Class

Times are Melbourne time. Dates and prices as of 22 Oct 2026, 10:52am; availability and price are confirmed live when booking on this page.

5 upcoming dates between 22 Nov 2026 and 6 Jun 2027.

  • Sun 22 Nov 2026, 8:45am-3:15pm
  • Sun 7 Feb 2027, 8:45am-3:15pm
  • Sun 14 Mar 2027, 8:45am-3:15pm
  • Sun 2 May 2027, 8:45am-3:15pm
  • Sun 6 Jun 2027, 8:45am-3:15pm
What you'll get
  • An all-day cooking experience with as many as eight or more desserts cooked by the class.
  • All ingredients and equipment are provided.
  • Guidance from an expert chef.
  • A sit-down lunch at the table with wine to enjoy all the desserts you cooked in the morning's class.
  • A comprehensive recipe collection of all the dishes cooked in the class, plus extra hints and tips.
Read more details   
Knowledge required
Beginner-friendly.
What to bring
  • Please wear closed-toe shoes for safety reasons.
  • Bring a hair tie to tie back your hair while we cook.
Location

45-46 Marine Parade, St Kilda VIC

French Bistro Desserts Cooking Class location
Verified reviews

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Recent reviews of French Bistro Desserts Cooking Class

  • 5/5 from Josie Garofalo, attended Aug 2026: Husband and I had a fantastic time with French bistro desserts. Amazing cooking experience with beautiful views of the bay. Learnt so much and ate delicious food. Definitely will go again and try different cuisine. Highly recommend
  • 5/5 from Tom Monotti, attended Jun 2026: Wonderful and sumptuous recipes! Thank you Tonya for being such an excellent host and for teaching us how to make such excellent desserts!
  • 5/5 from Annette Bretag, attended Mar 2026: Loved out French deserts cooking class with Tonya! It was great fun and we learned tips and tricks. A wonderful way to celebrate of friends birthdays toget.
  • 5/5 from Liam Frost, attended Dec 2025: Very good class learnt a lot couldn't recommend it more
  • 5/5 from Emmett Brew, attended Dec 2025: Great session, learnt a lot and had a good time!
  • 5/5 from Julie Falcone, attended Sep 2025: What a fantastic way to spend a Sunday. We made a number of scrumptious desserts and got to take some home. Tonya is a kind and patient teacher with a wealth of knowledge and experience. The location was divine and the class size was perfect for one to one learning in a fun and friendly environment. Thank you, I will be back again.
  • 5/5 from Katie Rees, attended Aug 2025: Amazing class in an amazing location! Our teacher Tonya was super organised and so knowledgeable. We learnt some fantastic French dessert techniques and used these to make delicious desserts. We had a small but super friendly, engaged and encouraging group. I will definitely be signing up for more classes!
  • 2/5 from Joanne Atkinson, attended Aug 2025: I was disappointed with this class. It was somewhat disorganised in getting things done and having areas on the bench and cooktops available when necessary. I found Tonya to be quite critical at times and unnecessarily harsh about very simple things and there were occasions when her instructions weren’t clear and it was confusing. I would not recommend this.
  • 5/5 from Sarah Britz, attended Jul 2025: Tonya structured the course very well to enable everyone to have a go at different parts of the dessert prep. It was relaxed and informative. Great day finished by a lovely lunch.
  • 5/5 from Amy Das, attended Dec 2024: I thoroughly enjoyed my cooking class with Tonya! She is very knowledgeable and gave us all very clear instructions. We broke into 4 groups of 2 to make 2 desserts each but also got to see our peers working on their respective desserts so we were able to gain a lot of insight into all the dishes. The finished results were awesome and I gained some confidence to make my own at home and even get creative and put my on twist on things.
  • 4/5 from Zyg Kaminski, attended Dec 2024: An enjoyable learning experience-initially a little chaotic, in Tonya working to have coordination in the 4 separate groups. In time, the class became more contained as did Tonya. Perhaps having everyone do the same dessert, may have been an alternate teaching and learning experience A recommendable time and worthy of repeating. Zyg
  • 5/5 from Kerry Gemmell, attended Jul 2024: A great class, really enjoyable and excellent tuition. I highly recommend you try a class.
  • 5/5 from Carol Ayre, attended Feb 2024: I have always enjoyed the many classes that I have attended in the past. Today's 'French Bistro Class" was no exception. Tonya's a well informed teacher, with a lot of experience and knowledge. It is obvious, that she is passionate about cooking and loves to share her recipes with her guests. The day is always fun, especially enjoying the delicious dishes on completion with a glass of wine and beautiful views of the marina. The 'recipe booklet' with many extra special hints is so well written, it makes it so easy to recreate these great desserts at home for your family and friends. I have actually used many of Tonya's recipes in the past, my friends are so impressed. Thanks again for a great day, Tonya. I always learn something new.
  • 5/5 from Anna Xia, attended Oct 2023: Such nice weather for a super nice French desserts extravaganza. We were served a coronation quiche with some greens just so we ate something as a basis for the waves of dessert offerings to come. Apple tart tatin with Crème Anglaise ice cream, profiteroles filled with crème pâtissière and chocolate sauce, passionfruit soufflé, basque cheesecake and speculoos which are French cinnamon short bread biscuits. Many thanks to Tonya and her assistant Sandra for a wonderful day. You’d be surprised at your own baking and cooking ability. A nice drop of rosé or sparkling certainly livened the atmosphere.
Your teacher

Cooking on the Bay
Cooking on the Bay

4.9 (95)
female Women-owned

Participants in classes have commented on how Tonya generously and enthusiastically enjoys sharing her knowledge, experience and ideas. There are interesting foodie hints, tips and musings both during the sessions and whilst sharing the delicious lunch that is taken ‘at the table’, overlooking the views of the bay and beyond.
Tonya’s vibrant and engaging personality will encourage you to want to share ‘the pleasure of the table’ experienced in the morning classes with your friends and family. You will be inspired to race home and repeat the dishes you have learned in the day’s class. Tonya is Melbourne trained at Holmesglen, in Paris at Le Cordon Bleu and the Ritz Escoffier and in Burgundy at La Varenne l’Ecole de Cuisine. She has taken culinary tours to France in the Dordogne and Provence, plus she has visited regional cooking schools in the Dordogne, Normandy and in Tuscany, Italy. She regularly takes culinary tours to Marrakech, Morocco, where she perfects many of the Moroccan dishes she discovers there, cooked to perfection by her friend and chef colleague, Edwina Golombek, who owns a culinary, residential cooking school riad in the heart of Marrakesh. A visit and her pilgrim's walk along the Camino de Santiago de Compostela found Tonya in love with the history and culinary traditions of Spain, so she has added these experiences to her Spanish cuisine cooking classes as well.
Before training as a chef, Tonya was a librarian, information manager, library trainer and library consultant. Cooking on the Bay proudly owns an extensive library collection of over 3000 cookbooks and books related to food, cooking, France, Italy Morocco and the Mediterranean.
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