Are you interested in learning more about native plants and their importance? Are you looking for a kid-friendly introduction to native plants? If so, you'll want to check out this workshop, which is geared towards both adults and children.

David Hawke is an author, educator, and lifelong naturalist. He has a passion for teaching others about native plants and all things environmental. During this workshop Dave will walk you through native and invasive species of Ontario, and the importance of understanding the difference. He will also outline how to make native plant 'seed bombs' for your own backyard! These seed bombs help to spread native plants which are important for biodiversity.

Each workshop purchase includes a kit within enough materials to make 4 native plant 'seed bombs!'

Thank you for your interest in this workshop. Registration is now closed. If you would like to be added to the waitlist, please email cell@lakeheadu.ca. We will notify you when a space becomes available.

Are you a chocolate connoisseur? Have you ever wondered about the process behind making this delicious, sweet treat? In this workshop, local chocolatier Dawn will guide participants through the chocolate-making process, and then invite attendees to participate in a chocolate tasting. Each participant will receive a chocolate tasting kit, which includes four different types of chocolate (dark, milk, fruit, and white).

Dawn, owner and founder of  DWN Craft Chocolatier, creates hand-crafted chocolate bars and confections featuring local, natural, and carefully selected ingredients. She draws from years of making jams and preserves, and a food career based on the fundamentals of fine dining and local ingredients.

Please note that registration for this event has now closed. However, if you are interested in attending, please email cell@lakeheadu.ca and we will email you if a space becomes available.

Have you always wanted to try to make pasta from scratch? Or maybe you're looking for some tried-and-true tips to perfect the results of your at home attempts? Does this sound like you or someone you know? Then this workshop is for you!

In this workshop, current hospitality teacher and former restaurant owner Andrew Mavor will teach you how to perfect making pasta at home, right from scratch. He will outline the ‘science' of pasta making... tips, tricks, ways to modify recipes to make them your own and some essential hacks to make your pasta making experience fun. After covering the foundation of pasta making, he will guide you through the step-by-step pasta making process to make a quick and delicious pasta that is sure to become part of your kitchen repertoire. You will also receive your very own gnocchi / cavatelli board to use during the workshop!

Please note that registration for this event has now closed. However, if you are interested in attending, please email cell@lakeheadu.ca and we will email you if a space becomes available.

Do you know someone 55+ who is passionate about lifelong learning? Does this sound like you?  Third Age Learning Lakehead (TALL) programming runs year-round, and our January/February series is the gift that keeps on giving – for five weeks!  This series will explore stories, or more specifically, the role that stories play in shaping our society.

This series will be offered in-person at the St. Paul's Centre in Orillia and online.

The perfect gift for parents struggling to put a healthy and delicious meal on the table for their family, or for people on their own who would like to rediscover the fun in food!

Participants will receive a copy of Claire Tansey’s latest cookbook, Dinner, Uncomplicated, and attend an interactive “cook along” on Zoom with Claire herself to learn about creating three of the book’s 15-minute “back pocket dinners.” Home cooks from across Canada rave about how this 90-minute session changed their outlook, enabling them to envision putting a meal on the table in less time than it takes to order a pizza!

The Zoom webinar will take place on Thursday, Feb. 3 at 7 pm.

What (besides ‘more cheese’) pairs well with cheese?  Beer!  This gift is sure to please the zythophile/turophile in your life. Participants will pick up four Quayles beers and four select artisanal cheeses from the Rind and Truckle in Orillia, before joining Fromager Amy Robert to learn the stories of the cheese and why they go so well with these particular beers. Participants will not only receive the gifts of cheese and beer, but also a learning experience that will bring their knowledge of both to the next level!

Every Lakehead student and Thunder Bay resident has memories of the Hoito, a Thunder Bay institution famous for its Finnish pancakes and unique atmosphere. Now you can bring a taste of that memory home!  Participants will receive a bag of Hoito pancake mix and, after flipping some ‘lettu,’ they can join Finnish historian Saku Pinta on Zoom to learn about “A Brief History of the Hoito Restaurant: One Hundred Years of Labour, Community, and Co-operation.”

Pinta, a lecturer at the University of Manitoba, worked at the Hoito intermittently for over a decade and his mother, Kaija Pinta was the head cook at the restaurant until her retirement in 2008. More recently, Pinta has served as a board member of the Finlandia Co-operative of Thunder Bay, a new initiative that will re-open the Hoito as a consumers' co-operative. Until that happens, this is your opportunity to taste the Hoito one more time.

Do you know a passionate teacher or leader struggling with burnout as we move through this pandemic?  Are you yourself yearning to be inspired to be an innovative and transformational leader in your classroom or school?

Participants will receive a copy of The IT Factor: Discover and Unleash Your Own Unique Leadership Potential (2021) and then join national bestselling author and award-winning former principal and leadership expert John Morrison for an interactive Zoom workshop filled with insights into how they can (re)discover their own IT Factor, and unleash their full leadership potential.

Do you know someone 55+ who is passionate about lifelong learning? Does this sound like you?  Third Age Learning Lakehead (TALL) programming runs year-round, and our January/February series is the gift that keeps on giving – for five weeks!  This series will explore the concept of happiness, and it will begin with a talk by Dr. Gillian Mandich, founder of the International Happiness Institute of Health Science Research, who will discuss the science and practice of happiness. Give yourself or a loved one the gift of ‘happiness’!

Do you know a socially conscious person who loves to read? Why not give them not only a book, but also the opportunity to discuss it with like-minded people? Join Dr. Cheryl Lousley as she hosts a discussion of Sarah Boom’s award-winning memoir, The Yellow House.

Participants will read this National Book award winner before tuning in to join ‘the club’ on Zoom on January 20 at 7 pm. Participants can choose to continue with the book club series, joining three other professors for different discussions on other books in March, April, and May.

Books will be picked up at Entershine Bookshop in Thunder Bay, Manticore Books in Orillia, or shipped to the participant.