Holiday Baking Retreat 2024
Holiday Baking Retreat 2024

Southern-Style Holiday Baking with Brian Hart Hoffman 2024

Birmingham, Alabama
November 8–11, 2024

$3,250 single occupancy (1 baker/1 hotel room)
$3,000 each double occupancy (2 bakers in 1 shared hotel room)
$3,250 baking participant plus non-baking guest (1 baker/1 non-baking guest/1 hotel room)
If you’d like to bring a non-baking companion with you, we invite them to join you for the welcome reception in our test kitchen at no additional cost.
Commuter pass: $2,250 (No hotel room included. Available for Birmingham residents only.)

Led by Bake from Scratch editor-in-chief Brian Hart Hoffman, this weekend retreat will get you ready for holiday baking, Southern style. Throughout the weekend, you’ll prepare some iconic Southern recipes such as yeasted angel biscuits and Lane Cake, a boozy and fruity Alabama icon. And we couldn’t have a Southern retreat without Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting. Before the weekend is over, you’ll be saying, “Happy holidays, y’all!”

Each registered baking attendee will receive a one-year subscription to Bake from Scratch. If you’re already a subscriber, you have the option of extending your subscription or gifting it to someone who loves baking.

What’s Included
  • Hotel accommodations in Birmingham
  • All baking classes
  • Welcome wine reception, light breakfast, and lunches
  • Transportation to/from the Bake from Scratch test kitchen
  • One-year subscription to Bake from Scratch
  • Gift bag with some of our favorite baking items
What’s Not Included
  • Airfare/travel to Birmingham
  • Airport transfers
  • Some meals
What’s Included
  • Hotel accommodations in Birmingham
  • All baking classes
  • Welcome wine reception, light breakfast, and lunches
  • Transportation to/from the Bake from Scratch test kitchen
  • One-year subscription to Bake from Scratch
  • Gift bag with some of our favorite baking items
What’s Not Included
  • Airfare/travel to Birmingham
  • Airport transfers
  • Some meals
What’s Included
  • All baking classes
  • Welcome wine reception, light breakfast, and lunches
  • One-year subscription to Bake from Scratch
  • Gift bag with some of our favorite baking items
What’s Not Included
  • Hotel
  • Some meals
  • Transportation to/from the Bake from Scratch test kitchen and hotel
What’s Included
  • Hotel accommodations in Birmingham
  • Welcome wine reception
What’s Not Included
  • Airfare/travel to Birmingham
  • Airport transfers
  • Some meals

Please note all 24 spots of this baking retreat must be filled by May 1, 2024 for the retreat to take place. Don’t wait! Register today.


Have a question about this baking retreat? Contact us.

JOIN OUR WAITLIST

If you’d like to join our waitlist, please email events@bakefromscratch.com.

In case of a vacancy, we will reach out to interested parties in the order of emails received.

Please include first and last name, address, phone number, and your destination of interest in your email.

Friday, November 8

Arrive in Birmingham and get settled into the Valley Hotel, located in charming downtown Homewood, just 10 minutes away from the Bake from Scratch test kitchen. We’ll have an early evening wine reception at the hotel so you can meet our team and your fellow bakers. Dinner will be on your own with our list of top restaurants to try while you’re in Birmingham.

Saturday, November 9

Day 1 in the Bake from Scratch test kitchen: We’ll bake our way through a variety of Southern holiday recipes to get you prepared for time with family and friends. Lunch, tea, and coffee will be provided as well as a light breakfast. Class will run from 8:45 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. so you have the afternoon to shop your way through Homewood. Private coach transportation will be provided to/from the test kitchen. Dinner will be on your own with our list of top restaurants to try while you’re in Birmingham.

Sunday, November 10

Day 2 in the Bake from Scratch test kitchen: We’ll bake our way through a variety of Southern holiday recipes to get you prepared for time with family and friends. Lunch, tea, and coffee will be provided as well as a light breakfast. Class will run from 8:45 a.m. until approximately 4:30 p.m. Private coach transportation will be provided to/from the test kitchen. Dinner will be on your own with our list of top restaurants to try while you’re in Birmingham.

Monday, November 11

Departures on your own.

Holiday Baking Retreat 2024
Holiday Baking Retreat 2024

Accommodations in Birmingham

The Valley Hotel is located in downtown Homewood, just over the mountain from our test kitchen. From the hotel, you can walk to dozens of locally owned boutiques and restaurants. The hotel has a restaurant serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner as well as a cozy area to relax outside by the firepits.

Booking

Half of the retreat cost (50%) is due within 48 hours along with a signed travel waiver and cancellation policy acknowledgment to secure your reservation. The second half of the retreat cost (50%) is due May 1, 2024. We accept payment by American Express, Visa, Mastercard, PayPal, and Amazon Pay. Trip prices are in US dollars.

Travel to and from Birmingham

Guests are responsible for getting themselves to Birmingham and to the Valley Hotel on Friday, November 15, when the retreat commences. Guests will be responsible for getting themselves from the Valley Hotel to the airport or their next destination on Monday, November 18. Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport is located a quick 15 minutes away from the hotel.

Costs

The price of the trip includes all hotel accommodations, all baking classes, transportation to/from baking classes, some meals, and the welcome wine reception.

Single-occupancy, double-occupancy, and commuter rates are available.

Your credit card will be charged by Hoffman Media, the parent company of Bake from Scratch.

Cancellation

Since the trip is nonrefundable, we suggest buying trip insurance.

If you don’t purchase travel insurance, you agree to indemnify us against any charges that might otherwise be covered by your insurance. You further agree that we are not responsible for any costs of cancellation or costs related to travel interruptions or COVID-19. Due to COVID-19, there may be limitations relating to activities. Certain services and amenities may be reduced or unavailable as a result of changing circumstances. Please know that we are working closely with our partners to plan and execute a safe baking retreat for our guests, but there is an inherent risk of exposure to COVID-19 when traveling. By booking this baking retreat, you acknowledge and assume these risks associated with travel. 

We reserve the right to cancel this retreat if fewer than 24 participants have signed up by May 1, 2024. We will send an email confirmation to all participants when this number has been met. If Bake from Scratch initiates the cancellation, we will refund all payments.

Have a question about this baking retreat? Email events@bakefromscratch.com.

Holiday Baking Retreat 2024
Holiday Baking Retreat 2024

Can I extend my stay at the hotel?

If you’d like to inquire about additional nights at the hotel, please email events@bakefromscratch.com.

I live in Birmingham. Can I attend and not stay in a hotel?

Please email us at events@bakefromscratch.com if you are a Birmingham resident and would like information on a commuter package. We have a limited number of spots available.

Is breakfast included?

Coffee, tea, and a light breakfast will be provided each morning.

Are children able to attend this retreat?

All participants must be 18 years old or older to attend this baking retreat.

What should I plan to wear during baking classes?

Casual clothing and non-slip, closed-toe shoes. Long hair should be pulled back. Aprons will be provided.

Are the baking classes hands-on?

Yes, all baking classes will be hands-on. You will complete each recipe on your own, from start to finish.

Is this retreat better-suited for professionals or home bakers?

Our retreats are geared toward passionate home bakers, but professionals are always welcome. We think everyone has an opportunity to learn new tips and techniques.

Will we have any free time?

You will have some free time Saturday afternoon and in the evenings to explore Birmingham and downtown Homewood.

I want to bring my travel companion, but they don’t want to participate in the baking classes. What can they do?

We invite your non-baking companion to the welcome reception. While you bake, your travel companion can explore Birmingham on their own.

To reserve your space, email events@bakefromscratch.com. Reservations will be taken in the order in which we receive emails. 

Holiday Baking Retreat 2024