La Farm Bakery owner Lionel Vatinet is hosting a longtime friend and fellow baker Dominique Homo who will be teaching two baking classes in Cary next week.

Both men are master bakers, originally from France. Both men coached the American team when it won its first gold medal in 1999 at the Coupe du Monde de la Boulangerie, an international baking competition.

Vatinet, who has settled in Cary where he and his wife started the successful La Farm Bakery, has invited his friend to teach two classes:

• From 5:30-8:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 14, Homo will teach how to make a traditional enriched dough like a Viennoise dough and pate brisee, used to make apple tarts or quiche.
• From 5:30-8:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 15, Homo will teach how to make pate sablee, a dough used to make fresh fruit tarts, and beer bread using Fullsteam’s Pale Ale. Sean Wilson, owner of the Durham brewery, also will offer a beer tasting and discuss his line-up of local beers.

Each class costs $75. To reserve a spot, call 919-657-0657.

Here are a few more food items that may work as stocking stuffers or hostess gifts this holiday season:

La Farm bakery in Cary is selling stollen (pictured at left) and a Linzer challah bread. Baker Lionel Vatinet makes the stollen with a brioche-like dough filled with rum-soaked orange zest, raisins and nuts. After baking, the bread is rolled in sugar. A large loaf costs $15.99. A small costs $8.99. Vatinet's Linzer challah is his take on an Entenmann's cake -- a challah dough filled with a cream cheese-based custard and fresh raspberries. It sells for $7.89.

The special breads are available every day at the bakery in Cary or at the bakery's stand at the state Farmer's Market in Raleigh from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday-Monday. Local Whole Foods stores also are carrying these breads and can place orders for customers. Special orders for the holiday must be placed by Friday either through Whole Foods , by calling the bakery at 919-657-0657 or online at lafarmbakery.com. Orders also can be delivered to the state farmers market.

La Farm also sells the traditional Buche de Noel cake (pictured at right) for $36.99 in three flavors: Belgian chocolate, vanilla buttercream with a raspberry coulis and hazelnut praline. It is only available at the Cary store and pre-order is necessary before Friday.

Raleigh-based coffee roaster Larry's Beans is now selling a cold brew coffee concentrate. It can be used to make iced coffee, hot coffee and cocktails. A three pack of 16-ounce bottles costs $32.50 online at LarrysBeans.com. A single bottle sells for $11.49 at these stores: Taylor's gas station and wine shop and Harmony Farms in North Raleigh, The Meat House in Cary and Tyler's Bottle Shop in downtown Raleigh.

I also wanted to mention Mrs. Hanes' Hand-made Moravian Cookies. This Clemmons, N.C.-company makes 10 million cookies by hand each year. A one-pound tin costs $20.30. Order online at hanescookies.com.

The former owners of a French bakery in North Raleigh are holding a bake sale Saturday to raise money for their son’s cancer treatment.

Isabelle and Denis Blanco are the former owners of Gourmandises de France, a bakery they owned on Creedmoor Road from 2000 to 2007. Their 20-year-old son, Sylvain, was diagnosed two years ago with Ewing sarcoma, a rare form of cancer. With treatment, he got better. Last year, he got his GED from Wake Technical Community College and planned to study to become an oncology nurse.

Two-and-a-half weeks ago, doctors found that the cancer had returned; this time in his lungs, says his mom, Isabelle Blanco (who is pictured above in the couple's shop.) The family found treatment available in France, where they are from originally, and have sent him there.

The family’s friends and those in the Triangle’s French community are coming together to help the couple raise money with a bake sale starting at 10 a.m. Saturday outside the couple’s Wake Forest home. Sosta Cafe is donating brownies. La Farm Bakery in Cary is donating pastries. And Denis Blanco, who was the pastry chef at the couple’s bakery, will be making crepes. There also will be face painting for children and a raffle.

“It’s going to be a big huge picnic in solidarity for a sick child,” Isabelle Blanco says.

The bake sale starts at 10 a.m. Saturday on the front lawn of the Blancos’ home at 3600 Trawden Dr., Wake Forest.

Williams-Sonoma store at Southpoint mall just sent out a list of their upcoming cooking classes.

Several in May look really interesting if you haven't had a chance to see these local chefs in action: Lionel Vatinet of La Farm Bakery, Chris Stinnet of Pop's Restaurant and Rue Cler; and Jeff Robinson of Mez.

Here is the schedule:

• May 4, Lionel Vatinet of La Farm Bakery of Cary, fresh pizza dough, $65
• May 11, Chris Stinnet of Pop's Restaurant and Rue Cler, both in Durham, pizza and foccacia $35
• May 25, Jeff Robinson of Mez, $35, a contemporary Mexican food. 

Each class runs from 6:30-8:30 p.m. To reserve your spot, call 484-1706.

The Williams-Sonoma store at the Streets at Southpoint Mall has a few upcoming cooking classes:

• Chef Mark Tachman of 411 West wll be teaching a class called Chocolate, Chocolate, Chocolate. The menu includes chocolate creme brulee, dark chocolate ale cake with sugared peanuts, chocolate biscotti and white chocolate mousse in a puff pastry. The $35 class runs from 6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m. Sept. 8.
• Kimberly Luksic of Williams-Sonoma will be teaching a class called Great Food Fast, Fall Flavors. The menu will be quick tortellini and spinach soup, parmesan-stuffed chicken breasts with capricci pasta, broccolli rabe with garlic and cappuccino parfaits. The $35 class will be 6:30 p.m-8:30 p.m. Sept. 16. 
• La Farm baker Lionel Vatinet will be teaching Hands-on Bread Baking, Basic Country French. This class costs $65. But you will learn how to make bread at home with Vatinet as your guide. This class is limited to 10 students. This class is 6:30 p.m.-9 p.m. Sept. 22. 

Call 484-1706 to reserve a spot or for more information.