Teaching Sourdough: Saying Yes to Sharing What Matters
In January 2025, I got a message from the events coordinator at Madison Community Center.
She'd been following me on social media and asked if I'd be interested in teaching sourdough workshops. They were opening a brand-new center and thought I'd be a good fit.
I said yes immediately.
As a former first-grade teacher, teaching is where I feel at home. Helping someone understand something that once felt complicated — that's what I love. So even though I'd never taught sourdough before, I knew I wanted to try.
The First Workshop
Walking into that first workshop, I felt the same excitement I used to feel on the first day of school.
New faces. New people curious about something I care deeply about. A chance to share not just how to bake bread, but why it matters.
The workshops were hands-on. Participants mixed dough with their own hands, felt it transform through stretch and folds, learned to read the signs of good fermentation. I walked them through every step — not just the how, but the why.
Because sourdough isn't just about making bread. It's about understanding a living process. It's about taking control of what you feed your family. It's about knowing exactly what's in your food.
And watching people realize they could actually do this? That they didn't need to be intimidated by wild yeast and long fermentation times? That felt like coming home.
When the Timing Wasn't Right
I taught a few workshops at the community center, and the first two went well. But then life happened — spring break with my boys, the ebb and flow of a new venue finding its rhythm.
The timing just wasn't right yet. Not for the center.
So I paused. I posted on social media that I was stepping away from workshops for a while, trusting that if it was meant to come back around, it would.
And then Lemon & Lavender reached out.
The Right Opportunity at the Right Time
Their sourdough instructor was leaving to return to education full-time. They'd been running sourdough workshops for years and had built a community around them. And they asked if I'd take over.
This was different. The audience was already there. The space was established. The timing felt right.
I said yes.
My first workshop at Lemon & Lavender was in October 2025, and it reminded me why I love teaching.
The room was full. People came ready to learn. They asked thoughtful questions. They got their hands dirty. They left excited to bake their first loaf at home.
And in the days after, they shared photos of their bread with me. They asked follow-up questions. They've told me how they were baking for their families now, understanding what was going into every loaf.
That's what this is about.
Why Teaching Matters
Teaching sourdough isn't just about showing people how to mix flour and water.
It's about giving them the tools to make real food for their families. To step away from overly processed bread with ingredients they can't pronounce. To feel confident in their kitchens.
It's about sharing what matters to me — clean ingredients, slow fermentation, understanding the process — and watching it matter to them too.
Every workshop, I see someone's face light up when they realize sourdough isn't as intimidating as they thought. Every time someone messages me a photo of their first loaf, I'm reminded why I started teaching in the first place.
Not just to feed my own family. But to share this with others. To help people feel empowered in their own kitchens.
That's the heart of it.
Full Circle
I'm teaching at both places now. Lemon & Lavender monthly, and I'm back at Madison Community Center with workshops scheduled through spring.
The timing is right now. For both spaces. For me.
And I'm grateful for both opportunities — one that came when I thought I needed to step back, one that brought me back when the moment was right.
Because that's what I've learned building this business: the right opportunities come when you stay open to them. When you say yes even when you're nervous. When you trust the timing, even when it doesn't make sense at first.
Teaching sourdough has become one of the most meaningful parts of what I do. Not because it's the biggest revenue stream or the flashiest part of the business.
But because it's the most direct way I get to share what I love. To connect with people who want to learn. To pass on something that's changed how my family eats and how we think about food.
That's worth saying yes to.
Have you ever learned something that changed how you cook for your family?
— Courtenay 💙
