If you’ve ever wanted to earn how to make homemade French croissants, the good news is that you don’t have to quit your job and apprentice in a Parisian pâtisserie—unless you want to, bien sûr!

Baking Croissants with Sur La Table

Your next foray into the world of French cooking could be closer than you think—as in, your very own local Sur La Table store. Many locations offer a full schedule of fun French cooking and pastry classes, taught by world class chefs and bakers right on-site. Whether you’re a complete kitchen newbie or a novice chef looking to hone your knife skills and technique, there’s class for every type and skill level. Learn to create everything from a full Provençal picnic menu with roast chicken and haricots verts (green beans) to mini macarons.

Fair warning, getting lost in the front of the store—read: a black hole of gourmet cookware and luxury kitchen decor on display like the set of a Nancy Meyers movie, decadent bake mixes, and gadgets you never knew you always wanted—may lead to delusions of Martha Stewart level grandeur.

I spent an afternoon making traditional breakfast croissants—and trust me, you don’t want to know how much butter is involved—at the (now closed) Westwood Sur La Table kitchen in Los Angeles. And since I found myself with two dozen pastries—some stuffed with jambon and fromage, some sweet pain au chocolat—I invited a few friends over for a full-blown afternoon tea—and to sample the results, Great British Bakeoff style.

Take a look at the highlights below, and let me know if you think Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry would approve.

Find your nearest Sur La Table here for a schedule of classes.