Education & Classes in Dover

Donna Infantolino has been baking since she was tall enough to reach the kitchen table, crafting recipes from scratch in her aunt and grandmother’s kitchens. At her combination café and bakery, she and business partner Beth Butler begin every recipe with organic, sustainable ingredients, such as Nielsen-Massey pure vanilla and Scharffen Berger chocolate, whenever possible. The dessert dream team crafts wedding cakes, traditional and filled cupcakes, and one-of-a-kind sculpted cakes in original shapes such as convincing guitars or sassy pumps. They also accommodate customers with dietary restrictions through vegan and gluten-free options.

All in the Icing's staffers expand recreational baking abilities during small-group BYOB classes, which include all of the high-quality ingredients and equipment necessary to create sweet or savory recipes. At the end of sessions, participants head home with their tasty works to share with family or break into tiny pieces to add to crumb collections.

In A’ La Art’s walk-in studio, art-savvy staffers share technical tips and aesthetic advice as they mingle with visitors painting pottery, molding clay, and arranging fused-glass projects. Patrons can customize plain bisque pieces—selected from an array of hundreds—with stencils and stamps before daubing on food-safe paints and glazes. Alternatively, they can layer iridescent patterns of colored glass beads onto clear glass bases, creating fused glassware such as bowls, plates, or one-use hammers. Experts kiln-fire completed work, which patrons can pick up roughly a week after their studio time.

In the late 1970s career educators Eileen and Raymond Huntington opened the first Huntington Learning Center in Oradell, New Jersey. Their goal was to take an individualized approach to education, adjusting instructional tactics according to each student's set of needs. Their success in helping K–12 students prepare for exams and improve grades and study skills quickly spawned franchises across New York and New Jersey.

Today, the certified Huntington tutoring staff utilizes testing and rubrics for assessing each child's skills, academic needs and potential for growth. The teachers even note the student's behavior in different testing and academic situations to craft a methodology sensitive to each child's learning style. Teachers also adhere to the company's code of ethics that stresses professionalism and confidentiality and encourages pupils to improve their grades honestly through dedicated study rather than shortcuts.

A bouquet seems simple at first, sprays of baby’s breath filling out the broad orange petals of lilies and the brushstroke curls of roses. Without an eye for color and composition, though, the huge range of flowers that are available can be intimidating. The School of Floral Arts & Design develops talented florists and hobbyists through classes and courses that introduce theories of composition and design. Instructors with decades of experience cover everything from design to business sense, and pupils leave carrying mini topiaries, centerpieces, and seasonal wreaths. Professional courses help florists enhance their craft with lessons on designing bouquets and corsages.

Karen Klein, Art Magic's proprietor and instructor, teaches students of all ages to tap into their creativity during her seven-week art courses, which utilize a wide variety of media, such as drawing, painting, and clay sculpture. A certified K–12 instructor, Karen has been doling out artistic wisdom in public schools since the 1970s and, more recently, in her own workshop classroom. She draws upon this experience to guide budding Monets in her loosely structured classes, giving students total creative control while she stokes the fires of creativity with expert advice and word-association tests.

Corks pop and spirits flow at Eastcoast School of Bartending, where students learn the tricks of the trade in a realistic environment. When not busy in the classroom, students man an actual a 35-foot U-shaped bar stocked with more than 250 bottles, bar utensils, and more than 200 glasses of varying types ready to aid on the journey to bartending mastery. Eastcoast’s instructors cover all areas of the craft, including drink recipes, customer service, alcohol awareness, and how to memorize every regular’s favorite cartoon character. After completing the course, students receive a graduation license approved by the New Jersey Department of Education and recognized in all 50 states. Eastcoast also offers graduates free job-placement services and refresher training for life.