Education & Classes in Hyannis

A guitar player for 32 years and a music retailer for more than two decades, Matt earned his musical chops alongside some of the best in the business. As a member of the band Adam Bomb in the late '80s, he shared the stage with notables including Dio, Stryper, Kings X, and Iron Maiden; today, the lineup of his current band, Machines of Grace, includes members of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. The showroom at his Weymouth music store reflects this lifelong dedication, with shelves lined with electric and acoustic guitars, name-brand amps, and all sorts of sheet music. The shop’s soundproofed practice room provides a sanctuary for private lessons from Matt’s handpicked staff of professionally trained guitarists, drummers, pianists, woodwinders, and singers, many of whom graduated from the harmonious halls of the Berklee College of Music.

Inside a historical downtown Quincy home that dates back to the 1850s, chef and baker Lisa Tavakoli crafts signature dishes and scones for guests to savor in a Victorian tearoom. Lisa gathers 8–15 students around her countertop to demonstrate how to top plates with multiple courses and drinks. She emphasizes the gustatory roles that all senses play, creating visually appealing dishes and steeping teas that appeal to the drinker's sixth sense. Curricula include Persian cuisine, Italian cuisine, and courses on raw cooking and seasonal ingredients.

Butter, sugar, and flour. These three simple ingredients form the basis of each treat cooked up at Amanda Oakleaf Cakes. While the ingredients are straightforward, the cakes are anything but, as proven by head baker Amanda Oakleaf and the 4-foot-tall Dora the Explorer cake she constructed on the Food Network’s Cake Challenge. At her shop, Amanda and her team of artists, sculptors, and bakers create treats that run the gamut in flavor and function, from elegant tiers of red velvet to sugary cartoon figurines placed atop marshmallow fondant. Guests can dream up flavor combinations such as gingerbread cake slathered in white-chocolate buttercream or chocolate samoa layered in honey icing, or offer up a 3-D object for Amanda and her team to re-create in meticulous, edible detail. Regularly scheduled cake-decorating classes impart visitors with some of the team’s creative tricks of the trade, such as leveling cakes and keeping schoolchildren from swarming in through the doggy door at the sight of snickerdoodle cupcakes.