Sweet Spot Studio, a hands-on baking classroom from pastry chef Jossie Lukacik, is now open

Sweet Spot Studio, located at 4412 D Monroe Road, offers intimate hands-on pastry classes for up to 12 people. Classes are priced $40-$75 each and cover topics like cake decorating, cookie decorating and seasonal baking.

Lukacik, who worked as the pastry chef at Heriloom, The Asbury and Block & Grinder before branching out on her own, will teach most of the classes along with regular guest instructors.

Mixologist Tamu Curtis, creator of Liberate Your Palate, will also be teaching cocktail classes in the space.

There will be a range of pastry classes geared towards everyone from kids to hobbyists to industry professionals.

I took the Naked Cake with Ganache Drip class ($75; next one is September 25) with very minimal cake decorating experience aside from botched attempts at home where I just wing it.

Lukacik broke the class into segments, demoing each major step at the front before sending us back to our stations to replicate it. I had several lightbulb moments as she explained different tools and techniques to achieve the perfect cake.

Somehow it had never occurred to me to flip your top cake layer over so the flat side is up or to pile on way more frosting than you need and then scrape down like a sculptor for a smooth finish or to invest in one of those rotating cake stands (which truly is a game changer).

I left feeling like I could apply what I learned for a better outcome when baking at home.

Upcoming Sweet Spot Studio classes include:

See all available classes here.

September 18: Fall Inspired Cupcakes ($50)

September 25: Naked Cake with Ganache Drip ($75)

October 27: Kids Class: Halloween Cake Pops ($40)

October 29: French Macaron ($55)

November 16: Hands-On Mixology: Thanksgiving Entertaining ($70)