Behind the Scenes: Creating a Croquembouche Course from Scratch (And What I Learned About Packaging Expertise)

Hey there, friend!

So, I want to tell you about a project that absolutely lit me up recently. Have you heard about turning expertise into online courses? Well, I got to do exactly that for a talented pastry chef, and let me tell you, it was one of those projects that reminded me why I love this work so much.

The Dream: Bringing French Pastry Magic Online

Picture this: A skilled chef pastry who creates these absolutely stunning croquembouches. You know, those towering French desserts made of cream puffs and spun sugar that look like edible sculptures? She got the knowledge, the technique, and years of experience, but she could only teach as many people as could physically stand around her workspace.

Sound familiar? Maybe you're sitting on expertise right now that deserves a bigger stage.

Why This Project Mattered (And Why Yours Does Too)

Here's what gets me excited: this chef wasn't just teaching people to follow a recipe. She was sharing the kind of knowledge that typically stays behind professional kitchen doors. The little tricks that make choux pastry perfect every time. The assembly techniques that keep a croquembouche standing tall.

That's the gold, right there. And it deserves to be shared with the world.

The Process: From Kitchen to Course Platform

Let me walk you through how we brought this vision to life, because if you're thinking about creating your own course (or helping someone else create theirs), this process works for just about any topic.

Step 1: Lights, Camera, Choux Pastry

We started with filming. Now, I'm not going to lie, filming in a working kitchen has its challenges. Timing everything around baking schedules. But that's where the magic happens, isn't it? We captured every step of the process, from mixing the pâte à choux to that final, dramatic moment when the croquembouche comes together.

The key here was making sure students could see everything clearly. Close-ups of consistency, angles that show hand positions, real-time demonstrations of techniques. Because online learning only works when your students can actually follow along.

Step 2: Creating Visual Assets That Sell

Once we had a gorgeous final product (actually, several of them), I photographed these stunning croquembouches for the landing page. And can I just say? When your course subject is this photogenic, half the marketing battle is won.

But here's the thing: even if your expertise isn't as Instagram-worthy as a tower of cream puffs, you need compelling visuals. They're what stop the scroll. They're what make someone think, "Yes, I want to learn this."

Step 3: The Edit (Where Good Becomes Great)

This is where I really got into the zone. Editing the entire course meant watching hours of footage, identifying the best takes, cutting out the "um's" and the "wait, let me do that again's." It's about creating a smooth learning experience that feels effortless—even though creating it was anything but.

I structured the content so it builds logically, added captions for clarity, and made sure the pacing keeps students engaged without overwhelming them. Because a course isn't just information it's an experience.

Step 4: Bringing It All Together on Thinkific

I chose Thinkific as our platform, and let me tell you why this matters. The right course platform makes or breaks the student experience. It needs to be intuitive, reliable, and professional. Thinkific checked all those boxes.

Uploading the content, organising the modules, setting up progress tracking all of this creates a container for the learning to happen. It's like setting a beautiful table before your guests arrive. The presentation matters.

Step 5: The Landing Page (Your Course's Front Door)

This is where we invite people in. The landing page I created showcases those gorgeous croquembouche photos, explains exactly what students will learn, and addresses the fears and desires of aspiring pastry chefs. Will they really be able to create this? Yes, they will and here's how.

A great landing page isn't about hype. It's about clarity and connection.

Step 6: The Workbook (Because Learning Sticks When You Write It Down)

Finally, I created a PDF workbook for students. This is the kind of detail that transforms a good course into a great one. Students can print it out, make notes in the margins, check off their progress, and have a reference guide in their kitchen while they practice.

It's these thoughtful touches that make students feel supported and increase completion rates.

What This Taught Me About Course Creation

Working on this project reinforced something I already knew but sometimes forget: every expert has knowledge worth sharing, and with the right packaging, that knowledge can reach people anywhere in the world.

Rashida's Patisserie went from teaching a handful of local students to having a course that can teach thousands. Her impact just multiplied exponentially. And honestly? That never gets old for me.

Your Expertise Deserves This Too

So here's my question for you: What expertise are you sitting on right now? What do you know how to do that others would pay to learn?

Maybe it's not French pastry. Maybe it's graphic design, or gardening, or financial planning, or playing the ukulele. Whatever it is, there are people out there right now, at this very moment, searching for what you know.

And with the right filming, editing, platform setup, and support materials, you can package your expertise into something that generates income while you sleep, helps people transform their skills, and gives you the freedom to impact more lives than you ever could one-on-one.

Ready to Turn Your Knowledge Into a Course?

If this post has you thinking, "I could do this" or "I need help doing this," I want you to know something: you absolutely can. Whether you're creating the course yourself or you're working with someone like me to bring it to life, the process is totally doable.

The hardest part? Just getting started.

But once you do, once you see your expertise transformed into a polished, professional course that's actually helping people learn and grow? That feeling is incredible.

So tell me: What course have you been dreaming about creating? Drop a comment below, I'd love to hear what you're working on.

Here's to packaging our expertise and sharing it with the world.

P.S. If you're ready to turn your expertise into an online course but don't know where to start, let's chat. I love helping experts like you get their knowledge out into the world in a way that looks professional and actually converts.