Baking class in Paris for non-pro

[arriba!]

A friend wants to surprise his wife who loves to bake with a class in Paris for 1 week. This would need to be geared for an interested, motivated home cook--no aspirations for professional level. Where would you go if given the opportunity?

[sugarseattle]

i went to a class at Ecole Lenotre (the one IN paris on Champs d'elysee) and it was pretty good. I really wanted to learn croissants, but i couldn't find any classes for the time I was there. I ended up taking les bases de patisserie which was actually part of a series on the different components of fancy cakes & desserts. The class was all French, despite what they told me when I tried to enroll. That seems to be true of most classes in Paris, but it's not that hard to understand with a little basic french.

I think Pierrre Herme might also have some courses dedicated to home cooks. Their are tons of different schools.

[Qui]

If you were to go all the way to Paris, and have the intention of taking a pastry class, why only settle for classes targetted for home cooks. I personally do not find much difference in between home cook class and pro class. Most likely the same chefs are teaching those classes anyway. Many many chefs never even have the opportunity to go abroad to learn, so if you have the chace, I say go for it and take a pro-class, you will come out learning a lot more.

[arriba!]

Thanks for the responses. I was actually asking for a friend who wants to send his dtr in law as a surprise gift. She could probably do fine in a pro class but he specifically asked for classes in English which are hard to find. Cordon Bleu offers pastry classes with english translation but the classes are scattered over several Saturdays for several months which would not work for her.