Best cooking schools in Paris

[John Talbott]

Get a french tutor and start learning from Capretz' French in Action series immediatement.  You won't regret it.

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I'm surprised in all these months on eG I've seen no mention before of Capretz's films, tapes and workbooks. In another life I know/knew about things paedagogical - Capretz combines vocabulary and verbs, oral and written, the esoteric and banal, cultural (and here we go back on topic) and food. He's a treasure. And, you find out how to order, eat and send back badly cooked dishes, as well as where the culinary center of the world is.

[et alors]

You know, it's a nice thought, but I've been with my French Husband for almost ten years, I took alliance cources, and when in France I can order, pay and discuss some movies, but not all, and I can't explain George Bush to anyone, but that isn't a language problem... I don't think I'll make a giant leap in a month and a half.

Maybe next year a course in french and food in arles... but this year, it's going to be cooking school in english. I'm gathering all my finds at www.metafooder.com, and it's starting to look pretty good. I'm frustrated by the ritz site, though... almost no info on what the classes actually *are.*

[John DePaula]

Get a french tutor and start learning from Capretz' French in Action series immediatement.  You won't regret it.

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I'm surprised in all these months on eG I've seen no mention before of Capretz's films, tapes and workbooks. In another life I know/knew about things paedagogical - Capretz combines vocabulary and verbs, oral and written, the esoteric and banal, cultural (and here we go back on topic) and food. He's a treasure. And, you find out how to order, eat and send back badly cooked dishes, as well as where the culinary center of the world is.

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I studied French for years and made grindingly slow progress until jumping into Capretz' French in Action series. I made huge progress in just a couple of months. Can't recommend this method enough. And now, you can even watch all 52 videos online for free! Formidable!

[et alors]

I studied French for years and made grindingly slow progress until jumping into Capretz' French in Action series.  I made huge progress in just a couple of months.  Can't recommend this method enough.  And now, you can even watch all 52 videos online for free!  Formidable!

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I've begun watching them. Still, I have a nightmarish vision of a chef screaming at me in patois while I try to avoid cutting off my fingers....

The collection resides here

http://www.metafooder.com/?cat=45

[John DePaula]

I studied French for years and made grindingly slow progress until jumping into Capretz' French in Action series.  I made huge progress in just a couple of months.  Can't recommend this method enough.  And now, you can even watch all 52 videos online for free!  Formidable!

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I've begun watching them. Still, I have a nightmarish vision of a chef screaming at me in patois while I try to avoid cutting off my fingers....

The collection resides here

http://www.metafooder.com/?cat=45

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Mais, Non! This will probably not happen, but if it does why not just have fun with it. Just smile demurely and bat your eyes at Chef. I'm sure that will defuse the situation... (though it never seemed to work for me... ) Seriously, though, don't let your fears stop you from having a potentially wonderful experience.

Life's short - Cook well.

[John Talbott]

Does anyone know of really good cooking courses, 3-5 day types, in Bretagne or Normandie?

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The December Gourmet published the notice that Olivier Roellinger has opened a cooking school, La Cuisine Corsaire Ecole next door to Les Maisons de Bricourt in Cancale.

[Dave Hatfield]

You might want to have a look at greedy goose

Anne Dyson is a superb cook & superb teacher. Courses from one day to one week. Great location on the Lot with excursions to local markets.

Nice place to stay as well.

Good luck.

[Felice]

I was just reading about a new lycée hôtelier (hotel restaurant high school) in the 14 which has two restaurants that are open to the public Monday-Friday for lunch and on Tuesday and Thursday nights for dinner. You can find the menu on their website, however I didn't see any mention of price.

Lychée Hôtelier Guillaume-Tirel

235 boulevard Raspail 75014 Paris

http://lyc-jean-quarre.scola.ac-paris.fr/extranet.html

[rooftop1000]

Ok

I dont speak French and Babblefish doesn't really either but it almost looks to me like its a donation of sorts

""le prix demandé pour les prestations fournies dans ce restaurant ne comporte pas les charges auxquelles sont soumises les entreprises commerciales de restauration et ne peut donc correspondre à un tarif pratiqué par les restaurants privés""

or am I lost in translation

tracey

Edited March 19, 2007 by rooftop1000 (log)

[Jmahl]

In Lyon the Bocuse has a restaurant open to the outside. Check the web-site.

Jmahl

[Dave Hatfield]

Ecole St.Jean in Villefranche de Rouergue does lunch most days & dinner on Fridays. The service is also by trainee wait persons which can get interesting..

Price is about 12 Euros for lunch & 16 Euros for dinner.

Quality ranges from superb to awful depending upon how far along in the course the chef(s) are. A different student does each course each day.

Fun!

[CarolineLD]

Ok

I dont speak French and Babblefish doesn't really either but it almost looks to me like its a donation of sorts

""le prix demandé pour les prestations fournies dans ce restaurant ne comporte pas les charges auxquelles sont soumises les entreprises commerciales de restauration et ne peut donc correspondre à un tarif pratiqué par les restaurants privés""

or am I lost in translation

tracey

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A bit, I'm afraid! It's basically saying that prices in this restaurant don't include the costs to which commercial enterprises are subjected, so its prices can't match those of private restaurants either.

(I'd assume that this is a reminder to customers of how they can be cheap, thus avoiding upsetting the restaurants on whom their students presumably rely for a job!).

Caroline

[John Talbott]

Febuary's oMni had an article centered on Chef Bruno Viala of La Famille giving lessons at

Cuisine Fraich'attitude in the 10th

www.cuisinefraichattitude.com

and other classes at:

l'Atelier des Chefs coordinates above (8th)

l'Atelier des Sens in the 11th

www.atelier-sens.com

Esprit Cuisine de Nathaly Nicolas in the 11th

www.espritcuisine.com

L'Ecole de cuisine d'Alain Ducasse in the 8th

www.atelier-gastronomique.com

Cours por adultes de la Ville de Paris

www.paris.fr

[John Talbott]

In the April 15 NYT, Taylor Holliday talks of hotels that also give cooking classes and discusses and names two in Paris - The Intercontinental Paris Le Grand Hotel + Sofitel Baltimore paris

[John Talbott]

Wednesday’s NYT had an article by Nancy Newhouse on what she calls the “three principle schools” in Paris: Le Cordon Bleu Paris, l’Ecole Lenotre and l’Ecole Ritz Escoffier. How helpful her brief exposure to three classes is/will be to those seeking to make a decision is in question; for instance, I doubt that Americans would want to spend the time and money at Lenotre to learn more about cooking Italian dishes.

[John Talbott]

This weekend in the FT Adam Jones wrote an article on five cooking schools in Paris that might be helpful to those making a choice. They are:

L’école d’Alain Ducasse, www.atelier-gastronomique.com

L’école Lenôtre, www.lenotre.fr

L’école Ritz-Escoffier, www.ritzparis.com

Le Cordon Bleu Paris, www.lcbparis.com

L’Atelier des Chefs, www.atelierdeschefs.com

[lucas thomas]

I'm having difficulty tracking it down now, but an acquaintance took a series of courses with Pierre-Jean Garbin at the Atelier du cuisine du 18ème and had a wonderful experience. His day job is as the chef de cuisine, I think, for the Prime Minister.

[hughw]

On a slightly humerous note, in April, we took the RER out to St. Germain en Laye to visit the Marcel Denis Priory. On our walk from the station, we passed a small bakery on the main plaza that doubled as a cooking school for kids, and wow were they cute. See below:

[John Talbott]

Wonderful; do you know its name?

Also, for those interested in a garlic cooking lesson with C. Constant go here.

[hughw]

John, I don't have it's name, but it's a wonderful little storefront place with all kinds of goodies. It faces right on the Abbe Pierre de Porcaro, the modern plaza right across from the RER station and the Chateau housing the Musee des Anquities Nationales and behind the Eglise St. Germain. The kids were doing all kinds of things including the little beauty I took a picture of running the cash register. Perhaps one of your local sources can identify it. I marked it with a yellow pushpin on the Google Earth image below:

Edited October 11, 2007 by hughw (log)

[John Talbott]

Several authors in November's France Today has the following listed:

Ecole Ritz Escoffier

l'Atelier des Chefs

Olivier Roellinger: Ecole Cuisine Corsaire

Hostellerie Berard: La Bastide des Saveurs

At Home with Patricia Wells

Le Cordon Bleu

Lenotre

Ecole de Cuisine d'Alain Ducasse

A week in Provence.

[CavePullum]

Hi there,

I am an alumn of the program at Ferrandi and I have to say, I cannot recommend it highly enough. I have also had experience at Cordon Bleu (Paris) and was very disappointed.

It comes down to this: kitchen time and breadth of experience.

You will spend less than 8 hours per qeek in the kitchen at CB (3 sessions per week). You will spend 16-21 hours per week in cuisine at Ferrandi PLUS 5 hours in pastry per week. You will get French classes, wine classes and wine/food pairing classes at Ferrandi. You will get none of these extras at Cordon Bleu.

You will use professional equipment at Ferrandi... big central "fournaux", just like you will in your professional career. This you will not see at Cordon Bleu - you will use a range. You will have an opportunity to hear conferences by major chefs/food experts at Ferrandi like Herve This.

Ferrandi is one of the (if not THE) top culinary school for French kids. This is were the locals go. They are not going to Cordon Bleu. Cordon Bleu is were the rich foreigners go. I know CB also provides a good education, but it simply cannot compare to Ferrandi.

You will keep the same instructor at Ferrrandi throughout your education. He will be able to know your strengths and weaknesses and pay attention to you as one of a group of twelve. At CB you will have many instructors who are all dealing with many more than 12 students.... not exactly individual attention.

You will spend one day per week cooking at the teaching restaurant, serving real food to real people that are paying for it - you will get no such experience at CB.

At Ferrandi you will have the option of taking the CAP exam in Cuisine (not obligatory) - the basic, nationally recognized exam. This is like the SAT of cooking exams in France - everyone here knows it. Having it is a big deal. You won't have this opportunity at CB.

And to top this all off, you will spend less $$ at Ferrandi.

Ferrandi is easier to get to and more central in Paris.

The connections (for stages, etc.) are just as strong at Ferrandi than they are at CB - so no issue there.

Just my 45 cents,

Cave Pullum

Edited November 17, 2007 by CavePullum (log)

[manstouch]

Another cooking class in Paris.

Not for professionals but for enthusiasts.

Casual Cooking with the Countess for 2 -4 people in her home.

You even get to select the menu. And yes she is a Canadian and a Polish Countess.

See here: http://manstouch.com/travel/cooking-007.html

[John Talbott]

Ferrandi is one of the (if not THE) top culinary school for French kids. This is were the locals go.

Cave Pullum

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Cave and others, a question. I've been passing the Institute Vatel on the Rue Nollet in the 17th (I even entered the resto one day to find out their hours etc) and had the impression these were young, clean-cut and eager French "kids" and I've also been to the Chambre de Commerce School's restaurant (I think on l'Abbe Gregoire in the 6th) which also seemed to focus on young French citizens. Do you have any info on these two schools?

[John Talbott]

Last Tuesday, in A Nous Paris, in the sidebar, their critics talk of Jewish cooking lessons at Alef-Bet a deli-Jewish product store at 25, rue Galande in the 5th, 01.40.18.17.22.