As Published in Art du Voyage’s Travel Notes, January 2007
What better souvenir to bring home with you than the secrets of French cuisine? A cooking class can transform a normal vacation into an unforgettable cultural experience. Start your class with a guided walking tour of the local market where the day’s ingredients are handpicked. Then it’s back to the kitchen where a bilingual professional chef shows you the little-known techniques that make French cuisine easy to recreate at home. Be sure to take lots of pictures of your culinary masterpiece, because when the hard work is done, it’s time to sit down to your three-course meal.
Learning to be a French cook is easy, choosing your destination is the hard part. In the heart of Paris, Paule Caillat of Promenades Gourmandes will welcome you into her personal kitchen and offer you an amazing experience complete with cheese tasting and a visit to local bread and wine artisans.
Looking for a more rural experience? Travel south to Provence and the Marmiton cooking school at La Mirande, where the traditional wood stove is fired up with oak three hours before the class begins. Here you can choose from a wide variety of classes, including the very special Truffle Weekend, when you set off into the Vaucluse mountains with local guides and dogs to find the elusive “Black Gold.” The next day is dedicated to a special class about cooking truffles, followed by a lunch where your efforts will definitely be rewarded.
Filed under: Avignon, Europe, France, Paris | Tagged: Avignon, cooking class, Food, french, gourmet, La Mirande, Paule Caillat, Promenades Gourmandes, truffle
