Cooking in France

Joe David

A master French chef displays his cuisine like a work of art—impeccably cooked, attractively arranged and decorated, against a setting that will quietly complement the dish. Imitating such a chef requires skill and an aesthetic eye. It also requires learning a few recipes.

In a French kitchen, each step of food preparation demands close attention—from sauteeing the meats to folding egg whites into the sauce. Since many French recipes are alike in technique, it is not necessary to learn many recipes to be skilled in the kitchen: learning a few recipes well can be all that one needs to be skilled.

The ideal place to learn these recipes—and acquaint yourself with the French style of elegant dining—is at a Paris cooking school. The following are four of the many excellent schools in the city.

One of the most prestigious schools in a city filled with prestigious schools is at the Ritz Hotel. Some of the greatest chefs in France have worked at this world-famous property, serving discriminating guests award-winning foods. The hotel’s cooking school is suitably named the Ritz Escoffier (Ecole de Gastronomie Française) in honor of its most skilled chef, the late Auguste Escoffier. Students interested in learning French gastronomy are afforded an opportunity to complete a 30-week program leading to Le Grand Diplôme under the supervision of the knowledgeable staff.

Beginners interested in mastering only a few recipes can take a one-week program. All practical classes, limited to 10 students, are in French with English translations. Cuisine and pastry demonstrations, taught by either a chef from the school or a guest chef from a prominent Parisian restaurant, are conducted two times a week from 3pm to 5:30pm, culminating with a food tasting. The cost is about $50 per class. A five-hour class on Saturdays with hands-on training is about $110.

For wine lovers fluent in French, seven different evening classes are conducted by a sommelier each year. Wines chosen are analyzed for their independent qualities and suitability with different foods. Classes run one-and-half hours and cost about $68 per session. English-speaking students are offered a three-hour evening class in which a well-known vintner discusses his wines, and a Ritz chef prepares foods to complement the wines. Following the food and wine tasting, participants enjoy a dessert buffet. Cost is $68 per session.

For more information, contact the Hotel Ritz, 15 Place Vendôme, 75001 Paris; 011-33-01-43-16-30-50; toll-free (888) 801-1126; fax: 011-33-01-43-16-31-50; send your email: ecole@ritzparis.com; or visit their website: http://www.ritzparis.com.

In a private residence on the Left Bank near the Eiffel Tower is La Cuisine de Marie-Blanche. The school, owned and run by Princess Marie-Blanche de Broglie, focuses on what Marie-Blanche calls l’art de vivre or, more exactly, the modern art of entertaining at home. Her cooking program is planned to provide professional instruction for non-professionals who want a practical introduction to French traditional cooking and who seek information on the preparation, table setting, philosophy and history of food. For those hosts or hostesses who lack staff or time to prepare elaborate meals, Marie-Blanche teaches recipes that are suitable for home entertainment and that require minimal preparation time. Each class features a complete menu, which can be easily prepared.

Ingredients are selected according to the seasons, and students, never exceeding six per class, share with each other what they cook. Evening and daytime classes, which are simultaneously taught in French, Spanish and English, are offered regularly. The cost for one cooking class is about $150, for five classes about $600, a one-week course in L’Art de Vivre about $1,100, and a full program leading to Le Grand Diplôme about $3,900.

For more information you may contact La Cuisine de Marie-Blanche, 18, Avenue de la Motte Picquet, 75007 Paris; 011-33-01-45-51-36-34; fax: 011-33-01-45 51-90-19; send your email: infocmb@cuisinemb.com or visit their website: http://www.cuisinemb.com.

The most recognizable name in cooking schools in the world is Le Cordon Bleu (photo below). Founded in Paris over a hundred years ago, it currently has schools in Paris, London, Tokyo, Australia, and North and South America.

Employing the expertise of its faculty, Le Cordon Bleu has expanded its activities to include culinary publications, video cassettes, television series, gourmet products and cooking tools (with its sister company Pierre Deux French Country). Most of its faculty have distinguished themselves as chefs in Michelin-starred restaurants before joining Le Cordon Bleu.

The program offered in Paris is standard. For two to three hours, the chefs prepare dishes in front of up to 45 students, providing detailed explanations in an amphitheater classroom with tilted mirrors, video screens and professional equipment. After the demonstration, students are separated into small groups for a two-to-three-hour, hands-on practical class in which they individually reproduce one or more of the demonstrated dishes under the supervision of a master chef.

Demonstrations and hands-on classes are held for students on all levels of learning and run from one day to ten weeks. A four-week course in basic French cuisine and pastry preparation costs about $4,350 and a 2-to-3-hour demonstration in cuisine and pastry preparation costs about $40. Students who want to progressively master the basics of French cuisine and pastry preparation and obtain a Le Grand Diplôme Le Cordon Bleu may enroll in a nine-month course.

For more information contact Le Cordon Bleu, 8 Rue Léon Delhomme, 75015 Paris; 011-33-01-53-68-22-50; or phone toll-free in North America 800-457-CHEF (2433); fax: 011-33-01-48-56-03-96; send your email: info@cordonbleu.net.

Students seeking an intensive six-month professional training program should consider Ecole Lenôtre (photo above). The school offers programs designed to prepare students for all types of careers in the food industry, from traditional to vacuum-packed food preparation or classic pastry to stunning buffet presentations.

Dedicated to teaching French gastronomy, the staff at Ecole Lenôtre offers a training that will provide students with detailed knowledge in their area of specialization. To tailor programs to student needs, specially structured bilingual classes in French and English are planned after consultation with each student. These classes form the core of the student’s training program. Tutors at Ecole Lenôtre mix both the concrete and the practical by alternating between intensive lectures in classrooms and hands-on experience in Lenôtre kitchens, Lenôtre restaurants (Le Pré Catelan and the Pavillon Elysée) and Lenôtre gourmet boutiques in Paris. After completing the program, a student must then pass a one-day exam before being awarded Le Diplôme de L’Ecole Lenôtre. The price for a six-month program is about $24,000 (which includes breakfast and lunch, but not housing). Short classes are also offered, costing about $1,450 for a one-week program.

For more information, contact Ecole Lenôtre, 40 rue Pierre Curie, B.P. 6, 78375 Plaisir Cedex, France; 011-33-01-1-30-81-46-34; fax: 011-33-01-1-30-54-73-70; send your email: eclose@lenotre.fr.

Always remember: success in a French kitchen requires a love for what you are cooking. It also requires experimenting; for example, giving a traditional dish your signature flavor. But before you can ever achieve culinary immortality like the great world chefs with your signature flavor, you must first learn to prepare traditional foods well. And the best place to learn is at a Paris cooking school.