Cooking Class - Café Gourmand Delights the Parisian Way

Chef Elodie was a delight! So very easy to communicate with and meet up with. She came with a packet of information about the history of the neighborhood and all the recipes we would cook during our experience. Walking through the marché was really wonderful, Chef Elodie narrated how to shop like a Parisian and noted best places to try. I mentioned I was on the hunt to find the best croissant in the city, and she brought me into a boulangerie and bought me a croissant au beurre! Then when we passed a chocolate shop and she mentioned it was a good place for gifts, I asked to go in and have her point out the best chocolates. Bought a bunch! For the meal, we went to another boulangerie for a baguette, a butcher to pick out the filet which he cut to order at whatever thickness we wanted, a fromagerie for the cream. She also walked me into a supermarchè for eggs. A short but wonderful walk up the street and then we went to her place just around the corner, unpacked and started cooking. It was very fun to have Chef Elodie explain the process, reasons, and answer questions I had while cooking. The food was delicious, and we made modifications to my palate. Chef Elodie also let me try other things in her kitchen, like this special Alpine honey and do a taste test on different French cremes. She was very welcoming and her sweet pup Ralph was so cute! Beyond cooking, we also had such pleasant conversation getting to know each other and talking about Paris. Chef Elodie let me walk away with a packet of recipes, a long list of recommendations for eats all over Paris, and a very full belly! Definitely would recommend to anyone looking for an engaging and delicious afternoon with a friendly and knowledgeable Parisian chef.

Fantastic class! We began in a novel way as Chef Elodie, a local to the neighborhood, guided us through the town's market sharing her philosophy on ingredient selection and tips on etiquette when interacting with the Parisian marketeers along the way. When we arrived at her lovely home (complete with her adorable and sweet dog, Ralph), Elodie expertly guided us through preparation of our meal explaining not only what we were doing, but why. When it was finally time to eat, Elodie made fantastic company as we enjoyed the fruits of our labor. She even went out of her way to make sure we knew the proper metro route to get back to our hotel at the end of the lesson. In a market of English language cooking classes saturated with croissants and macarons, this class stands out wonderfully. I highly recommend this class to any lover of food looking for something different than what is most readily available.

Chef Elodie has a lot of culinary knowledge she is happy and enthusiastic to share. Great fun, authentic, worthwhile experience with an attentive, knowledgeable teacher. A top pick for all French cuisine lovers!!