Mathieu

Possibly planning a trip to France this year and am hoping to indulge myself and attend a French cooking school for part of the trip. I have done a thread search on this board for recommendations of possible schools since that seems to be a popular topic here and have found about 14 threads on the subject in the past year, which have been useful.

However I thought I'd ask again for recommendations in case theres anything new that anyone's heard of lately, and also to specify what I'm after. Since I'm already quite comfortable in the kitchen and know my way around food quite well, I'm not looking for anything too basic or a vacation-style cooking course such as those 1 day sessions where you spend a few hours watching and learning and then leave, but rather a one or two week course where one learns skills and techniques involving a mix of demo and hands-on experience. Whether its Baking and the Pastry Arts, or general cooking - alls good.

Language is not an issue, and neither is location - open to anywhere in France - though the south is slightly preferred as we have friends near Toulouse who we will be visiting during the trip.

I have also Googled and come up with places such as Ecole Cordon Bleu and Ecole Escoffier, Le Notre, and a couple of others in Paris which I am looking into, but their programs tend to be more formal and longer than 2 weeks.

Anyone have any suggestions or recommendations ?

Kyliebaby3 : I came across your various threads and postings and enjoyed the information you provided on this subject. I hope you are enjoying your gastronomic trip so far.
I saw your question about Gastronomicum and wondered if you had heard any more first hand information about it ? I couldn't find much via google and will try another search engine tonight, but the type of 2 week, 1 month and 3 month programs they offer sound exactly like what I'm after. And it's right by the sea ! Wish I could find a hands-on review of the program. On the otherhand, perhaps you may have come across anything else in your travels ? Much appreciate any info.

Thanks all.

M.

StCirq

Are you familiar with the one outside Les Eyzies in the Perigord, Mathieu? I can't recall the name of it right this moment and am on the Blackberry, which makes googling a pain, but I can look it up for you later. It's gotten wonderful reviews. And you gotta assume there's foie gras involved.........

sfgirl42

Don't know anything about it but the name sounds promising:
www.theinternationalkitchen.com/
And there is also this: http://www.europeanhomerentals.com/f..._du_Bandol.cfm
also: http://www.karenbrown.com/Cooking_Cl...ounet/7577.php
and one more:
http://midipyrenees.angloinfo.com/af...e-courses.html

Once you do all your homework and decide, do let us know what you've found and what you recommend and what you finally decide to do...and above all, enjoy!

CarolJean

Have you looked at Susan Hermann Loomis' school in Louviers? It is not in the south but is easy access to Paris. I have always wanted to go there. The website is www.onruetatin.com.

Mathieu

I thought of you when writing my post St. Cirq and was hoping you'd respond ! Thank you. Your information on regional France is always trusted and reliable (as is that of Anselm, TedGale, Cigale, and several others). No, I am not familiar with the school you mention but did a quick search based on the info you provided and came up with La Combe. Is that the one you had in mind ? It looks beautiful. I took a quick look at the 2 programs they offer; very nice indeed, but perhaps they includes more touring and not as much cooking as I'd like.
Funny you should mention Foie gras. Just 2 weeks ago I learned how to clean, de-vein (with a fork and spoon), ice, season and roll foie. No, I'm not a chef - just very interested in these things !

Thank you too SFgirl42 and caroljean. Wow, lots of interesting sites to investigate. I haven't gone through them all yet but quickly looked at two that seemed promising : Le Vinois (a restaurant with classes attached) and the Karen Brown site. The Susan Hermann Loomis school in Louviers also looks appealing and I like that she covers a fair amount of cooking and technique. I will go through all the links and report back.

StCirq

Yes,Mathieu, it's La Combe. I've had a very busy day at an international development conference and have just returned home and am completely exhausted, but will respond to you tomorrow

Mathieu

No worries; whenever time allows.

Didn't mean to omit Kerouac, who is a font of knowledge and local expert on all things Parisien. Pourriez-vous recommander des autres écoles de cuisine à Paris ou la région environnante, monsieur ?

StCirq

Hi, Mathieu.

I think you'd want the Guest Chef Program if you were to go to La Combe: http://www.lacombe-perigord.com/

But it looks as though they are a week long...maybe more than one would want to spend.

Have you read Susan Loomis's book about her place in Louviers? It's been a few years since I read it, but it left me really cold, which is hard for a book of that genre to do. I know she was suffering from depression when she wrote it (I believe she talks about it in the book), and it really came through to me. I couldn't imagine how anyone could be living that life and seem so distanced and unaffected by it. Maybe she's fine now, but when I read the book I didn't get the feeling I'd enjoy being in the kitchen with her.