Cook ‘n With Class

Cook’n with Class has been one of our favorite parts of our trip to Paris! We took the croissant making class and we made four different types: original, chocolate, raisin, and apple. The recipes and directions were emailed to us directly in the beginning of class so we could make them again at home. They all were so delicious as we enjoyed them with wine at the end of the class– and even got to take home a huge bag of leftovers afterwards! Chef Alex was friendly and funny; he explained and answered every and any question we had about Paris culture and cuisine. He even gave us great recommendations of local restaurants and bars to try. If we had more time in Paris, we definitely would take another cooking class. Thanks so much, Alex!

We just spent a week in Paris for our honeymoon and this is the best thing we did by far. and, trust me, we did quite Agee fun things. We did the Morning Market class with Alex and had a blast. We got to see a fresh fish market, butcher shop, and bakery. At the bakery we got to watch the baker put bread in his giant oven. It was such a fun walk around Montmartre!
Then we got to go and cook. We learned to make foie gras and poached pear, braised lamb, and chocolate soufflé. It was also one of the tastiest meals we ate all week.
In short, book your reservation today. The staff is warm, helpful, and talented. We had great fun and would do it again in a second. Heck, I’d go back to Paris just to do the same class again!

I took the macaron class with Chef Pino and it was a great experience! The school itself is «small» (one room for cooking and one room for baking) but not exactly cramped. Overall, it’s cosy, clean, and has great equipment and facilities. (Also free coffee and tea!)
I like how they keep the class sizes small. Everyone got good hands-​on experience and it was fun to work together. Chef Pino was very friendly and a great instructor. I was able to follow along clearly and I can’t wait to try the recipes by myself when I get home in a few months. Before I leave Paris, I’ll definitely take a couple more classes here!

Second time coming and being taught to cook the French way. This time it was desserts. Great teaching and friendliness by Florien, who went through 5 classic desserts. Overall very well done and enjoyable.

Fun, memorable and delicious macaron class with chef Alex
I highly recommend this place! Everything from booking to cooking was handled with a great dose of professionalism, generous dash of fun and sprinkled with some serious deliciousness. We had so much fun learning how to make french macarons and talking about french cuisine with chef Alex, an American in Paris, and ending the day with several dozen of exquisite… sweet… yummy… goodness.

Time well spent. Chef Patrick is an experienced and excellent instructor. He knows the ingredients and preparation methods. He is also very patient with klutzes like myself who have a lot to learn about kitchen procedures. I highly recommend Cook’n With Class!

Did the Friday gourmet food tour with Preston and this is my second food tour in Paris and this one was by far the best. We went to an out of way area of Paris with a one block strip of food stores. Candy and pastry at Sebastian Gauard with yummy almond croissants plus every stop we got something to take back to the school for lunch. 3 different types of bread, 2 deserts, cheese and meat platter, chocolates tasting, puff pastures so many different types of food and a quick metro back to the school and eating all the goodies with wine! Highly recommend this tour and school, did he croissant baking three years ago and was fun. Nice people!

I recently took the Morning Market Cooking Class with Chef Constance and it was such a fantastic experience. We all had a lot of fun and we learned a lot. Chef Constance shared with us some really great tips and advice on how to recognize the top vendors in the market, and then how to select the best and freshest ingredients. I did a lot of research before booking this class and I even took a market cooking class a few days later with one of Cook’n With Class’s competitors, and I had a much better experience with Cook’n With Class. No doubt. The class size was perfect (not too big, not too small) and Chef Constance did a great job keeping everyone engaged and even entertained. The facility was very well designed. Top-​notch and very clean. It was easy to work, easy to see, easy to hear, and the design helped facilitate conversation and camaraderie. We had easy access to drinking water and wine, and a nice coffee station. Chef Constance had a great rapport with the class and she had an excellent way of sharing her very impressive experiences and expertise. We all had plenty of food and it was absolutely delicious, as was the wine. A special shout-​out to the class. One of our group had some challenges with motor skills, and everyone in the class was super understanding, supportive, encouraging, and truly compassionate. This class attracts some incredibly friendly, great people. And that’s exactly what I was hoping for. I will definitely book again. Definitely. Solid 5-​stars, plus!

An excellent class with Constance where we visited the market then made lunch. The market trip was interesting but my favorite part was the hands-​on prep work in the kitchen. The whole group was only 8 students (all East Coast Americans, ha). Constance did a wonderful job getting everyone involved, explaining everything thoroughly with lots of helpful tips, and the food was delicious! She was funny, charming and kept us all on task while also giving everyone personal attention. Someone asked what she did before she started teaching, and she told us about how she started culinary school when she was 15 and the places she’s worked since then so make no mistake, she is the real deal. It was an honor to learn from her and the class was truly a pleasure. If I am ever back in Paris, I will definitely plan to take another class here.

Twenty seven stars! Chef Alex came to our Parisian home this evening and cooked the most amazing and delicious meal for our large family. Some of us said it was «the most wonderful meal it have had in Paris». Coordinating between Paris and Los Angeles in advance, and managing some significant dietary and preferential meal requirements was a breeze with this gracious gentleman. We truly are not worthy, non the less we are eternally grateful!

We booked as a family and were half the market class. You start at 9:30 in the morning meeting your chef-​instructor and go to the various mongers and markets (meat, fish, vegetables, and herbs) plus stop by the bakery to pick up bread for your meal. The chef will make suggestions and is also open to suggestions of what to cook for your 3 or 4 course meal. We didn’t go to the cheese mongers like other students but we learned what to look for and how to wheel and deal like a chef for the best ingredients. We got back an hour later and began our prep. Our cooking time ended 2:00.
Personally, I found the knife skills to be the most helpful for me. It isn’t something you are really taught properly in how to use, sharpen and evaluate the best knife for the situation. We prepared seared sea bass and rabbit roulade as our two mains with an apricot frangipani tart for dessert. We did go over a cheese course but didn’t select the cheeses at the market (which was fine for the amount of time). The bass had a sauce that required fine chopping and a celery root that required julienned slices (see practicing the knife skills already). I personally found deboning the rabbit to stuff it with sausage both the most challenging and satisfying. My other classmates really enjoyed scaling and filleting out the bass. (Again with the knife skills, I’m going to say you are seeing a theme emerge.)
We had Alex as our chef-​instructor. He was knowledgeable, approachable, and lively. He moved us along, was patient with our abilities but pushed us to do better. It is what you want in a teacher.
If you’ve really wanted to try out French cooking, I would suggest this course. Each class is unique to the students but I found everyone to be convivial. It isn’t inexpensive but you could spend as much on a meal and not know how to prepare it later. Highly recommend for those curious and not necessarily the biggest home chefs. Our group wasn’t pretending to be on Top Chef but had basic skills and a love of food which I think is the school’s sweet spot.
Your class’ menu recipes are emailed after the session. So you can attempt again at home without chef supervision.

I took a Pastry CLass with Chef Pino in Cook’n with Class. It was really good and informative. He taught us the tricks of the trade in making French Pastries. I learned a lot from it and I was able to do the recipes again when I got home in the US. I highly recommend this school. They also have other classes like cooking and baking. And, yes this is worth the money.

En 4 heures, vous pouvez
— regarder 4 épisodes de Game of thrones affalé dans votre canapé, un paquet de chips à la main
— trier toutes les photos de soirées qui s’accumulent dangereusement dans votre ordinateur
— repriser toutes vos chaussettes trouées…
Ou vous pouvez passer 4 heures à apprendre à faire 5 super desserts français. (c’était le sujet de mon cours mais il y en a d’autres). Sans hésitation les 4 heures les plus productives de ma semaine.
Eh oui, aujourd’hui, je pourrais vous faire un petit financier à la framboise, une crème brûlée, ou un soufflé passion banane comme vous n’en avez jamais mangé… En tout cas, ceux que l’on a fait avec la chef atteignaient un degré de perfection que l’ont peut difficilement dépasser.
La chef, anglophone (car tous les cours sont en anglais ici) nous explique méthodiquement chaque étape des différentes recettes.
Elle né se contente pas de dire «il faut faire ceci, puis ensuite cela». Elle prodigue aussi des conseils super utiles sur les façons de procéder. Tous les petits détails techniques que l’on né connaît pas forcément et que l’on né retrouve pas dans les livre de recettes.
Et elle répond sans difficulté à toutes nos questions. On sent vraiment qu’elle s’y connaît dans son domaine.
Au final le temps passé très vite car on passé un moment vraiment chouette.
Et je né vous parle même pas de la dégustation de nos pâtisseries à la fin du cours: juste magique.

The morning market class with Chef Alex was absolutely fantastic. The group picked the menu by consensus «on the fly» and Alex was able to create an amazing menu. Alex is a wealth of knowledge on food and as a result, I learned so much at the market on how to select food. Alex is also a great teacher. If you enjoy cooking, this class is a must do while in Paris!

My husband and I recently participated in a Morning Market Class and I can’t say enough great things about the time we had! Our chef, Alex, was awesome! He started the 6 hour experience with us by shopping together in the markets for ingredients for our meal (for which we specified what we’d like to eat.) There were seven students in the class in all. The preparing of the food /​cooking was such a great time. We all learned a lot and had a lot of fun. Plus, everything was, of course, delicious. This was certainly one of our favorite experiences in Paris. I would definitely recommend this class. It’s not cheap but, in my opinion, it’s definitely worth it.

During our recent two-​week trip to Paris, we booked the Cook’n With Class (CWC) morning Market Cooking class, figuring it would be a pleasant way to spend the morning; anything that involves lunch is a good idea in my book.
I am usually not much of a «joiner» and large groups disinterest me faster that just about anything else. The advertised small class size of CWC is exactly as it says; six people.
The facilities at CWC are excellent; spacious, well-​lit, modern and professional. This is not somebody running a cooking demonstration in their private kitchen or in the back of their garage. The CWC support staff make sure that everything is cleaned, stocked and ready to go as soon a the chef and students walk in the door.
Our host, chef and teacher for the day was Constance Deledalle (as she says, «it is pronounced ‘dilly dally’, like «Constance, don’t dilly dally!»). She met us on time at the appointed location and then led us through the market and local shops to buy the ingredients for the meal we were to prepare. She took the time to explain not just what we were looking at, but *why* a specific product was being chosen.
Chef Constance has an encyclopedic knowledge of food products that is backed up with a great sense of humour, top-​notch culinary skills and the ability to bring together a group of foreign strangers and help them learn, have a good time and make a delicious meal.
We will definitely be looking at more classes with CWC the next time we are in Paris. If Chef Constance is leading them, we’ll sign up no matter what the subject is.

Okay – firstly looking at other reviews – some notes:
–The area is far from dicey. Far from it. I have no idea who or what gave anyone that idea.
–it is a little expensive. But it is ABSOLUTELY worth it, and lower than a few other schools we looked at.
Onto my own review:
Just awesome. We just finished the bread cooking class an hour ago. It was truly an awesome experience – Alex was our chef instructor, he was a good guy, fun to learn from, and definitely knew his craft well. We opened up with some logistics about bread in France, moved onto making two kinds Brioche, Baguettes, and one other type of bread I’ve already forgotten. We were walked through each step, explained in full, as we all worked as a group to create each piece of food. Then, after the extensive course, we settled down to enjoy the fruits of our labor with wine and cheese, butter, and jams to slather onto each delicious piece of bread Or otherwise. And man – was it good. No – it was great.
Pricing note: it was about 150 bucks (American) per person. I’m a pretty broke person who sways cheap, and I can say with 100 percent certainly this experience was worth every penny and more. If in Paris in the Montmartre area, do it. You won’t regret it!

What an awesome experience! I took a class at Cook’n with Class in December 2012, and it was one of the high points of my trip. Chef Alex was entertaining and informative, sharing with us tips from his experience in baking. WIthin the course of a few hours, we made fougasse, baguette and brioche — yet it never felt rushed.
A hands-​on experience, we had a lot of fun. The recipes emailed to us made it easy to duplicate the experience at home. I’ve gotten rave reviews from friends and family on my baguettes now, and would definitely check out other courses at Cook’n with Class when I am in Paris again.

We enjoyed our Cook’n with Class class so much, on our return trip to Paris, we booked it again. This time around, we did the market (re: more expensive) class, which I also found to be much more enjoyable.
We met our chef, Constance, at a local metro station. She took us around to «market,» and off we went. The stops were plenty: first cheese, then bread, followed by meat, after which came seafood, then ended by produce. At each stop, Constance explained the seasonality of product and benefit of local mongers, making us Americans exceptionally jealous of the intimate relationship between patron and seller. Oh, we spent 30 minutes talking about various types of cheese inside the stinky cheese shop, which was flat out awesome.
Constance made up the menu as we went along, picking up an array of cheeses, fresh scallops for the appetizer, a pear tart for dessert, and a «chicken roll» filled with dates, veggies and cheese for the main course. Her flexibility was quite welcome, as we had people in our party who didn’t eat pork and one allergic to shellfish (he got a salmon app).
Back at Cook’n with Class, Constance bustled us along, giving us a chance at different stations and techniques and demonstrating proper plating – all of which we passably succeeded at, I’m sure. The food was tasty and extremely filling, inclusive of wine pairings, a pre-​meal saucisson, and again, a lengthy cheese lesson well appreciated.
As I mentioned in my original review, the cost ain’t cheap, but it sure is fun.

For our honeymoon, my husband and I decided to skip the trinkets and instead bring home some cooking skills. We found Cook ‘n With Class and decided to give the market class a go.
We met two other couples at the train station relatively quickly — It’s easy to note the others who don’t seem to be in a rush during morning rush hour. Alex showed up shortly after. He took us to wonderful neighborhood shops — cheese, bakery, butcher, produce, seafood. We spent plenty of time in each and learned what to look for, how the ingredients offered differed in France versus back home in the states. Alex let us pick the ingredients and helped us with possible combinations. Essentially, he created our menu on the fly to meet with our desires.
We ended up cooking squab with foie gras and pureed parsnips. There was a delicious salad with fried smelt. We created an amazing fig tart and enjoyed a cheese course. Wine was flowing. Alex even popped some bubbly to celebrate our recent nuptials. Then, a few weeks later, Alex sent us the recipes for everything we created.
Not only was this an amazing experience, my husband and I both love to cook. I personally learned a lot of skills we’ve already put to good use. For example, slow roasting tomatoes — who knew how easily we could do this and use it easily with other recipes. My husband loved the idea of making his own red wine vinegar. Alex explained the process. Literally one of the first things Chris did once home was order the pieces needed to get started. He’s a few weeks into the process now.
Overall, we’d suggest this to anyone. It is a good portion of a day. If that’s too much time, consider a shorter class.

Cook’n with Class is by far one of the best cooking schools in Paris (and one of the few that offer a chocolate-​focused course). Pino and his assistant were kind and thorough in the (death by) chocolate class. We learned various techniques using the high maintenance bean and were able to do everything promised within the 4-​hour class due to their organization and preparation. This school offers a variety of classes including sweet, savory and experimental.
* Small class size
* Multiple techniques in one class
* Easy to follow along
* Hand on experience with knowledgeable instructors
* Bright and cheery baking area
* Nice staff
* Located in a good neighborhood for exploring Paris (18e)
* Great opportunity to meet new people

As a foodie, and an American, how can you not take a cooking class when you’re in Paris? Of course, you’re going to eat like a pourceau (pig) while there, but why not get a little sprinkle of french culinary knowledge as well? Even if it doesn’t work out for you, you can at least pretend to impress your friends back home and proudly exclaim, «Why yes, I’m such a fantastic chef I’d make Gordon Ramsay weep tears of delicious sorrow. I’ve even taken cooking classes in Paris, ha!». *
I was pretty giddy about taking this class, even though I felt like I had to sell a non-​essential organ on the black market to pay for it (after the conversion rate that is)! Our class was entirely in English as our teacher was a native English speaker from California. She talked pretty fast (for a west coast girl) but was kind and patient throughout the class. We made heavenly bite-​sized macarons from scratch in three different flavors. Chocolate, caramel and raspberry — yum! The class was amazing and completely hands on. I did happen to take some tips and tricks back with me but I couldn’t help but feel there was no way I was replicating what we did. First, we used specialty ingredients and professional kitchen equipment. Second, maracons take a metric crapton of time and dedication to make. If we didn’t have 6 people in the class it would have taken MUCH longer than two hours.
Your classmates will be from around the world. My class had a belgian, aussies, brits and unsurprisingly a snobby upper-​east side resident (that’s in Manhattan to you non native NY’ers) who stuck her nose up when I told her I was from long island. Ugh.
A lesson w/​Cookin’ with class is worth it if you’re on vacation and want to spice up your Parisan culinary experience. Keep in mind the area surrounding is a little dicey so I’d recommend blending in with the locals and leaving your fanny pack at home.
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* Disclaimer: I claim no responsibility if your friends promptly point and laugh at your after that grandiose statement.