LA West UYE: Intro to French Macarons by Betty N.

Hands down, definitely the best UYE I’ve ever attended!
Purely by chance, I happened to be online when I saw Unilocaler Betty N.‘s invite to this UYE to make French Macarons with Clemence Gossett, co-​founder and instructor at the culinary school located in The Market at Santa Monica Place.
I already knew about The Gourmandise School of Sweets & Savories because I came across it on Unilocal when I was researching cooking schools on the Westside. What a stroke of luck that a complimentary 3 hour class for the «Intro to Macarons» was being offered — it normally goes for $ 85!
Needless to say, I jumped at the opportunity to attend — it was such a hot ticket that the UYE list was closed within 4 hours!
Clemence was a wonderful instructor who not only led an informative demonstration of macaron with clarity, but also made a point of checking up on each one of us when we set out to make macarons in teams — not an easy feat with nearly 25 excited Unilocalers, she made each and every one of us find our «inner Macaron baker.»
We learned how to make the Macaron shells made of almond flour and egg whites, 3 flavors of Italian Meringue Buttercream fillings (Strawberry, Passionfruit Vanilla Bean and Chocolate) and Salted Caramel Cream.
I’m such a klutz, I focused on taking pics, doing a few tasks, and trying out the Unilocal mobile app video feature (my videos are only viewable on the Unilocal mobile app), but fortunately my fellow team mates, Candace L., Jenny K. and Sadaf were crack Macaron makers!
To add to the fun of making Macarons, Betty N. generously brought some bottles of wine. Betty’s the hostess with the mostess!
Looking forward to making these at home and taking one of Clemence’s other cooking classes on my own.
Much appreciation to Clemence and staff for holding the class and to Betty N. for working her organizing magic! xoxo
PS: I went back in August and took the Farmer’s Market Meals in Minutes class with Clemence — review to follow.

I can’t believe it took me so long to post this review, but I am SOOO glad I was able to make it to this amazing event! I LOVE macarons and I have always wanted to take a class at The Gourmandise School so this was something I was really looking forward to. I had previously taken a macaron making class at Sur La Table, but this one was so much more fun and energetic! 3 hours of wine also helped (SPECIAL THANKS TO BETTY FOR ALWAYS KEEPING MY GLASS FULL ;) haha).
The instructor was very helpful and gave a lot of great tips that I never knew before. They even sent us home with a bag of sugar and vanilla bean. I loved that they really encouraged us to make them at home and did everything they could to make us feel comfortable with the process. Everyone was able to break into teams and were able to take home at least a dozen macarons each. The instructor even made some extra batches just in case we wanted to replace any broken/​ugly macarons. We learned how to make a standard buttercream filling and then we were also able get creative and flavored them to our liking. We even made a salted caramel filling! Mmmm. I went home a happy camper with a dozen macarons and instructions to make my own. WOOOT.
Amazing job with your this UYE, Betty! MORE MORE MORE! :)

What do you get when you cross a bunch of Unilocal Elites, Betty N. and macarons? You get a bomb *ss time, is what what!
I’ve never taken a cooking class before and so when this opportunity came up I jumped at it. I love macarons too so it was trés cool to learn how to make this specialty French delight!
The staff at the school were all super friendly and helpful as we embarked on trying our hand at making this very delicate dessert. They took us through each of the steps of the process giving us tips and instructions and everyone had a really great time making a mess in someone else’s kitchen, haha!
Betty N. was the hostess with the mostest and made the whole event very fun and entertaining for all!
Thanks Betty, for putting this together! It was super fun to hang with Unilocalers I knew and to meet new ones too.
Gourmandise is a great cooking school with an awesome staff so if you’re looking for gourmand classes, I would say look no further and check these guys out!

Am I going to miss a chance to learn how to make French Macarons AND meet the Jedi-​Master herself Betty N at the same time? Oh hell no… I RSVP’d immediately!
This very fun UYE was at the Gourmandise School in the Santa Monica Place Mall, which is owned and operated by Clémence and Hadley. Clémence and her staff told us no question is too small, made is all feel very comfortable and started the class.
24 Unilocal Elite attended and learned how to mix, fold, whip and beat those macarons into submission! Oh wait, it wasn’t quite like that, but you get the idea!
Steps in the macaron making process.
We gathered around the work surface, ready to begin!
Instructions were given…
(photo Tony L)
We got to work…
We also learned how to make salted caramel…
And the finished product!
LA West community manager Brittany B was there helping out too!
I decided to sneak a taste of the chocolate they made up for us. YUM!
Many trays of macarons waiting to be baked!
Our finished salted caramel and flavored butter cream for the macarons!
And after three hours of work, fun and wine — TA-​DA! The finished product that I made and took home! Not the prettiest things, but DAAAANG they sure taste good!
Thank you SO MUCH to the awesome, fun, wild and crazy Betty N (OK, maybe not exactly a Jedi-​Master) and the Gourmandise School for this very fun, memorable and flavorful afternoon!!!

Betty N, YOU ROCK! Thank You for the invite and for hosting! The event was a HUGE success! I wish I can say the same about my macarons LOL. I need a do over course in basic piping :)
The owner Clemence and her staff at The Gourmandise School of Sweets & Savories were extremely helpful and patient throughout the entire macaron making process. As a non baker/​cook (times have changed, right Limzer?), I felt very comfortable in their kitchen.
I had tons of fun and it was great hanging out and meeting fellow Unilocalers. Thanks again Betty! Looking forward to your nxt UYE! :)

Thanks Betty N. for organizing this awesome UYE! This is the first baking class I have ever been a part of and I feel like I have just wet my finger tips in the baking game. I did not know what to expect at first but with a professional like Clemence at the helm I was immediately at ease with this baking adventure.
The Gourmandise School is filled with very professional and knowledgeable staff that want nothing more than for a student to succeed. One of the first rules in Clemences class was to make yourself feel like your at home and ask any question no matter how stupid it might sound. With this kind of support I felt ZERO fear diving in to make French Macarons like a BOSS!
Yes I am no professional baker but with the help of the staff doing all the cleaning and the prep work I virtually felt like I was the head chef at a bakery. All the machines and ingredients were prepared for you every step of the way and all you had to do was follow the directions and get your hands a little dirty.
By the end of the class we left with a feeling of accomplishment and a new perspective to Macaron making along with a togo box of a dozen+ hand made French Macarons.
Thank you Clemence and staff for your professionalism and expertise. Thank you Betty for your energy and coordinating this fun UYE.

!!!HOLY MACARON!!!
Betty Betty Betty, you out did yourself with your very first UYE! I can remember the day like it were yesterday when your message came in about this class. I can also remember that little sinking feeling in my heart when I found out how fast it filled up. I accepted it and was grateful to have learned of an awesome new place to bookmark and had even glanced over the calendar at Gourmandise for an upcoming Intro to French Macarons class when this past Friday my day was made :) a message from you, saying a spot had opened.
Betty, you’re the best! and kudos to your hubby who arrived with the Rose wine for everyone, what’s a Unilocal event without booze ;) very gracious host you two are!
The team at the Gourmandise School of Sweets & Savories are nothing short of fantastic!
Really, there are very few things that beat spending an afternoon making French macarons from scratch :)
I learned a lot in such a welcoming and patient environment and I can’t wait to return to take many more classes here.
I had a fabulous time with an amazing group and I’ve been eating macarons for days :) what more can a girl want!!!

My very first time attending UYE in the west side, and all thanks to our wonder Betty N for invite and planning. It was a lot of fun learning how to make macarons for the very first time at The Gourmandise school of Sweets and savories and meeting new Unilocalers of course.
Our instructor, Clemence is a sweet lady and so were her helpers. We were provided with the instructions of how to make the macarons and fillings. We were told to pair up in twos and we were ready to bake some goods! Betty N on the other hand, popped out of nowhere and provided us wine!!! Wine and making macarons?! You know it!
The cooking class was roomy, clean and organized. While we were waiting for our macarons to bake, we took our breaks with our wine in our hands of course, and we all mingled with all the Unilocalers. I loved how we were all able to talk to each other and got to learn about one another. When it was time to make our fillings, we were all excited! We made our own Caramel sauce, tiramisu, strawberry and vanilla butter cream! Thanks to our instructors and her helpers who walked around to check up on us to make sure that we were on the right track. After the fillings, it was time to make these babies! Once it was all done, we boxed it up and they were ready to take home or eat.
Thank you, Clemence and your helpers for having us and for guiding us like an awesome instructor! Thank you, Betty N for the invite and having us around to have this kick ass class!

**MY FIRST LA WEST UYE**
Duh, of course I would give my own UYE 5 stars.
It was good. It was very, very good.
24 happy Unilocalers learned to make macarons from scratch.
Step-​by-​step, hands-​on experience on making delicious macarons and fillings in a commercial kitchen.
CAN’T BEAT THAT WITH A BASEBALL BAT.
ABOUT GOURMANDISE
===================
Gourmandise evolved from a kitchen in Venice and eventually into a cooking and baking school in Santa Monica with founders, Clémence (our instructor) and Hadley.
UYE CLASS
==========
Eager Unilocal bakers whipped, beat, and ate their way through the class.
Worked in groups and took turns with the baking processes.
Unilocalers sipped on provided rosé during class.
Made enough macarons to take home in boxes.
Gourmandise emailed the recipes and a 50% off next macaron class voucher.
Life was GOOD.
Very, very good.
THANK YOU GOURMANDISE SCHOOL for our complimentary and SWEET class!
HIGHLY RECOMMEND.

2014 Unilocal 365 CHALLENGE — ²⁴⁴⁄₃₆₅
All right, so now that I’ve snagged First To Review, here’s my LEGIT review: P
I was SO excited when Betty N. invited me to this super awesome, super exclusive UYE! I am kind of a self-​proclaimed macaron connoisseur, but have never attempted to make them because I’ve always heard that’s such a tedious, difficult process! I can’t believe Betty gave us this AWESOME opportunity to come take a class with her! Especially when it’s $ 85/​person normally! Can I say #winning? :P
The Gourmandise School is located on the third floor of Santa Monica Place in The Market area where there are a bunch of food eateries/​shops. I conveniently parked in the structure right next to the mall so I had super easy access from my top level parking spot. The school has one large room enclosed by glass walls. It’s really cool because The Market area tends to get really loud and echo-​y with all of the little shops in there, but the glass walls make it so that you can block out all of the distractions and really focus on your class.
I was really impressed by the school! This was the first time I had ever taken a cooking/​baking class, and I think I could significantly benefit from taking these in the future! They provided all of the cooking supplies and ingredients, measured everything out for us (honestly, if I ever make these on my own I am probably going to have a much more difficult time: P), and set up everything for us. We had breaks around each hour or so of the 3 hour class, and while we were outside socializing during our breaks, the staff would prepare our work stations so that everything was good to go by the time we got back! Whenever we finished using our bowls filled with ingredients or had dirty dishes they would quickly pick them up and clear our stations. It was so great!
Our instructor, Clemence, was an excellent teacher! She explained things thoroughly, did demonstrations of each step, and she and the rest of her staff walked around each station and helped us once we were on our own. I was really impressed by how knowledgeable she was about making the macarons, and had really great answers whenever anyone asked a question. She definitely knows her stuff! I felt like such a noob! LOL.
I unfortunately wound up without a partner, but I was in a 3 person group along with Lily T. and Linda H. Thank you so much to both of them for letting me join them! I was like the awkward odd man out T_​_​T It was a little difficult doing a 2-​person job by myself, but fortunately I was able to get everything done (albeit a lot slower than everyone else), and one of Clemence’s helpers supervised me and helped me prepare all of my ingredients. AND I guess it ended up working out in my favor, because I got to take home TWICE as many macarons (I had well over 30 in my takeout box LOL… that’s like $ 70+ worth of store-​bought macs!
We were able to keep whatever we made, and we also got cool reusable Unilocal tote bags, a Unilocal sweatband, and could take home any of the fillings we made (I had strawberry, chocolate, tiramisu, and salted caramel). We were all also emailed the recipe, and offered a 50% coupon code for another visit! I totally think I will probably come back and bring my bf with me so he can learn as well. I felt like because we had a larger group (normally group classes are 12 people, but we had at least 20), I wasn’t able to focus as much or be as detail-​oriented because I felt like there were so many people and so much going on. I definitely think I could greatly benefit from taking the class a second time before trying to make the macarons on my own at home!
MAJOR MAJOR MAJOR PROPS to Betty N. for putting together what could possibly be the best UYE ever! I had a great time making my favorite dessert and really hope that I’ll one day become a pro! :P
Also, I got to meet a bunch of people who I’ve been Unilocal friends for a long time, but have never actually met in person! Shout outs to Rodney, Limzer, Sandee, Jennifer, Liz, etc. AND I met several new people as well — Kevin, Antho, etc. Great to meet all y’all!

Thanks to the beautiful Betty N. for letting me in on this fantastic UYE at the Gourmandise School.
I had SO much fun hanging out with fellow elites, making French macarons and drinking Rosé.
Our instructor Clemence was the sweetest. She was upbeat, energetic, and very easy to work with. I would definitely be back for another class!
Can’t wait for the next UYE!

Oh oui oui! Gonna drop some F-​verbiage now, excuse my French…
French macarons?
Friendly, professional baker to lead class?
Fun atmosphere baking with other Elites?
Free?!
* YES — Professional culinary school with all baking equipments, ingredients, and nice staff in a clean open space
* YES — Nice & amiable Clemence (pro baker) led class with patience, cool tidbits, and created a fun relaxed atmosphere for all students
* YES — Every step along the way, other bakers/​staff were on hand to answer questions or check our team progress
* YES — Met and interacted with other awesome Unilocalers
* YES — Macarons turned out soooo good
Thank you to Gourmandise School and Clemence for such a great class & time!
Betty N, smashing first UYE! Excellent job and can’t wait for the next one!

If you smell, what the Rod, is cookin!
I had the great fortune attending Betty N.‘s Intro to French Macarons UYE held at the Gourmandise School of Sweets & Savories
Clemence, the gracious owner of the Gourmandise School
She and her friendly staff guided us through the entire process, ready to provide assistance when needed
Betty, the organizer of the event, along with Felicia
We began by making the macaron dough, using almond flour, egg whites & salt
I’m good with my pipe
Jennifer & I were macaron partners for the day, with our finished product ready to be stuffed with butter crème or caramel
Our ingredients for vanilla bean caramel
Finished caramel
Butter crème 3 ways — Passionfruit, tiramisu & strawberry (I made the passionfruit, which came out rather nice)
My finished macarons (the weather was humid, which caused the macarons to still be moist inside)
I had a great time, meeting up & cooking with fellow Unilocalers
My table buddies, Christine & Sandee
Betty and my baking buddies
Kevin (I made him do a spit-​take. Good thing it wasn’t into any of the food)
Wan & Tony
Candace
The Asian Joseph Gordon-​Levitt himself, Limzer
Met Jacqueline for the first time, too!
Ton o’ fun! With lots of fresh macarons to take home, I had an absolute blast! Thanks, Betty & the staff at the Gourmandise School of Sweets & Savories, for putting on a highly enjoyable cooking class for us. It was a tremendous way to spend a Saturday in beautiful Santa Monica.
Excelsior!