Artsy Traveler

Take a Cooking Class in Paris

Last updated on October 26th, 2022 at 06:15 pm

Have you considered taking a cooking class while traveling in France? Paris is the place for cooking classes, but you’ll also find classes in other French cities such as Lyon.

Several years ago, guest poster Liz Reding moved with her husband Michael to France and settled in the charming city of Lyon. Every few months, she and Michael take trips to explore different areas in Europe.

One of the things Liz likes to do when she travels around Europe from her new French home is to take cooking classes. 

Here’s what Liz has to say about taking cooking classes in Paris and Lyon.

Cooking in France by Liz Reding

Is cooking art? If you’ve ever seen a great chef at work or eaten a beautifully plated meal, I think you’ll agree that cooking is an art form.

Maybe you love to cook, maybe you don’t … but you have to eat, right? So, doesn’t it make sense to spend time perfecting your cooking skills?

Some might say, YES… but not while I’m on vacation. I say, YES, especially while I’m on vacation! 

The quality of the local produce, cheese, seafood, and meat in French markets is outstanding. When you take a class taught by a local chef at a cooking school, you learn how to use local ingredients to prepare regional favorites.

Cooking Classes in Paris

Several kinds of cooking classes are available in Paris. In some classes, you focus on how to make specific dishes, such as macarons or baguettes, while in others, you cook several dishes which you then enjoy along with a glass or two of wine.

The Market Class

My favorite type of cooking class is the Market Class. 

Choose a market class that starts early in the morning and includes lunch or one that starts later in the afternoon and includes dinner.

You’ll start a market class by meeting up with the chef at a local outdoor market. With the help of the chef, you’ll choose whatever is seasonally available and then return to the kitchen to start cooking. 

Several hours later, you’ll sit down to the wonderful three-course lunch or dinner that you and your classmates prepared. A glass or two of wine is often included, along with wine-tasting tips.

In some market classes, the chef decides ahead of time what you’ll make. You pick up the ingredients and then head to the cooking school to start learning and cooking. No surprises! 

Other classes take more of a let’s see what we can find approach. You go to the market with the chef and see what’s fresh.

Will it be crayfish or lamb? New asparagus or an oozing camembert? Fresh tomatoes from Provence or foie gras from the Dordogne?

The chef accompanies you around the stalls and helps you make the selections.

Either type of class is a wonderful experience, but the laissez-faire version is more exciting and a test of the chef’s ability to create a yummy menu on the fly. 

If you have a food allergy or other dietary restrictions, let the chef know. He or she will either tell you how to modify the recipe or will provide an alternative.  

Recommendations in Paris & Lyon

I’ve taken four cooking classes in Paris (a baguette-making class and three market classes) as well as in Lyon, France, where I live. All the classes were conducted in English.

In the French baguette class, I learned an important lesson—read the reviews of the cooking class before you sign up! Two of the three ovens weren’t working which made the experience less enjoyable than it could have been.

Nevertheless, I did learn how to make baguettes the old-fashioned way by smacking the dough against a granite surface. In my kitchen at home, I was able to adapt the baguette recipe and make it in my mixer with a dough hook. The results were fabulous!

Some of the cooking techniques I learned in cooking classes were fun but not useful. For example, I learned how to strain potatoes through a screen, but why would I want to? 

No matter what type of class you take or where you take it, you’ll always learn new techniques and new recipes. And at the end of the class, you can relax and enjoy the meal you helped make, often with people from around the world.

Paris Cooking Classes

Here are the three cooking schools I attended in Paris. Typically, a cooking class that includes a meal costs between €150 and €200 per person. Some cooking schools offer group rates. If you’re traveling with a group, you may be able to save money by booking a private class.

Cook’n with Class – Market class

La Cuisine – Baguette class

Le Foodist – Market class

Lyon Cooking Class

Plum Lyon – Market class

I highly recommend adding a cooking class to your itinerary.

If you’re really into cooking classes, consider going on a cooking retreat. Plenty of options are available in places such as Tuscany and Provence.

About Liz Reding

Liz Reding is a retired computer textbook author who lives in Lyon, France. Born in Manhattan and having lived in Boston and New Mexico (Santa Fe and Albuquerque), she and her husband are discovering the joys of traveling and exploring the world. She enjoys learning French, cycling, and cooking nutritious meals. 

Conclusion

Have you taken a cooking class while traveling? You can find them all over the world! I took a cooking class in Rome that I write about in Cooking in Roma with InRome Cooking.

Share your experiences in the comments below.

And here’s some more inspiration for cooking classes in Japan, Morocco, and Madrid.