Finally! My Diplôme de Cuisine from Le Cordon Bleu Paris and a full-time three month stage at Pavillon Ledoyen, a 3-Star Michelin restaurant in Paris, yeah!

A quote from a cooking school brochure I found in France years ago … sign me up!

“This is our classic week featuring our favorite Provençale dishes paired with wines of the Rhône region. We’ll take you shopping at the local markets, to meet our favorite food artisans and merchants, and to walk amidst the most beautiful countryside this side of the Rhône. Together we’ll prepare over 28 recipes. And culminating each day’s class, we’ll all sit down to enjoy the bounty of our labor. Do come with a healthy appetite, comfortable shoes and lots of enthusiasm! We view this week as a personalized introduction to Provence through the window of its tremendous cuisine and its devoted culinary artisans, wine-makers and farmers. Provence is the richest agricultural area in France, if not Europe … and we’ll share this with you. Come learn to make over 16 different Provençale dishes, go shopping with us for the days’ ingredients at the local markets, visit a local winery and food artisans, and simply revel in the arts of good food and good wine. You’ll share with us the passion, riches and pleasures of this very special region called Provence.

We’ll take you on personal tastings of some of the best (both well-known and up and coming) wineries in our region. After your week with us you will be knowledgeable about the 5 crus of the Southern Rhône, the wines and wine-makers coming out of the Languedoc, and have tasted and learned about a number of other Provence Appelations. You will enjoy personal discussions with the wine-makers and learn what is special about each of their terrors, why they work as they do (organically? traditionally? bio-dynamically…) Then, each evening, we’ll prepare together 4 or more dishes and pair and compare the day’s discoveries. We’ll pick up our dinners’ ingredients at the Arles outdoor market, and be inspired by what’s in season.

It’s the French paradox we enjoy daily in Provence: good wines and delectable regional cuisine which promote in equal share good health and enjoyable evenings. Learn more about the local wineries and the move towards organic farming.

This course is aimed at training you to become a professional Chef. It will enable you to master all the Culinary techniques. At the conclusion of the program, you will be able to work as a Chef using the knowledge, abilities and skills acquired during the length of the vocational training.

Study of the trade and the business Discovering flavors, awakening your senses Mastering Culinary Techniques, Realization and Presentation Setting up a Menu Introduction to hygiene in a restaurant Products, Ingredients, Utensils, French Specialties French: a foreign language Discovering pastry Wine study, matching the right wine with the right food History and Culture of the Culinary Art Culinary trips to various parts of France Demonstration and sampling.”