Meet Caroline at Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte, a 17th century masterpiece located in Maincy, a 40-min drive from Paris. It is the largest private estate listed as a historical monument in France with the founding French formal garden that inspired Versailles! After a coffee and snack, drive 5-min to Caroline's farmhouse. Begin your culinary journey by walking through her garden (weather permitting) and discussing the menu for the day. Next, join Caroline in her traditional French kitchen to learn to cook a seasonal French meal. During your hands-on French cooking class, you might sauté spinach for a roulette or whisk an aioli, the key to a velvety monkfish bourride (iconic fish stew), create a delicious vegetable side and learn techniques involved in making your main dish. You will learn to cook 2-3 dishes from scratch during your cooking lesson that lasts about 2 hours. After cooking, sit down at the table to share the authentic French meal you helped prepare with Caroline. Caroline pairs your meal with wine! Please note that your meal may include dishes that Caroline may have prepared in advance. You may be joined by a friend of Caroline's or one of her children during your experience. After your meal, return to the chateau with Caroline for a quick tour of this gorgeous and historic landmark.
Your experience includes pick up and drop off from the Melun train station, which is a 25-min train ride from Paris. Please include your arrival time in the notes field when making your booking or email Caroline directly and let her know.
Caroline is typically not available to host on weekends but can do so on occasion. Please try to request bookings during weekdays if possible for a better chance of confirmation.
This is just a sample menu to give you an idea of the types of dishes the host cooks. Your menu will vary according to seasonal availability.
Dessert: Rum baba, tarte tatin or chocolate mousseMain: Monkfish bourride or Cabillaud (cod) fillets or veal with carrot tagliatelle cooked in a white wine sauceStarter: Spinach and salmon roulette or foie gras with bread and fig jamFrench wine and coffeeLocal French cheeseCaroline is a warm and hospitable host who is living her best life in her dream house, a lovely farmhouse surrounded by gardens and chickens in Maincy, a charming little French village. Maincy is a 45-min drive southeast of Paris. A mother of four, Caroline was once the mayor of her village Champdeuil! Caroline enjoys entertaining and often hosts friends and family at home. She enjoys cooking and sharing food with people because it is her way to express her love and looks forward to hosting guests for a French countryside experience. Your private French food experience takes place in Caroline's farmhouse and ends with a quick tour of Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte, her friend's chateau, one of the biggest reasons to visit Maincy. A stunning landmark with a fascinating history, the chateau is located in Maincy, a 25-min train ride away from Paris.
"This is in a beautiful quaint town not far outside Paris. Metro and train tickets are included but we drove and it was a beautiful scenic drive.
Caroline has a lovely interesting home and gardens and is the consummate host. The food was absolutely delicious. We learned a lot and had a joyous day. We will go back next time in Paris as we felt we were leaving a friend’s home."
"A once in a lifetime experience! Caroline is most welcoming and a truly good soul!
A very special experience! Caroline takes care of you and makes you feel at home while giving you memories for a lifetime!
Caroline met us a the train & provided a personalized tour & cooking experience in her home. She then arranged an amazing tour of the Castle!
It was like visiting a relative on holiday! She makes you feel comfortable, takes care of you while teaching you the French life and history!"
"Excellent! My daughter and I enjoyed Caroline’s cooking class very much. It’s an easy 26 minute train ride from Gare de Lyon train station to Melun. It was only 2 of us in the class, it is a private class. Caroline is a wonderful host. She is very sweet, personable, kind and generous. It was so much more than just a cooking class, and we learned a lot about the culture also. Caroline is a great cook, the food was absolutely delicious! She also took us to the a few centuries old church, it was very interesting to visit such an historical place. After the class was over, we went to the Chateau Vaux le Vicomte. Chateau and shuttle bus tickets back to the train station were provided by Caroline. Chateau Vaux le Vicomte is a beautiful interesting place, not crowded, which made a visit much more pleasant. Overall, it was an excellent class, actually much more than a class. Thank you so much Caroline! It will always be a special wonderful memory from our travels visiting France."
"Lovely day in the French Countryside! Our day spent with Caroline in the French Countryside was definitely a highlight of our trip to Paris! She was very easy to communicate with and made a point to ask about our food preferences so she could build a menu around our tastes. We assisted with some dishes, observed others, and she had a few special ones prepared ahead of time. We enjoyed champagne and various wines with our lunch. The village was beautiful and charming and Caroline’s home and grounds are very special!
We took a walk to see the beautiful medieval church in her village and after lunch she drove us to the Chateau de Vaux-le-Vicomte where we toured the castle and grounds. Since we had no time constraints on our personal schedule we were gone the entire day. Melun is approx a 30 min train ride from Paris. Thank you, Caroline, for your hospitality and for creating a memorable day for our family!"
