Meet in front of Sainte-Marie des Batignolles and walk together to the local covered market to meet some of Francoise's local producers (all of whom know Francoise well from her frequent visits!). You might stop at the local fishmonger, the fromagerie, and the produce store on your way home, and on your way pick up a selection ingredients for your cooking class and meal. Walk the short way (less than ten minutes) back to Francoise's apartment where you will prepare your meal together and enjoy it at Francoise's large table in her kitchen.
Please note that market tours are not available on Mondays since the markets are closed then. Also, on Sunday's the market is only available in the morning at 9:15am.
Step in to Françoise's beautiful, large apartment that is tastefully filled with finds from travels around the world and her own impressive handiwork. Join her in the kitchen and over cheese nibbles or snacks, learn how to make a classic French main dish (or dessert if you prefer). For your main, you might make a dish such as feuilleté with leeks and shrimp in a ginger sauce, steak with a classic French Béarnaise sauce or poulet à l'estragon (chicken in a tarragon sauce).
After cooking, enjoy your lunch around Francoise's large dining table featuring the classic French main course that you cooked together. End your meal with a traditional French dessert such as strawberry tartelettes (homemade lemon crust, crème pâtissière au Grand Marnier) or île flottante (a soft meringue served on top of a sweet custard) which will be served with Champagne (included in the cost of your experience.) Françoise is excited to share her culture through food and offer an authentic/traditional cooking class in Paris. She can also accommodate a vegetarian diet in her French cooking class.
On weekends (Sat and Sun), Francoise prefers to start the market experience at 9:15am (instead of 10am) to avoid the rush. If you have a preference regarding the options below, please include it in the notes section when creating your reservation request. Otherwise Francoise will select a dish each from the following options:
Main: Shrimp and leek feuilleté, chicken in a tarragon sauce or steak with Béarnaise sauce
Dessert: Strawberry tartelettes or île flottante
If you prefer to learn to make dessert instead of a savory main course please note this in your booking.
Wine and a glass of Champagne are included in the price of your meal.
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.
Hors d'oeuvre: cheese nibbles or snacksDessert: choice between strawberry tartelettes, financier pistache or French chocolate tulipsMain: choice between shrimp and leek feuilleté, chicken in a tarragon sauce or steak with Béarnaise sauceFrançoise learned to cook from her two grandfathers who were both fishermen; one was a cook during the second World War. As a child, Françoise used to visit Marseille where her grandparents live; her grandfather would work, fishing off the coast, from 3am to 12, and would then bring home the best of his catch to cook it for his family. It was her grandparents that taught her that the freshest fish is found in the best restaurants, and at the tables of the fisherman.
Françoise went on to have a successful career working as the art director for advertising agencies for 18 years. She left that career to move in to the food space and has since started her own catering business. Françoise has a delightful and colored family story, from her tales growing up with her fishermen grandfathers to living in Africa for three years. Françoise is also passionate about doing anything with her hands and is incredibly creative; her beautiful home is lined with her handiwork, from beautiful collage boxes of her travel finds from around the world to metal embossing to cocardes (antique lace and bleu/blanc/rouge embroidery). Be sure to ask Françoise for her flea market recommendations, as well! She is an avid flea market lover and visits the Bruxelles market monthly.
Françoise is also open to offering a personal chef experience where she can cook in your vacation rental, if you prefer.
"The cooking class and lunch we enjoyed in Francoise’s flat was amazing. She is personable
welcoming and knowledgeable. We are a family of 4 from the US traveling with two
teenagers and we all enjoyed this experience."
"Exceptional host, very welcoming, authentic French cooking experience with a
knowledgeable chef, well organized. Food was delicious. Will be able to recreate at home."
"We are a family of four (a 17 year old and 16 year old) and we planned this as a unique Paris experience with a little trepidation. End result - best decision of our week long trip! Francoise was great! We had a lovely time visiting the open market near her home and picked the ingredients for a great meal! Francoise incorporated all of us into helping make the meal and we had wonderful relaxed conversation throughout. The time flew by and the meal was delicious! We now have a "go to" vinaigrette and orange reduction sauce as well as knowing how to properly cook asparagus. Each time I try to plan one unique experience and this ranks in the very top tier. Highly recommend!"
"So wonderful!
Françoise is such a warm and inspiring host. I absolutely recommend to join one of her classes. She is full of wisdom of the French cuisine and of the nicest places and products in Paris. My daughter and I enjoyed learning to make all the Classic French sauces in her so charming Parisian apartment. Encore un grand merci!"
