THE FRENCH CULINARY odyssey has long entailed a few key activities for tourists: dine at a Michelin three-star restaurant in Paris; sample unpasteurised cheese; or feast on macarons at Laduree. Now, there's another essential experience: the French cooking class.
Thanks to a profusion of culinary schools mushrooming across the capital, food lovers can now add another 'must-do' to their gastronomic itineraries. Whether in the modest kitchens of fellow foodies or in the professionally equipped premises of the grands ecoles, there are cooking classes for just about anybody - from absolute beginners to seasoned chefs.
The best bet for amateurs are the schools that offer professional instruction in easy-to-digest segments - from 30-minute classes to weekend workshops. Here are three top picks for the time-pressed:
L'Atelier des Chefs is a trendy new cooking studio that allows students to choose and reserve classes online. It's one of the most accessible and flexible options. The 2,960sqft space - which includes a shop selling cookbooks and kitchen gadgets, a wine cellar and a gourmet grocer - centres on a loft-like, sky-lit industrial kitchen with stainless steel worktables that can accommodate up to two dozen people.
Motivated by curiosity rather than time constraints, I signed up for the '60 minutes chrono' session, at which you learn to prepare a two-course meal in one hour flat. On the menu: roasted red mullet with smoked eggplant caviar, followed by cold melon soup with lime leaf.
Our instructor, a young man in trainers who shouted directions while bouncing between stove and students, urged us to work as a team. Some of us roasted the eggplant, others chopped the melons or dressed the fish. The atmosphere was rushed, with little time for hesitation or conversation, but the recipes were straightforward. By the end of the hour, both main course and dessert were ready and plated. How did it taste? Good enough to seem as if we'd spent much more time preparing it.