Cookery and wine courses
France > Paris > Basics > Activities > Cookery and wine courses
Paris is, of course, the perfect place to try to get to grips with French gastronomy and wines. There are a large number of places offering courses to extend your knowledge, a handful of which are listed below.CIDD 30 rue de la Sablière, 14e tel 01.45.45.44.20. The Centre d'Information, de Documentation et de Dégustation runs free "Porte-Ouvertes" days with tastings, and wine-tasting courses in English (a three-hour session costs around €70). M° Pernéty. Cordon Bleu 8 rue Léon-Delhomme, 15e tel 01.53.68.22.50, www.cordonbleu.net. Offers cookery demonstrations followed by tastings (morning or afternoon sessions, some in English; 48-hr advance booking; €38), or day-long hands-on sessions (again some in English, two weeks' advance booking required; €125). M° Vaugirard/Convention. Écoles Grégoire Ferrandi 28 rue de l'Abbé-Grégoire, 6e tel 01.49.54.28.03. Christiane Andres runs friendly sessions for amateurs on Wednesday evenings. Along with a dozen-odd Parisians, you help prepare a demonstration three-course meal, then sit down to eat and discuss it. You'll need good French however, as there's no translation. €60 for the evening; longer courses also available. M° St-Placide/Montparnasse-Bienvenüe. Promenades Gourmandes 187 rue du Temple, 3e tel 01.48.04.56.84, www.theinternationalkitchen.com. At the other end of the scale from the Cordon Bleu school is this a one-woman show. Run by Paulle Caillat, who speaks English fluently, you take a trip to the market then back to the kitchen for a three-course demonstration, with lots of hands-on work. This level of personal attention doesn't come cheap: the full day costs €290. M° Temple.
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