How do I register for a class?
You are able to register for a class using the ‘Calendar’ section of the website. This area allows you to register and pay for the class.
I only see classes on line up to a certain date!
We update our calendar on a ‘rolling’ basis. We aim to have the details of the classes on line for the following 1 1/5 months.
How many people are there in each class?
We usually have a maximum of 12 people in each of our kitchens. Depending on the type of class, the group may be a bit smaller.
Can I observe a class?
In our experience, cooking is not a spectator sport – it is best when you get your hands in! Whilst we try to accommodate everyone, we have found that for the comfort, interaction and participation of everyone, it is best that only those who are actively participating in the class join us. If you are a family member waiting for someone, you are welcome in the waiting area. To put it clearly, we respectfully ask that only those who are registered for the class, join in to the class.
What if I want to come, but have a dietary constraint?
We do try to stick fairly close to the menus listed on line for the class, however, if you do have a problem with one of the dishes, please let us know in advance and we will try to find a substitute for you if possible! Please keep in mind that whilst we would be pleased to have you, there may be occasions where the menu is not easily amended.
Is there a ‘Dine Only’ option ?
As we express in our ‘Can I observe’, for a variety of reasons (comfort of the participants, comfort of the chef, dynamics of the group, etc), we only have registered customers participating in our classes from start to finish. We therefore do not have an option for guests to join just for the dining portion of the class.
Do I need to bring anything?
NO! Just bring yourself. We have everything on site you will need for the class, aprons, recipes, pencils (to take notes of course!), and fun.
Will the class be in English?
Yes. All classes found on this portion of the website are in English. We have a team of chefs that we work with, those which give our English speaking classes will be fluent in English!
Is the class hands on?
Yes. We don’t force you of course, but you should expect to get involved in the preparation of the meal. We do not believe cooking is a spectator sport! Depending on the nature of the menu, there are times when the tasks of the production are divided and shared amongst the group to create the meal. If you are not comfortable sharing with others, then we are not the best school for you.
Do I get to eat?
Of course! After preparing the meal you sit and dine – wine is included. For the meal based classes, we serve a white wine which we have found to be a nice multi-palette wine that works with many dishes! For the dessert classes, you are welcome to eat here on site, but we also have boxes for you to take away and show off your hard work!
How many of my ‘creations’ can I take away?
We do anticipate that all participants should leave with a sample and/or tasting, particularly from the pastry classes. Whilst parting with your treat bag is always the intention, the main focus of the class is having an instructor there to teach the preparation, rather than the number of items the students walk away with. However, when the ‘final product’ is out and you are ready to collect a few, we ask all students to please be considerate of one another, and share the feast!
Do I get the recipes?
All students get the recipes and pencils for notes during the class. We ask (in fact we beg!) you to make the recipes at home after the class – send us photos!! We love to see what you are up to in the kitchen! The one exception to this is the Market Class. On the Market we take advantage of purchasing the freshest products available and because of this it is not easy to have predetermined menus and recipes….we do however give you a few basic recipes to take away with you!
Does La Cuisine Paris take photos?
We do from time to time take photos during the classes and do post some of them on our Facebook page and on our website. Our photos are really for the purpose of allowing others to see what we are up to (we do not ‘tag’ photos on Facebook)! If you do not want your photo taken, we will certainly respect that, just tell us.
What if I am very late?
We work very hard to respect the schedules of our clients and do aim to start our classes on time. Certainly occasions do arise when you may get turned around, or are running late for a particular reason – but please let us know. A late entry to the class can be very distracting to the other participants, so we do respectfully ask that you be here 5 to 10 minutes before the start of the class to ensure you are ready for a timely start. Our classes are relatively short experiences, and lateness can result in missing critical parts of the class. We work very hard to stick to our schedule, and we aim to have the class start and finish at the hour we promise. If you are very late we ask that you enter the kitchen in a manner that is not distracting to the other group members. If you are very, very late, and at a point where it may be difficult to integrate you in to the class without a distraction to the other participants, then we may respectfully decline.
What if I have a small group and we want to do a private class?
Outside of our regularly listed classes, we do often welcome private groups for cooking classes and Foodie Walks tailored to them. Feel free to contact us at contact@lacuisineparis.com for further information.
I recieved my credit card bill and the amount is different?
The La Cuisine Paris prices are in quoted and charged in EUROs. When one uses an international credit card, the bank of that credit card then converts the amount in to the local currency of the credit card -- therefore, if your credit card is a US credit card, your bank will likely have applied an exchange rate to convert the amount of EUROs in to your local curreny of USD. If you have questions regarding the final amount on your credit card statement, you should contact your credit card company as this is not something La Cuisine Paris is involved with.
Where is La Cuisine Paris located?
We are in the centre of Paris – just minutes away from Parisis famous landmark : Hotel de Ville! You will find us at 80 Quai de l’Hôtel de Ville, just in front of the Seine !
What is the easiest way to get to La Cuisine Paris?
You many choices…the public train transport closest to us is via line 1 and line 11 in to metro station ‘Hôtel de Ville’, or line 7 in to metro station ‘Pont Marie’. We are also just one stop away from the main metro hub, Chatlet. If you are a fan of the bus, bus number 72 and number 67 will get you here!
Does La Cuisine Paris do catering events in peoples’ homes?
We do not cater in home for private events. We do however have a team of chefs that also work with catering and ‘cuisine a domicile’ (cooking for private dinner parties, etc) and we are happy to share references.
What is the cancellation policy?
We are a small cooking school and try to be as flexible as possible with our clients! We rely on confirmed class bookings for making sure that we have the right chef in place, and making sure that we have fresh ingredients for the number of students attending. As such, when someone cancels at the last minute, unlike a restaurant, we are not likely to fill their space. We ask clients to give us a minimum of 72 hours notice of cancellation for full refund, or rescheduling for another class.
Is La Cuisine Paris right for me?
We would love for you to join us – but most importantly, we want you to be happy when you are here. In order to make the decision as to what style might be the best for you – there are a couple of things you should keep in mind :
We believe in sharing and group effort – we think it is best to share the load, share ideas, share experience, and share the fun. In general our classes do involve group effort with tasks for each participant - we work hard to ensure that all of the classes are hands on, naturally some of the classes are more hands on than others depending on the subject matter - for the cooking/cuisine classes this is certainly the case. If you need to have your own cooking island and do not feel comfortable sharing the production process with others, then you may want to consider a private class – our regularly scheduled classes will probably not be the best fit.
We have never believed the cooking is an elitist activity – gone are the days of severe formal teaching. We believe that you can learn and do so in a fun and relaxed atmosphere. If you believe that you can only learn in a clinical, extremely serious environment, then we are probably not the best fit.
We have a number of participants in the class with varying degrees of experience – but we still try to keep it as hands on as possible. We do try to be realistic and manage the class in way (and in a cost) that is reasonable for the participants. As an example, the Macaron classes : as you can image, one batch of Macaron mix can make more than 60 Macarons. Whilst the class makes sufficient batches to ensure that everyone gets a chance to work with the batter, and take home a number of macarons produced - the practicalities of having each participant make and cook one batch each is just not possible. The Macaron cookie itself is the same recipe no matter - the colour may differ - so whilst the group will be divided and work in a team, they work the same cookie recipes. The garnishes we use for the Macarons are usually of the same base with slightly different take, so the groups are again divided to create them and debrief on the differences.
We try to offer something for everyone and hope that our new family members look carefully and consider before joining us – if you want to have a formal training experience that is heavily technical, we would not mislead you and tell you to take our two hour class…or our three hour class….or even the half day class – training that is pertinent, rigorous, and meaningful will take much longer than 1 day, and we do not offer that – but we think we offer plenty of other great things to enjoy!
Most important to us - we work very hard to keep our pricing accessible to all – yet and still hands on. Until now, we think we have the right balance. For those that absolutely do not want to share the work and want a full experience with the benefit of working from start to finish on an individual bases, then we are happy to have you as well – but would recommend you consider a private class with us.