If you are searching for a unique activity in Paris, and if you love French pastries, we have found the cooking atelier you must try, in Galeries Lafayette
Paris, the capital of cooking and pastry, is definitely the best place to learn chef's secrets! Paris boasts a staggering 30,000 bakeries, and you will have a chance to find at every corner unique pastries. Each Chef can invent it's own pastry and there are new ones created every day in Paris. But there are also the timeless classic ones such as Millefeuille, Flan, Tarte au Citron, Opéra, Tarte Tatin, Saint-Honoré, éclair au chocolat, Religieuse, Paris-Brest...
It is of course great to try and eat pastries from unique Parisian bakeries, but it is even better to learn all the secrets behind the making process. The best souvenir you can bring from France is not a small Eiffel tower, but a great pastry recipe learned from a Chef, that you can make again for your friend. So being in Paris is the perfect time to learn a new recipe! It is also a unique and fun activity, very different from the "daily routine" of a traveler (museums, cafes and instagram photo spots!).
Galeries Lafayette and the prestigious school of culinary arts Ferrandi Paris designed the perfect Pastry cooking class. Ferrandi is one of the great temples of pâtisserie training in the world, created in Paris in 1920. Usually, Ferrandi trains students from all over the world in long-term programs. But they decided to collaborate with Galeries Lafayette to offer opportunities for everyone to join short cooking class sessions.
Located in a modern cooking space in Galeries Lafayette Le Gourmet building 3rd floor (35 Bd Haussmann, 75009 Paris), the class is easily accessible in the center of Paris (a few minutes walk from metro stations Havre Caumartin, Opéra, Auber, Chaussée d'Antin-Lafayette). The space is very modern and bright kitchen, and the materials are all high-end ones, from the most famous brands. The 3rd floor of Le Gourmet Building is dedicated to cooking, so after the class, if you need, you can buy there some unique kitchen tools. The workshop last for about 2 to 2,5 hours, and at the end you can eat the pastry you made!
With the O'bon Paris promo, the pastry ateliers, as well as other cooking ateliers (Macaron baking class, French dish cooking class...) are discounted (10% off): click here to have a look at our offers. If you want to shop for kitchen tools in Galeries Lafayette Gourmet, you can use our exclusive gift offers.
During 2 to 2,5 hours you will learn all the steps in a very intuitive way to make a specific pastry (it changes frequently but currently the pastry is Saint-Honoré, a famous French traditional dessert). So you do not need any background in cooking to enjoy it. The Chefs speak perfect English and already have a long teaching experience, so do not worry, there won't be too much pressure. However, if you are already a great cook, you will still learn a lot because the Chef shares many useful tips that he learned through his training and experience.
Usually, the Chef first explains how to do a step, and then the people joining the atelier can do it by themselves. But if one step is particularly hard, the Chef is there to help you and check that everything is going smoothly so do not worry. You do not need to take many notes as the Chef will email you the written recipe at the end of the workshop.
It is overall a very fun experience. The Chef is very chill and easygoing, accessible, and making jokes. So the atmosphere is not too strict, and you can also interact with other people joining the group: it can be a good occasion to meet other travelers/expats through the activity.
One of the world's best chefs says when you cook on your own with love, even if you make mistakes, the food just tastes better. And it is definitely true! After putting so much energy and attention into the making process, you can end up tasting what you made: it will be probably one of the best pastries you ever tried! If you are interested in the experience, you can book directly here:
HOW TO USE
1) Choose the date, time an number of participants, click on the 'Add to shopping cart' button.
2) Click on 'Redeem coupon code', type the code GLOBONPARIS and validate with 'apply coupon' to get an immediate 10% discount.
3) Provide your contact information and proceed to payment
Author and Photos: O'bon Paris Team