Welcome to the new site of "Art and Cooking Classes in France"
The leading cooking school vacation providing Culinary Adventures in Provence and on the Côte d'Azur since 1995
Why take cooking lessons
when you can have an unforgettable
Culinary and Art Adventure in Provence
with chef Philippe Gion
More than just recipes and techniques, this adventure introduces you to the best of Provencal way of life - a life based around friends, the kitchen, wonderful food prepared from the freshest local ingredients, good wines and amazing liquors, warm nights and fun.
In France you will visit Provencal markets, meet the people, have an opportunity to visit a traditional olive oil mill, wineries and to discover historical landmarks.
You will learn the secrets of the Mediterranean-Cretan diet, create a fragrant aioli - that incomparable golden pomade, or make a real bouillabaisse or even a paella! You will taste the freshest fish from the Mediterranean sea: broiled, flamed or poached in white wine. You will enjoy the simplicity of a Provencal soup "au Pistou" or the amazing “Chicken with forty garlic cloves” and its “Tian rouge” (red gratin).
By the end of the week you will have learned a whole new way of living and eating. You will go home with your own personalized cookbook including all the recipes you have cooked with Philippe, your own Chef apron and hat, and more... But best of all, you will go home with wonderful memories of a great time in the warm sun of Provence or of la Côte d'Azur.
In France you will visit Provencal markets, meet the people, have an opportunity to visit a traditional olive oil mill, wineries and to discover historical landmarks.
You will learn the secrets of the Mediterranean-Cretan diet, create a fragrant aioli - that incomparable golden pomade, or make a real bouillabaisse or even a paella! You will taste the freshest fish from the Mediterranean sea: broiled, flamed or poached in white wine. You will enjoy the simplicity of a Provencal soup "au Pistou" or the amazing “Chicken with forty garlic cloves” and its “Tian rouge” (red gratin).
By the end of the week you will have learned a whole new way of living and eating. You will go home with your own personalized cookbook including all the recipes you have cooked with Philippe, your own Chef apron and hat, and more... But best of all, you will go home with wonderful memories of a great time in the warm sun of Provence or of la Côte d'Azur.
A cuisine is all of a terrain
and its whole past
And that of Provence-Cote d'Azur lies deep in antiquity. Hellenized first in the 6th century, B.C., then Romanized toward the end of the year 1 B.C., Provence drew inspiration from highly refined and vigorously seasoned Greco-Roman dishes.
On her coast, the scent of a tuft of thyme, the sun on the sea, the chant of the cicadas, all become part of a flagrant bouillabaisse, of an aioli - that incomparable golden pomade, of a platter of fish grilled and flamed with fennel or of a simple soup "au Pistou".
On her coast, the scent of a tuft of thyme, the sun on the sea, the chant of the cicadas, all become part of a flagrant bouillabaisse, of an aioli - that incomparable golden pomade, of a platter of fish grilled and flamed with fennel or of a simple soup "au Pistou".
Provence uses the best
of natural products
The tender early fruits, the most beautiful and delectable olive oil, the twenty aromates (herbs and spices, fresh or dries), the sixteen fruits de mer, the forty-six species of fish peculiar to the shores of la Gueuse Parfumee (the Perfumed Trollop) and the grapes that the hot sun brings to perfection from Chateauneuf-du-Pape to the hills of Var and Nice, to be gathered into an imposing gamut of excellent vintages.
To the substantial and charming gifts with which nature has been so prodigal, the gods add the blessings of imagination, a sharp sense of beauty, and a zest for life. On this land one is frequently transported by a "joie de vivre" that makes everything there seem superlative.
This land of the sun considers itself the habitat of a unique people who ally sobriety and refinement, high flavor in food with digestibility, good humor with permanent lucidity of mind.
If "the cuisine is superior" it is surely because it is identified with the Rhône, the blue sea, the olive groves, the lavender fields, the acropolises of Mont Sainte Victoire, the sparkling porphyry of the Esterel mountains, the splendour of the shores of the Cote d'Azur.
To the substantial and charming gifts with which nature has been so prodigal, the gods add the blessings of imagination, a sharp sense of beauty, and a zest for life. On this land one is frequently transported by a "joie de vivre" that makes everything there seem superlative.
This land of the sun considers itself the habitat of a unique people who ally sobriety and refinement, high flavor in food with digestibility, good humor with permanent lucidity of mind.
If "the cuisine is superior" it is surely because it is identified with the Rhône, the blue sea, the olive groves, the lavender fields, the acropolises of Mont Sainte Victoire, the sparkling porphyry of the Esterel mountains, the splendour of the shores of the Cote d'Azur.
2012: Dates of classes & Cooking programChef Philippe Gion and his guests
pay a tribute to the glory of the “Land of the Sun” and to the “farm-ocean to plate” philosophy. Philippe will turn your 2012 cooking session into an unforgettable party. Join our “Land of the Sun” Celebration ! |
Your comfort is important !We believe that "doing is the best way of learning" which is
why everyone cooks, and our classes are limited to 8 guests. The highest quality at the right price ! Our programs are not on sale via any representatives or middlepersons. This means that you save up to 35% when you book directly one of our high quality cooking programs. |
cooking provence