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A dream come true, and you too can cook and bake at Le Cordon Bleu during your next trip to Paris!
I discovered the short course option last year, and immediately put on my calendar to sign up for a class when the spring session opened for 2025. Released on their website a couple of months prior to the date of the course, all of the classes – savory and sweet, wine, specific skills and general courses too – How to Cook Like a Chef! – are offered, and seasonal recipes are shared. So even if you are taking the Sauces course, if you take it in March as I did, if you signed up for it again during the summer, there would be different sauces taught. All of the detailed recipes are shared on the curriculum page for each course and organized by season.
Signing up for the L’Art des Sauces et des Jus (The Art of Making Sauces and Jus) as it was the course offered during my time in Paris that I knew would strengthen my skill set as I have always had questions about making a sauce, and how to save a sauce!, I couldn’t wait to step foot in this famed and beloved culinary institution.
Now, as many of you already know, their are Le Cordon Bleu schools around the world, so wherever you call home, or wherever you might be traveling to, be sure to explore their website and click on the city where you will be to see which courses they have available. Of course, the Grand Diploma is the most commonly known and most prestigious to receive after years of work and classes, but now, they also offer Short Courses. And did you know that if you enroll in the Grand Diploma, you also take French language classes as you move through the culinary portion so that you will be proficiently speaking French when you graduate.
The Short Courses are not to be confused with the classes they offer in Paris at Hôtel de La Marine, while taught by Le Cordon Bleu chefs, the courses at the hôtel are shorter still, taught in English and more leisurely and fun, but still, you walk away with new skills about the topic you choose. Explore those courses here.
The Short Courses are all taught at the same building as the Grand Diploma courses. This is the official home of Le Cordon Bleu Paris, and you will see the professors (head chefs) wearing their toque blanches as they walk about the school if they are teaching or about to teach a course. Students are not wearing these yet as they receive them upon graduating. Yep, to answer your question, Patrick, our head chef for our class wore his toque blanche the entire time, for six hours.
Explore all of the Short Courses available at Le Cordon Bleu – Paris here.
Two Short Courses are typically taught each school day in their front cooking/teaching classroom that you see above and below. There are sixteen cooking stations with each student having their stove, oven and counter behind them.
All our tools and utensils were set up for us, and all of the necessary ingredients were prepared by the students enrolled in the Grand Diploma, the sous chefs so to speak, creating the mise en place for all of us which saved time.
We each received a booklet filled with all of the recipes that potentially would be taught. I say potentially because due to time, we couldn’t cook them all, but he would reference those. Patrick, the head chef, would also deviate from the recipe from time to time, and that would not be in the booklet, so a pencil is provided for you to take copious notes if you would like. I did my best!
In fact, one of the ‘extra’ recipes he shared had to do with how to cook a salmon, and since this wasn’t a class about seafood, of course, it wasn’t in our notes, but oh, my goodness, it was delicious. So grateful to have learned this technique, and I will be teaching it in TSLL’s Intro to French Cooking Class that will launch on August 24th (2025).
They advise wearing comfortable shoes and for good reason, you are standing the entire time – six hours in our case, and my calves ached when I arrived back home at my apartment (and I was wearing supportive shoes!).
Throughout the entire class, Patrick spoke only French, which I loved and welcomed; however, they do have a translator in the room (she was British) and she translated everything into English just in case. However, if you weren’t standing next to her, you had to listen carefully to make sure you heard her if there was a room full of whisking. She was incredibly kind and would repeat anything you may have missed, as would Patrick in French.
About Patrick. Oh my goodness. What a gem of a teacher – stern, but hilariously funny. A straight face that would always be followed with a coy smile. These classes are to be enjoyed, but challenge you so that you grow as a knowledge cook or baker, and both objectives were definitely met.
While we continued to make as many of the sauces as time allowed, the sous chefs were finishing certain items, and by the end of the class, the dining room was set up for us, complete with baguettes and wine to enjoy all that we made. A truly special way to end the day.
The class was full, and students came from all over the world, and even right there in Paris. The woman cooking directly in front of me lives in Paris and regularly comes to the school to take courses. Another woman had a pied a terre in southern France and was from Australia, and while she was up in Paris, she wanted to take a cooking class. There was only one couple, and the rest were all individuals who thoroughly loved cooking, and they were great cooks in their own right! And yes, most of the folks spoke French, even if it was their second language, but some knew about as much as I did, and took the class to both improve their cooking as much as to practice their French language listening and comprehension skills. So much fun to be with people who loved to cook as well as the language.
Prior to the course, you have a special discount and can buy items from their store – kitchen tools, notebooks, towels, etc. Because our course finished late after the shop had closed, if you had not purchased anything, you were out of luck, so just a head’s up that if you sign up for an afternoon course, to shop before your class begins.
If you are looking to expand your cooking skills, and will be in Paris in the future, why not sign up for a class? I had an amazing time, and I am confident you will as well.
See below the building of Le Cordon Bleu at night as I was departing, which is just a few blocks down the Seine from Le Tour de Eiffel.
Simply walk up those circular stairs on the left and onto the balcony and there you will find the automatically opening doors to begin your culinary journey whether it be a short or grand one. Bon appétit !
Click here to learn more about their Short Courses and enroll! Oh! and yep, you do get a proper apron, a very nice one in fact. ☺️🇫🇷
Explore All of the Posts Shared During TSLL’s 10th Annual French Week
Wow Shannon this is quite the experience, culinary & language alike! Such a great learning experience to take part in during your trip! I look forward to seeing tips you pass on in your upcoming released Intro to French Cooking class. I am also going to look into the classes here in the states & potentially on my next trip to Paris!
Oh, I am so excited for you to also take these classes! Yes, do peruse the offerings near you. And then in Paris, go and enjoy an amazing learning experience and then savor what you made afterwards with your classmates! Such a treat!
Sauces! Exciting! I’m not strong in that area so am intrigued whenever I see books on sauces and love that you had such a wonderful opportunity. Thank you for this reference and reminiscence.
It was a pleasure to be able to share and I was over the moon that this opportunity was possible! The class before us (morning course) was a pastry class, and they walked out with these gorgeously artisanal looking eclairs and other creations. It looked like a bakery when they were done. 🙂 Just being in that class room with the chef and fellow students while making the sauces eased the mysticism of sauces as they aren’t that complicated if you have the right tools (not that many) and the right ingredients and have patience. I learned, as I will teach in the upcoming class on TSLL, that often it takes more time than we realize to reach the flavor profile we desire. Seeing the chef’s sauce as he made it was helpful as we then went and made our own. I am confident you would definitely excel in this class. 🙂
This has been my first year of your French week and I am amazed at how fun the week has been. So many posts! So much information! So many chances to win wonderful things! And a joy to feel your enthusiasm about it all! Thank you for this!
Carol,
SO tickled you enjoyed the week! It truly is special and that is largely because of the community and their engagement and unabashed enthusiasm and curiosity to savor French-inspired content. I am so grateful for each reader who stops by and shares what speaks to them and maybe gets an idea for their next trip or how to add a touch of what they love about the culture into their everyday life. 🙂 You are definitely among kindred spirits here. 🙂
We have a campus about 6 hours from where I live here in Canada, and I have it on my bucket list to attend a short course!
Maureen, Go, go! Enroll! Enroll! You will walk out with so much knowledge and be surrounded by fellow lovers of creating delicious food! Have an amazing time!
Wow! Le Cordon Bleu in Paris! A dream come true! This is on my bucket list the next time I visit Paris. I’m so glad you got to experience it. The sauce looks amazing! Thank you for sharing with us your time well spent at this prestigious cooking school. Fantastique!
I recommend it highly Linda! And the nice part is that you don’t have to reserve far in advance as they don’t have the classes scheduled until the season prior. 🙂 Happy to share!
Shannon, what an absolutely amazing, incredible experience! The chef in his toque as your instructor , all the voices, the clatter of a professional kitchen, the delicious smells–I would be giddy! Six hours– and all in French! And you did it. Very impressive and what an incredible life experience. And so you must do another, just to take advantage of the discount code, if nothing else!
The chef WAS the cherry on top! He was encroyable ! So likeable, and it didn’t hurt that he was handsome ;), and determined to teach us and let us stumble, but then be there to help us save our sauce. Yes, I ruined one of my sauces, and he gave me a look and then a smile and taught me how to remedy it which was the best way to learn. 🙂
Exactement, the best lessons are learned and remembered after correcting our stumbles,( kitchen or otherwise)! Et attirer le regard d’un bel homme n’est jamais une mauvaise chose…😘
What an opportunity! Can’t wait to learn from your experience.
Looking forward to sharing with you the take-aways that will be helpful in everyday cooking, and the approach to cooking salmon – yum! That is definitely in the upcoming course here on TSLL and of course it is called Le Cordon Bleu Salmon. 🙂
What a wonderful experience, Shannon! Thank you for sharing. And, thank you for another delightful French week.
Carrie, thank you for joining the festivities this week! SO happy to hear you enjoyed it. 🙂
Such a dream come true! I’m so happy for you that you were able to have this experience! Thank you for sharing all of the details and, as I’ve mentioned (several times, I know) 😀 – I so look forward to the upcoming cooking course. Such a great French Week Shannon and so enhanced by all of the stories you’ve shared regarding your travels. I’ve enjoyed every moment! Merci!
Vickie, I am so grateful for your enthusiasm for the upcoming course. It really was Le Cordon Bleu class that punctuated the conclusion to my basic skills as I knew that if anyone could help me learn and answer the questions I had, it would be them, and it was reassuring as well as a lovely place to stumble, learn, try again and then celebrate success with fellow students that also want to enjoy and have triumphs in their own kitchens.
It has been a delight to read your comments throughout the week. Thank you for all that you have given to this special week with your time, interest and enjoyment of all things French. 🙂
What an exciting adventure! Learning at Le Cordon Bleu would be a dream. Good to know they have a translator.
And she was while the epitome of professionalism and didn’t miss a beat of what the chef said, admittedly (as I am sure she had been asked oodles of times prior), nope, not a cook. ☺️
How fun! I love learning how to cook new things!
How fun! These classes sound delightful and gave me visions of Audrey Hepburn as Sabrina.
I am now dreaming of taking a class at Le Cordon Bleu! You mentioned staying in an apartment. How did you go about finding a place to rent, and how close were you to the school?
I will definitely be signing up for your course! Thank you for giving me the opportunity to bring it up a notch in my own desire to live a simply luxurious lifestyle!
Darla,
So tickled this spoke to you! It really is so simple to do – 1/2 day, and something that will remain with you forever!
I rented a vacation rental, as I was only in the city at that point during my trip for five days. I have a lot of resources for finding a great place, and at this time of my trip I was staying in Paris Perfect’s apartment on Île de Cité in La Place Dauphine – you can take a tour of my stay here. https://thesimplyluxuriouslife.com/placedauphineparisperfectapartment/
And in this post shared earlier this week, I share where I stayed at the beginning of my trip for three nights – an apartment in Montmartre – https://thesimplyluxuriouslife.com/13thingstodoinpariseatshopseestay/
If you have any other questions, you can reach out directly or peruse through the French-inspired posts section in the Archives as I share every place I stayed in the past. https://thesimplyluxuriouslife.com/category/french-inspired/
And my Paris Travel Guide (always free! and updated after each visit to France) will also include the places I stayed and recommend – https://thesimplyluxuriouslife.com/city-detail/?city=Paris
Thank you for stopping by and I cannot wait to open up the cooking course – Intro to French Cooking for enrollment! I do hope you find it helpful and inspiring to dance in your kitchen and truly discover how to cook without a recipe for everyday life. 🙂
Dear Shannon,
What a special treat to yourself. I suspect those of us taking your intro to French Cooking course may benefit greatly from what you learned. I am inspired that you seek out these enrichment opportunities unabashedly and share your experiences with us. Truly an inspiration for us all!
Thank-you for all you have done for the 10th Annual French Week to enrich the lives of your members!
Merci!
So much to enjoy this week and learn. You have gathered enough resources to entice even the most reluctant cook. I can only imagine the energy in the classroom with all the French-speaking cooks and a charming teacher to boot. I am looking forward to the Intro class and all the insights you have gathered. Knowing how to navigate our own kitchens by watching you move about in yours will be a highlight. You have provided so much over the years to inspire us and to guide our own journeys, this can only be the exclamation point of the year! Great week Shannon, thank you. Rest well after this French week for sure!