There are two more weeks to secure your place on the October trip to France! We will be lodging and cooking in a château on a vineyard surrounding Bordeaux and touring the region with Bordeaux native Gabrielle Esbeck, of C’est Si Bon! in Portland. Our voyages into the countryside will include (among several others) a trip to an oyster farm at the coast, where we’ll meet the farmer, board his traditional oyster boat (la pinasse), purchase our seafood, and cook our day’s meals at a beach kitchen. Contact instructor Courtney Sproule to sign up at 971-544-1350 or france@thechefstudio.com. Enrollment closes August 31st. All details below.
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The Chef Studio offers a one-week cooking course in the Bordeaux region each spring and fall. The next session will be October 18th-25th. Participants are offered two hands-on cooking classes per day and a window into the local food culture that teaches authenticity of place in a way rarely accessible to travelers. For over two decades, students have engaged in this singular experience that transforms the way one thinks about food, cooking, and culture.
The course is appropriate for students from a wide range of experience levels and backgrounds. Students from anywhere in the world can attend. Instructors Courtney Sproule and Blake Van Roekel work very closely with the small group of six students, adapting the curriculum to the cooking level of each student—whether you’re new to cooking or a seasoned professional.
We will be lodging and cooking at a château surrounded by vineyards in the countryside outside of Bordeaux. Each morning we visit a farmers’ market and return to the château for the first class of the day when we prepare our lunch from the market. Afternoons we venture out to the region, guided by Bordeaux native Gabrielle Esbeck, to meet local producers of the wine, cheeses, eau de vies, and meats for which the region is world famous. We then return each evening for a second instruction that culminates in a French dinner that we enjoy together at the table as we recount the day’s discoveries.
Chef Robert Reynolds, who developed the France program 25 years ago, explained the course in these words:
“I have always felt that the goal and vision we pursue is best served by having a segment of training at the source in France. I want students to understand that the ideas we advocate about cooking are supported in France by a philosophical commitment. The pursuit of excellence is not a marketing device; it is a way of life.”
Learn with us this October à Bordeaux! Contact Courtney Sproule at 971-544-1350 or france@thechefstudio.comfor information.
Enroll by August 31st.
