I was attracted to L'Atelier des Chefs because one of their offerings was a 30-minute "pause déjeuner" or lunch break, for 17 euros. The description said you would make and eat a quick lunch. Some friends and I decided to give it a try.

Our class made two dishes, filet de bar à la pâte de pruneaux (filet of bass with a prune stuffing) and carottes acidulées aux trois agrumes (carrots sauteed with 3 citrus fruits).

We managed to make both dishes, and they were mostly ready after 30 minutes. We then sat down with the class in the dining room adjacent to the kitchen to enjoy our meal, with the option of buying a glass of wine, dessert, and/or coffee. The food was delicious and we were glad we had done it.

Chefs at work preparing prunes for the fish stuffing and carrots for the side dish.

But here's the caveat: what we hadn't noticed was that all the classes are taught in French. My French is pretty good, but it was still difficult to follow all of the instructions, particularly given that we had to work very fast. Most of the students were French people who work in the area and who come to learn and eat on their lunch break. Several of them were "regulars" at the class and knew the ropes.

L'Atelier des Chefs has five locations in Paris and also offers classes in other cities, including Bordeaux, Lyon, and Aix-en-Provence. They offer a wide range of classes, from the half hour lunch break to two-hour pastry workshops, to occasional longer "immersion" classes.

If you decide to take a class, you'll need to choose both the subject matter and the location. Locations range from near the Hôtel de Ville to the suburb of Rueil-Malmaison to the Gare St-Lazare area. Be sure to check the location and determine its accessibility from your location.

And unless your French is pretty good, you will find the class quite challenging. Although our chef had a few words of English, she had little time to translate. Other chefs may have more English, but in any case the instruction will be in French.

Because of the variety of locations and chefs, each class will be different. This description is to give you an idea of one experience only, and your experience may be very different from mine.

L'Atelier des Chefs

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