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With more than three hundred positive reviews, Jean- Marc Villard French cooking classes has received the Certificate of Excellence by TripAdvisor since 2014. Our school is even rated number one cooking classes in Provence near Avignon.
“2nd time still the best!”
Returning to chef Jean-Marc’s class in their new home among the beautiful Luberon mountains. The new kitchen setting and the out-door dining area are just perfect. Other reviewers have great descriptions of the class, so I won’t repeat. In summary, Jean-Marc is a great chef and born to be a teacher, Alice a most welcoming host, the recipes sophisticated, colorful & delicious (and can be repeated at home), and lastly, the Provence setting could not be better. Trust me and the others–this class be one of the highlights and fondest memory of your trip!
(Frank and Sandy/ LA
Mail from Elsa / Australia
Bonjour Alice and Jean-Marc,
Thank you so much for sharing your fabulous cooking skills with us Jean-Marc! Odellie and I had a wonderful time. Last night we shared our new skills with some friends, serving the spicy carrot cake and pea sauce to 8 people at a dinner party – and everyone thought it was fantastic!
I made the fish with green sauce several weeks ago for my partner and I, and it too was just delicious!
Thanks again, and I hope I have the opportunity to attend another of your courses in the future.
kind regards
Elsa (Australia, mail)
“Great Cooking Class in Provence!”
I recently was very fortunate to take a hands-on cooking class with Chef Jean Marc Villard. I teach cooking so I am very picky and very critical about the classes I take. Jean Marc is knowledgeable and a fun teacher. I was traveling with five women friends, all with different levels of cooking abilities, yet Jean Marc was able to engage everyone. Even the woman with no cooking skills (and little desire to learn) was at the stove working and enjoying herself. After we made an elegant three course lunch, we all sat down to dine with Jean Marc and his wife Alice. Jean Marc and Alice run their cooking school in their lovely house. I highly recommend that if you are planning a trip to Provence that you make the trip to Maubec to cook with him and to share the meal and wine with the two of them.
(Stephie/California)
“Stunning day – Cooking class with Jean-Marc”
We (my wife and I who are based in Geneva) were blessed to enjoy a wonderful day during the summer holidays with our best friends (who now live in Dubai) at Jean-Marc’s home in Provence. Jean Marc has a wonderful way with people and created a relaxed and fun environment for us to enjoy learning much more about French cuisine and how to prepare some fantastic dishes – he guided us well and the dishes turned out and tasted fantastic and were well matched by some great local wines! We cooked with seasonal produce from local producers which is always a treat. I can highly recommend this experience. (Ben de Bruyn)
“Five Star Experience”
We had a fabulous afternoon cooking with Jean Marc at his new location in Maubec. We can now claim to be Macaron “experts”; great experience and worth every penny.
(Suzanne)
“Like Julia Child, only better looking.”
Take a top-rated chef from Lyon with extensive cooking school experience, and set him down in the heart of the Luberon, where “farm-fresh” is an unspoken standard, and the result is an unforgettable experience, even when one mixes in a few clueless american housewives. Everything I ever learned from Julia was brought to life in a few hours with Jean-Marc Villard at his cooking school, Cuisine de Chef, near Maubec in Provence. In a day of culinary delights, Jean-Marc taught a thousand small tidbits of lore along with the classic preparations of several lovely dishes. Tips such as how to find the best produce or meat, or how to cut herbs so as not to bruise, or the timing of salt addition, or the trick to light, crispy tempura…every moment of the way he teaches as he works, the ultimate multitasking, efficient, ebullient chef. Along with his lovely wife Alice, he makes the whole indelible experience one of the best thing I have taken home from my many trips to France.
The day starts with espresso, homemade buttery baked goods, and conversation as we discuss life and food in France. Prior to coming, he has already asked about our food preferences, and has constructed a menu he thinks we will like. Since it was midweek (no market), we head to the local farm co-op where they have already saved him the best of everything, from fresh cheeses to beautiful just-picked squash blossoms and other produce. Back in his spacious well-equipped kitchen, he starts simultaneous preparations of several dishes based on cooking times — like a conductor, he orchestrates our prep seamlessly. Roasting tomatoes. Slicing and soaking aubergines. Mixing pistachio batter, prepping pans, spiralizing vegetables, thinly slicing fresh trout to be marinated in local olive oil and lemon. Our mouths are watering. At first he is like a kindergarten teacher on the first day of school, but as the hours go on, we fall into step as we learn the rhythm of his kitchen, and by early afternoon the dishes are beautifully finished and plated with a sense of pride and achievement. First tastes are met with moans and groans of appreciation. Each dish is delectable. I can’t believe we did this. Jean-Marc, I am sure, can’t believe we did it either!
Alice joins us for lunch, though she has been in the background the whole time, the mastermind to the operation and a wonderful chef herself. We trade family stories and photos, they share their restaurant recommendations, and by the end of the day we are sated in food and friendship. Though we travel the world and often take cooking classes as we go, there have been none with a better mix of both education and experience, along with one of the best meals we have had in Provence. Save me a spot, Jean-Marc and Alice, I’ll be back. (Sylvia/Washington)
“The highlight to our European trip”
While planning our French itinerary, we researched cooking classes and were delighted and intrigued to read about Jean Marc’s classes. It was exactly what we were looking for. When we arrived and met him and his beautiful wife, Alice, we knew we were in for a wonderful treat! First Jean Marc took us to the coop market and the learning began! What a terrific venture that was… the beginning to a fantastic day! I’m usually a very picky eater, but every dish that Jean Marc helped us prepare was delicious! Our friend, Chryl, loves to eat duck every time she goes to France, so she was delighted to learn that duck was on the menu. My husband, Carlos, and I enjoy experimenting with gourmet recipes and we were excited about all the new techniques and recipes we gained from this experience. Then when the food was ready, we were served the scrumptious meal we had helped to prepare. Jean Marc and Alice were excellent hosts who made us feel like guests in their home. We walked with away with the spice of life renewed and the flavor of love which we will cherish always.
(Jean&Carlos/California)
“Cooking and friendship”
What a wonderful way to spend my birthday in France. Cooking (and eating) our two of my favorite activities. To spend the day with Jean Marc and Alice in their beautiful home near Avignon was the highlight of a trip filled with wonderful experiences. The tasty food that we prepared was only topped by Jean Marc and Alice’s fabulous sense of humor and experience. I would highly recommend anyone interested in French cuisine spend an afternoon taking this class and enjoying a lovely lunch on their terrace. I cannot wait to do it again soon.
(Giuliana/United States)
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